Congo will chop more rainforest despite Norwegian support – Nationen

The Rainforest Foundation and other environmental organizations cry cry that after environment minister Robert Bopolo Mbongeza declared a ban on new logging concessions to be raised. The ban or moratorium was introduced in 2002 to prevent impunity and destruction of the rainforest in the aftermath of the civil war in the country. Now wants the Congolese government to provide new logging permits and securing increased tax revenues.

400 million a year

Mbongezas statement comes just a few months after Norway promised up to 400 million per year until 2020 to support the preservation of the rainforest in the so-called Congo Basin. Over half of the forest area is located in Congo.

– A repeal of the moratorium will lead to large-scale and uncontrolled deforestation in the Congo, warns Gunnell Sandanger, senior advisor of the Rainforest Foundation.

To open for more legal logging will trigger a flood of environmental destruction, social abuse and corruption will undermine efforts to conserve DRC’s rainforest to prevent climate change, said in a note that the rainforest Foundation, Greenpeace and nine other international and local organizations have prepared.

– More professional

Climate and Environment Minister Vidar Helgesen (H) says he is skeptical, but would discuss plans with Congo. He points out that the legal harvesting today constitute only 1 to 2 percent of the national market, the rest of the timber comes from illegal logging.

– The government wants to abolish the moratorium in an attempt to develop a more professional logging industry which respects the laws, pay taxes and are environmentally and socially sustainable, he points out.

However, Christian Nellemann, who is an expert on the looting of natural resources and organized crime in African countries, have very little faith that more legal forestry operations will stop the illegal logging. The reason is that the Congolese army and parts of the government itself is deeply involved in illegal logging.

– If you want to preserve the rainforest and raise tax revenues must first strengthen the judicial system and the police and combating organized crime. Substituting the aid without ensuring a satisfactory state apparatus, one can expect a gigantic misuse of funds, said Nellemann, who runs the Norwegian Centre for Global Analysis and partly working for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Last year he prepared a report to the UN Security Council on the illegal exploitation of natural resources in Congo.

Investment Plan

The Norwegian support will be provided through the Central African Forest Initiative (Cafi), launched in September last year with the World Bank and several other donors.

Congo has made an investment plan that will ensure sustainable development and poverty reduction as well as to preserve the forest. The Rainforest Foundation is little impressed with the plan.

– It places no restrictions on forestry operations and other serious threats to the rainforest, such as mining and large-scale farming. It’s either nothing about the moratorium in it, says Sandanger.

Helgesen reviewing However the plan as a “good basis” for negotiations. He points out that the Congo is one of the poorest countries, which have to balance poverty reduction with economic growth and use of natural resources.

– We are glad that the government shows interest in developing clean development strategies into account the need for development while that rainforests can be preserved, for the benefit of the Congo, for local communities and for the climate, writes Helgesen said. (© NTB)