Millions of acres of rainforest threatened as Congolese government moves to reverse plan to stop illegal logging.
The results of a World Bank-backed legal review of logging operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, published in January, appear likely to be overruled by the Congolese government. In recent public statements, the DRC government has suggested that some logging companies which were found to be in violation of national laws may be allowed to continue or even expand their logging activities in the DRC, in spite of recommendations from a government and civil society commission that those companies' titles be cancelled. As much as 9 million hectares of logging operations could be allowed to resume or continue.
Political authorities have defended such selective disregard for the commissions' conclusions, claiming that the government needs to reward companies that have made investments and cannot afford to lose revenues from logging. At the same time, however, civil society argues that exercising political discretion in this way would make a mockery of the law, and reverse what progress has been made on forest sector reforms and law enforcement. Moreover, groups including the Rainforest Foundation warned the World Bank in 2007 that it was making a critical mistake by failing to consider what would happen after the legal review of logging operations had been completed, and failing to provide any funds for illegal logging operations to be dismantled, and workers re-employed.
Simon Counsell, Director of the Rainforest Foundation said that:
"Industrial logging has failed to provide significant revenues or contribute to sustainable development in the DRC, and in fact has fomented conflicts with communities, many of which have yet to be resolved. Any decision to expand industrial logging in the DRC, particularly by companies that have failed to respect laws and regulations, would undermine efforts to reduce deforestation and degradation, and jeopardize the opportunity to benefit from climate-related payments. The Rainforest Foundation calls on the Congolese government to respect the moratorium on the allocation of new logging concessions, and on the World Bank to provide emergency funding to help dismantle logging operations that have been found to be illegal."
› Press release from local environmental and human rights NGO network/RRN (en francais)
