STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014
52
Logging and mining is expected to increase in the region. The Congo
Basin countries have 440,000 km
2
of forest under logging concessions
– a fourth of the total dense lowland forest area.
41
Logging has thus far
been mainly selective, targeting a few high-value species. There is a lack
of reliable information about the extensive degradation taking place.
In recent years DRC has reviewed its logging concessions to make sure
logging is in line with the forest law. Prior to 2002, the government
had allocated 455,000 km
2
to logging concessions. With the new forest
law, almost half of the concessions were cancelled, and a moratorium
on new industrial logging concessions was put in place. In 2005,
the government opened for conversion of the remaining logging
concessions to new licences, and companies applied for logging of
220,000 km
2
. As of 2011, 125,500 km
2
had been approved as suitable
for logging.
42
Mining is, as logging, expected to increase. Numerous conflicts
have already emerged between conservation priorities, mining and
logging concessions, and the livelihood of local populations.
Forest policy
The weak state structures in in the Congo Basin pose particular
challenges compared to those facing other rainforest regions. DRC has
a long history of dictatorship and was from 1990s until 2003 ravaged by
wars and internal conflict. The governance and administrative system
is weak. Establishing the democratic and participatory governance
necessary for rights-based, sustainable forest management will take
time. Civil society organisations in the DRC have struggled for more
than a decade to make the country’s new forest law from 2002 benefit
forest people, and have advocated a transparent and participatory
forest policy. Significant achievements have been made by pressuring
government and international agencies to pay more attention to the
social and environmental effects of industrial logging.
Also the DRC’s neighbours in the region have experienced decades
of autocratic rule, conflicts and widespread corruption. The weak
governance has had great impacts on forest management. Gabon,
Congo and Cameroon have a long history of land conflict between
logging interests and local forest communities. In general, forest policies
have been dominated by logging and resource extraction (petroleum
and minerals), and by conservation approaches which have resulted in
people being denied access to the forests they have traditionally used.
Thousands expelled from their land
20% of the Congo Basin forest is classified as productive forest, 12%
is set aside for conservation and 10% for multiple use, including
community forestry. The remaining 58% has not been classified.
43
Conservation areas have been a prime source of conflict in the region.
Traditionally, the approach taken by conservation organisations and
governments has been strict nature conservation, excluding people
living in the forest or utilising forest resources for their livelihood.
Thousands of people have been expelled from forest areas in DRC
because of conservation initiatives. Many people now live in the
border areas of national parks, unable to obtain land. As the case
study from Itombwe shows (see following pages), a participatory and
inclusive approach to forest conservation is necessary.
The Congo Basin countries export a significant quantity of tropical
timber. Five countries in the region are working with the EU to develop
systems against illegal logging under the EU FLEGT initiative.
44
DRC
exports around 500 000 cubic metres of timber per year, 80–90%
of which is sent to Europe. Cameroon is Africa’s largest exporter
of tropical hardwood to the EU, most of which is sawn timber that
goes to Italy and Spain. The Central African Republic has only
5.4 million hectares of forest, yet the forest sector contributes 40% of
the country’s export earnings. Gabon and Republic of the Congo both
have timber as the second most important export product after oil.
The main export markets are Europe and China.
The DRC, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and the Central African Republic
are all involved in REDD+ initiatives through the World Bank or UN-
REDD. Properly designed REDD+ initiatives have the potential for
great success given the high carbon content of the Congo Basin forest
In order to succeed, lessons must be learned from the past decade
of struggle over forest policy and community rights. Mapping and
recognition of community rights prior to allocation of forest areas
for either exploitation or conservation measures, including REDD+
initiatives, is essential in order to reduce the risk of future land
conflicts and forest mismanagement.
