Africa's last remaining virgin forests across central Africa are declining at an alarming rate due to over-logging. At the beginning of the 20th century, Africa's tropical rainforest resources were extremely rich. It was the second largest tropical rainforest area in the world after Latin America, with a forest coverage rate of more than 60%, but now it is less than 10%. Recent findings from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations show that the rate of deforestation in the region has exceeded the limits of forest regeneration.

The first Summit on Protecting Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa was held in March 1999 in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. The meeting adopted the Yaounde Declaration on forest protection. In February 2000, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling on the international community to provide technical and financial assistance to help Central African countries implement the Yaoundé Declaration. The "Partnership Plan" initiated at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2002 also includes a plan to protect the natural resources of the Congo Basin in Central Africa.

On February 6, 2005, the presidents of the seven Central African countries stated in Brazzaville, the capital of Congolese and the Republic of Congo, that they would actively take measures to establish a regional organization to protect the species diversity of the Congo Basin. At the closing ceremony of the Second Summit on the Protection of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa, which had only one day on the agenda, President Biya of Cameroon, President Bongo of Gabon, President Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, President Deby of Chad, and President Kabi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo President Bozize of the Republic of Latin America and the Central African Republic and President Sassouaux of Congo (Brazzaville) signed a resolution pledging to protect the biodiversity of the Congo Basin and its ecosystem. The presidents of the seven countries support the establishment of a regional investment agency to set up a fund with a certain percentage of revenue from forest and animal exports to fund regional forest cooperation institutions or projects. They also called on the international community, especially the developed countries in the Paris Club, to forgive the debts of Central African countries and help these countries promote projects to protect forest ecosystems.