Seeing Through the Canopy: What Is the Problem of Transparency Represented to Be in Cameroon and DRC Forest Policy?

Abstract Timber-consuming countries are increasingly holding transnational businesses accountable for environmental change, sparking calls for enhanced transparency in global supply chains. Applied to the timber supply chain, this study examines by whom, for whom, and to what end the issue of transparency is framed in forest governance policies of the Congo Basin. Focusing on case studies from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, we explore the assumptions underlying forest policy. We lean on problematization approaches to conduct a critical analysis of transparency in national and international policy documents and interviews. Additionally, we consider alternative representations and potential resistance strategies based on interview insights. Our findings suggest that impromptu enforcement of transparency as an end in itself may exacerbate power asymmetries by favoring entities with a monopoly on the “transparency market” (e.g., consultancy firms from the Global North). Transnational transparency legislation may also provoke resistance from the recipient countries. We discuss how framing transparency as an information fix overlooks the complex power dynamics and inequalities involved. We conclude with implications of implementing the European Union Deforestation Regulation.