Why is the World Bank focusing on forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has the second largest swath of rainforests in the world. With 86 million hectares of area (1 ha = 2.5 acres) covered by rainforests, DR Congo accounts for more than half of the total remaining rainforests in the Central Africa region.
Congolese forests are a vital resource, both for the Congolese people and the global environment. About 40 million rural Congolese depend on the forests for their food, income, energy, shelter, medicines, and cultural needs. Indigenous groups, including the Pygmies, rely almost entirely on the forests. Described as the “second lung” of the planet for their ability to store carbon dioxide on a global scale, the Congolese forests serve an important public good. Carbon dioxide is the green house gas responsible for global warming. The forests also harbor amazing animal and plant diversity including endemic species such as Bonobo chimpanzees and the Okapi.
Promoting sustainable management in this largest remaining natural swath of rain forests in Africa is critical, both for securing the well-being of millions of poor people who are forest-dependent, and ensuring the viability of these unique assets. The World Bank is also ensuring that potential environmental impacts from developments in other sectors are avoided or mitigated.
What are the main threats to the rainforests in DR Congo?
The main threats are poverty, political instability and governance. Poverty-related forest degradation comes from agricultural encroachment, mainly through historical slash and burn agriculture and lack of livelihood alternatives. Another threat is the tradition of bush meat hunting, related to lack of inexpensive alternative sources of protein. Although these activities were under control when population sizes were small, they have become increasingly unsustainable, fuelled for example, by indiscriminate shooting of livestock by militias. Further, recent political instability reduced opportunities for diversification and investment in more productive, sustainable farming. Governance challenges include increasing transparency in the forest industry, controlling illegal logging and ensuring forest revenues benefit local communities.
What is the World Bank doing to protect rainforests in DR Congo?
The Bank is helping the government address the legacy of forest mismanagement prior to, during, and in the aftermath of the war by improving governance and transparency; and paving the way for more equitable and sustainable use of the forests, including through the promotion of other types of forest management options (such as promotion of environmental services). A $70 million forest sector support project is currently being implemented, aimed mainly at the strengthening of institutional capacity of the Ministry of Environment (MECNT) and the National Institute of Nature Conservation (ICCN) at the central and provincial level, as well at promoting community-based forest management options.
The World Bank is also supporting DRC in developing institutional capacities to benefit from a future international REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) mechanism, by collaborating with the government and civil society on a series of capacity building and institutional development activities, including the preparation of a National REDD Strategy. A particular concern of the WB is ensuring that the benefits from REDD are equitably shared with forest communities. Finally, the WB has been reaching out to civil society organizations, promoting capacity strengthening activities and further participation in decision making. A key partnership has been established with civil society’s working group on climate and REDD to engage in meaningful discussions on climate change and REDD issues.
What has the Bank achieved in its work on rainforests in DR Congo?
The Bank’s advice to the Government of DR Congo has led to: (i) cancellation of illegal logging concessions in 2002 covering 25 million hectares (an area the size of the United Kingdom); (ii) establishment of a moratorium in 2002 on awarding of new logging concessions subsequently reconfirmed as a Presidential Decree in 2005; (iii) provisions for the moratorium to stay in place until satisfactory standards of governance and management are achieved in existing concessions; (iv) enactment of a new Forest Code (Law) which introduces the principles of community-based forestry and management planning and revenue-sharing with local communities and calls for an expansion of protected areas, and protects traditional rights of local communities (including Pygmies); (v) launch of a legal review of all remaining logging concessions including those awarded in breach of the moratorium (with World Resources Institute (www.wri.orgas), an observer); (vi) support to the country in being a world’s leader in the process of getting ‘ready’ to participate in an international mechanism to compensate countries for reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).
The results are significant. Although the policy reforms have faced significant resistance, total forest area under concessions has fallen to 12 million hectares today from 43 million hectares in 2002.
Is it true that the World Bank is encouraging commercial logging in DR Congo?
No, the World Bank is not encouraging commercial logging in DR Congo. Our main advice to the DR Congo Government is NOT to expand industrial logging, and NOT to allocate any new concessions until satisfactory standards of governance and management are achieved in existing concessions and the country is able to enforce laws. In post-conflict DR Congo, there is a high risk of unregulated expansion of logging driven by the return of peace and rush to rehabilitate infrastructure. The World Bank is working closely with the DR Congo government to prevent this from happening. Where logging is already taking place, the World Bank is helping the DR Congo government to ensure that such logging follows sustainable practices, incorporates social provisions, and respects the rights of forest-dependent people including the Pygmies. At present, though, the great majority of wood harvested is from artisanal logging, accounting for about 1.5 million m 3 of harvested wood, compared with 300,000 m 3 of wood harvested by industrial loggers. The Bank is also working to improve the management and governance of artisanal logging.
Is the World Bank working with indigenous communities, including Pygmies in DR Congo?
Yes, the World Bank is helping to raise the profile of DR Congo’s indigenous people locally and internationally, and is establishing direct lines of communication in the field and at the policy level. It is promoting the participation of indigenous people in key decision-making activities. The Bank (i) supported the organization the First International Central Africa Indigenous Peoples Meeting in April 2007 and facilitated the participation of DR Congo Pygmy representatives at this event. It will also support the second meeting, to take place in February 2011; (ii) facilitated the participation of Pygmies at the Brussels Conference on indigenous peoples, February 2007; (iii) organized a high-level event on Congolese Forests during the Spring Meetings of the World Bank in April 2007, chaired by the World Bank president; (iv) helped build the coalition of NGOs with 111 local representatives (including 14 Pygmies) which participated in the Inter-Ministerial Committee for reviewing the legality of all logging concessions; (v) funded a capacity building activity on REDD targeting at forest communities and indigenous peoples, led by a platform of NGOs working with indigenous peoples; and (vi) prepared a “Framework for a National Development Strategy for Pygmy Communities in DRC” in December 2009, in collaboration the government, development partners and after consultation of key stakeholders. The Framework analyzes factors which threaten the cultural identity of Pygmy populations and contribute to their impoverishment, and develops a set of proposed actions to mitigate them. The Bank has also intensified and broadened its support to indigenous people in DR Congo in its Poverty Reduction Strategy and its work with vulnerable groups.
Will the creation of new protected areas damage the rights of indigenous people?
No. In existing protected areas, the Bank promotes not only bio-diversity but also the greater participation of local communities including indigenous peoples in decision making and management. The Bank believes that participatory forest mapping must secure the traditional rights of local, forest-dependent people, including Pygmies. The Bank also supports efforts by ICCN (The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation) to shift away from the old paradigm of park management under which all social and economic activities were banned and inhabitants forced to leave. The new approach focuses on participatory management and on preserving indigenous people’s traditional rights.
What are the World Bank’s future plans in the forest sector in DRC?
The World Bank’s future assistance will keep its focus on strengthening the capacities of Congolese institutions and civil society organizations so that they can better implement, enforce, and monitor the new policies contained in the Forest Code, as well as promote new and innovate forest management and conservation options. Operations will support participatory land use planning (important for securing social and environmental forest values, and preventing conflict over natural resources); the development of community-managed forests and alternative livelihood activities; participatory and sustainable management plans; and valuing the nation’s ecosystem services (including the carbon stored in its forests). These operations will also aim to strengthen governance in the forest sector, including enforcement capacity for areas managed as forest concessions, ensure improved management of artisanal logging; prevent illegal logging and ensure forest revenues benefit local communities. Importantly, they will help develop transparent, accountable forest institutions that work with local communities, government and non-government organizations, and the forest industry to develop and enforce good forest management practices. In the area of REDD, the WB will continue to provide technical and financial assistance to DRC to create the institutional capacities to benefit from future REDD funds. It will also make sure that these resources are used to fund pro-poor rural development activities and reach forest communities.
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