Coalition warns of plan to open tens of millions of hectares of DRC’s forests to timber industry
A coalition of more than 70 environmental and human rights organisations has called on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to maintain its national moratorium on new industrial logging concessions, warning that lifting the ban could open tens of millions of hectares of tropical forests to the timber industry and undermine the country’s climate and biodiversity commitments.
In a press statement, the coalition says it has submitted an open letter to the DRC Prime Minister urging the government to immediately suspend all ongoing efforts to lift the moratorium after draft legislation to remove the ban reached an advanced stage.
The organisations say the appeal comes at a crucial time as the DRC seeks to strengthen its position as a global solutions country in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss through initiatives such as the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor, land and forest governance reforms, the recognition of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities rights, and broader international environmental commitments.
According to the coalition, lifting the moratorium before effective governance mechanisms are in place would threaten the Congo Basin’s globally significant ecosystems, jeopardise the rights and livelihoods of forest-dependent communities, and weaken the DRC’s international credibility as a leader in climate action and sustainable forest governance.
A technical analysis accompanying the open letter concludes that the legal conditions required to lift the moratorium have not yet been fulfilled. It also highlights persistent weaknesses in forest governance, risks of land-use conflicts, the limited economic contribution of industrial logging, and the environmental and social impacts associated with allocating new logging concessions.
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The coalition argues that, instead of expanding industrial logging, the DRC has an opportunity to strengthen community forestry, improve forest governance, secure community land rights and attract greater investment in conservation and sustainable development.
The coalition has also called on the DRC government to halt all initiatives aimed at lifting the moratorium until the legal conditions have been met, while advancing reforms in forest governance, land-use planning and Indigenous Peoples rights, alongside strengthening transparency, oversight and law enforcement across the forestry sector.
Bonaventure Bondo
It has further urged the DRC’s technical and financial partners to continue supporting sustainable forest management models based on community forestry, biodiversity conservation, respect for human rights and inclusive local development.
“Lifting the moratorium today without effective governance mechanisms including robust monitoring and enforcement systems would open the door to industrial expansion with disproportionate consequences for the communities that depend directly on forests. Greenpeace Africa has joined this coalition because protecting the Congo Basin forests means protecting our collective future,” says Bonaventure Bondo, Congo Basin Forest Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa.
Joe Eisen
“Opening these climate-critical forests to more industrial logging would severely undermine the DRC’s standing as a ‘solutions country’ at a time when it has taken several positive steps to improve forest governance and recognise the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent communities. The DRC and its international partners should stick to this path rather than pursuing failed extractive models that deliver little benefit for forests or rural Congolese communities,” says Joe Eisen, Executive Director of Rainforest Foundation UK.
Blaise Mudodosi Muhigwa
“Most existing logging concessions have already been converted into conservation concessions, while more than half of those that remain have ceased operations. This raises a legitimate question: who would truly benefit from lifting the moratorium,” says Blaise Mudodosi Muhigwa, Actions pour la Promotion et la Protection des Peuples et Espèces Menacés (APEM).
