03.10.2025. Are forests for people? This age-old question lies at the heart of today’s sustainability debate. Far from an either–or choice, a study awarded by Yale University offers a credible counter-example.
In Gabon—the world’s second most forested country, where over 90 % of the land is dense tropical forest and about two-thirds is leased to forest companies—post-doctoral researcher Megan Sullivan spent more than a year in Monts de Cristal National Park, where she established 80 research plots.
Sullivan’s measurements of seedlings, saplings, and adult trees show that while low-intensity harvesting leads to modest shifts in species composition, it does not harm key ecosystem services such as carbon storage or food availability for wildlife.
Must tropical forests be locked away under strict protection, or can they also meet human needs without compromising their ecosystem services?
Sullivan’s findings offer a compelling answer: carefully managed, low-intensity selective harvesting (two trees per hectare, much lower than harvesting intensity in South America and Asia) can support both ecosystems and communities. Best practice selective harvesting can maintain biodiversity, sustain livelihoods and create continuous corridors of ecologically intact forests , complementing rather than competing with protected areas.
That is especially interesting when thinking that the Ngombé forest that INTERHOLCO manages in the Republic of Congo is located between two national parks: Odzala-Kokoua, North-West and Ntokou-Pikounda, South-East. Together with Ngombé, all three make up nearly the size of Belgium.
Tom van Loon, Head of sustainability at INTERHOLCO, commented: “For decision-makers wary of any timber harvest, the evidence points to a middle path where people and forests thrive together: with strict management and low extraction rate, tree harvesting can be a sustainable complement to protected forests, supporting social and economic development and keeping forests standing against competing land-use pressures."
Sullivan’s research, published in Global Ecology and Conservation, earned her the 2025 Bormann Prize at the Yale School of the Environment.
About Interholco
The valorisation of a natural forest of 1.16 million hectares in the Republic of Congo Brazzaville is our DNA here at INTERHOLCO. As an FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®, FSC® C022952) and PEFC and PAFC certified producer, INTERHOLCO is a well-established player in the trade of its edged boules, sawn timber, glue laminated scantlings, decking boards and more.
We are a leading provider of high-quality wood products ‘Made in Africa’ holding a verified environmental and health performance statement (FDES requirement in France). Our teams carefully manage the supply chain from forest to customer. Our story is fully illustrated by enabling the people living in Ngombe to access better life conditions. We make it possible to design and build a healthy living environment with bio-based, eco-friendly materials, one of the real solutions for the planet and climate. Follow us on LinkedIn
Communication contact Interholco
Tullia Baldassarri Höger von Högersthal
INTERHOLCO AG, Neuhofstr. 25, 6340 Baar, Switzerland
Tel.: +41 (0)41 767 03 82
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
