DRC: no new logging concessions
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s moratorium on large-scale logging remains in place, Environment Minister Marie Nyange confirmed in Kinshasa. This is a victory for the 70 nongovernmental organizations that warned against its repeal. But the coalition is not letting down its guard: to generate revenue from forests, the minister is backing controversial carbon trading.
The prospect was alarming: lifting the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) moratorium on new industrial logging licenses could open tens of millions of hectares of rainforest to logging. The moratorium has been in place since 2002.
On July 3, 70 environmental organizations, including Rainforest Rescue, warned of the ecological, economic and social consequences of granting large corporations new concessions after a moratorium that has held for more than two decades. According to an analysis, lifting the moratorium could legitimize “widespread illegal practices” and trigger an “uncontrolled expansion of forestry concessions.” Our partner Réseau CREF contributed to the analysis.
At a press conference in Kinshasa on July 7, Environment Minister Marie Nyange stated: “What documents has the ministry issued that constitute an exception to the moratorium? There are none.” As a trained forestry scientist, she also knows “the importance of forests and the consequences of their loss.” She understands the impacts “not only for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but for the whole world.”
Congolese and international organizations welcomed the clarification – but are not letting down their guard, as several senior government officials continue to advocate lifting the ban. The government must maintain the moratorium, particularly during the reform of the forestry law.
As early as July 2021, the government in Kinshasa moved to lift the moratorium on new industrial timber concessions. Our petition against the plan was signed by 111,180 people. The plans were ultimately abandoned.
Carbon trading as forest revenue?
According to the minister, the DRC government sees emissions trading as a way to generate revenue from forests. “We will receive this money only as long as the forests are standing. If we give them away, we will no longer receive it,” she warned.
Environmental organizations are critical of emissions trading and carbon credits. These mechanisms often violate the rights of local Indigenous communities. Their value for climate action and forest protection is also disputed.
Demands for forest protection
In their open letter, the 70 organizations call on the DRC government to:
- Halt current efforts to lift the moratorium, including removing it from the draft forest code and withdrawing the draft decree.
- Complete ongoing legal reforms on forests, land and Indigenous rights in line with international standards before reviewing the moratorium.
- Ensure lawful, participatory land-use planning that reflects community forests, climate goals and other priorities.
- Strengthen enforcement by investigating violations, prosecuting offenders and revoking illegal permits, alongside measures such as a log export ban and expanded independent and community monitoring.
- Prohibit new industrial concessions in the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor.
- Expand support for community forests as a core part of forest management and land use.
- Mobilize international climate and development finance to support these actions.
« Quels sont les documents que le ministère a émis qui dérogent au moratoire ? Il n’y a pas », Marie Nyange, Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development and the New Climate Economy. https://www.youtube.com/live/nkpZNClmo-I
(particularly from 1:06:00 onward)
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