Open Letters Condemn DRC’s Removal of Environmental Protection Measures

Katherine Willey

Environment & Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

Scientists and NGOs are calling on donor governments and organisations to stop funding conservation projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) until its government commits to reinstating a ban on logging in the Congo Basin Rainforest. The letters, published in September and October 2021, outline the potentially devastating consequences of deforestation on the climate, biodiversity and indigenous communities living in the region.

The ban on new logging permits has been in place since 2002 but in July 2021, the DRC’s environment minister, Eve Bazaiba, announced that it would be lifted, paving the way for industrial activity and deforestation. She emphasised the economic advantages that such a policy change would bring, suggesting that it would allow people to “benefit from the riches of their nation.” However, the letters argue that these benefits rarely materialise in reality due to the poor social protections and corruption rampant in the logging sector. Instead, deforestation threatens local communities by depleting vital resources, exposing them to deadly diseases and destroying livelihoods. They also point to evidence that keeping forests under indigenous control increases the levels of carbon they store, enhances biodiversity and is generally more socially and economically beneficial for local populations. 

The Congo Basin Rainforest is the second largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon, meaning that its destruction could potentially release billions of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. This means that its conservation is vital to maintaining the 1.5????C global warming limit, set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. In order to uphold this target and protect local populations, the NGOs and scientists encourage donors and governments to put pressure on the DRC government and make any further funding of forest conservation projects conditional on the reinstatement of the ban. 

Sources and further reading:

2nd September 2021 Open Letter from NGOs to Climate Donors: https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/media.ashx/accuse-reception-gibe-en-anglais.pdf 

23rd September 2021 Open Letter from NGOs to Donor Governments: https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/media.ashx/letter-to-ministers.pdf 

28th October 2021 Open Letter from Scientists to Donor Governments and Organisations: https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-africa-stateless/2021/10/64d484c2-scientist-letter-on-the-drc-logging-moratorium.pdf 

Africa News. (2021, October 28). Leading forest scientists call for a freeze on new logging in the Congo, urge governments to act. https://www.africanews.com/2021/10/28/leading-forest-scientists-call-for-a-freeze-on-new-logging-in-the-congo-urge-governments-to-act// 

Greenpeace Africa. (2021, September 23). NGOs letter to donor governments. https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/press/49208/ngos-letter-to-donor-governments/ 

Rainforest Foundation UK. (2021, September 2). Press Release: NGOs warn about lifting DRC logging ban. https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/looming-climate-catastrophe 

Rainforest Foundation UK. (2021, September 23). 44 Congolese and international NGOs join call to stop lifting of the DRC logging moratorium. https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/ngos-call-on-donor-governments-to-intervene-to-stop-new-logging-plans-in-the-congo-rainforest 

Seabrook, V. (2021, September 23). Climate change: UK must suspend aid for Congo Basin rainforest protection until DRC drops plans to increase logging, demand NGOs. Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/climate-change-uk-must-suspend-aid-for-congo-basin-rainforest-protection-until-drc-drops-plans-to-increase-logging-demand-ngos-12414588