https://news.mongabay.com/list/congo/ Environmental science and conservation news Fri, 17 Nov 2023 04:37:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2020/05/16160320/cropped-mongabay_icon-32x32.png https://news.mongabay.com/list/congo/ 32 32 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/oil-firm-perenco-eyes-new-blocks-in-drc-amid-criticism-of-its-track-record/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/oil-firm-perenco-eyes-new-blocks-in-drc-amid-criticism-of-its-track-record/#respond 24 Oct 2023 09:27:24 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=274572 - Perenco operates the country’s only oil production facilities, at Muanda, near the mouth of the Congo River.
- Local and international critics accuse the oil company of polluting the environment, affecting fishing and farming, as well as residents’ health; the company denies this.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/oil-firm-perenco-eyes-new-blocks-in-drc-amid-criticism-of-its-track-record/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/what-would-it-cost-to-protect-the-congo-rainforest/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/what-would-it-cost-to-protect-the-congo-rainforest/#respond 29 Aug 2023 22:23:57 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=272757 - However, the DRC is a nation with the second-highest rate of tropical deforestation behind Brazil. Meanwhile, Gabon says it has acted to protect its forests but hasn’t reaped the promised rewards.
- International commitments to protect the Congo Rainforest are historically meager compared with what experts say is actually needed, and many of these commitments go unfulfilled.
- On this episode of Mongabay Explores the Congo Basin, we speak with experts about what’s needed to overcome hurdles to financing forest protection to benefit conservation, climate and communities: Paolo Cerutti, senior scientist and DRC unit head at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR-ICRAF); Chadrack Kafuti at Ghent University; Wahida Patwa Patwa-Shah, senior regional technical specialist, UNDP Climate Hub; and Lee White, minister of water, forests, the sea and environment in Gabon.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/what-would-it-cost-to-protect-the-congo-rainforest/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/a-just-energy-transition-requires-better-governance-equity-in-the-drc/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/a-just-energy-transition-requires-better-governance-equity-in-the-drc/#respond 19 Jul 2023 21:05:58 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=271115 - In the Democratic Republic of Congo, this demand has fueled a poorly regulated mining sector that has forced Indigenous communities off their land, polluted water and air, and given little back in the way of infrastructure or development.
- The DRC has also recently opened 27 blocks of land for oil exploration under the auspices of lifting the nation out of poverty, but our guests say the handling of these other mineral revenues doesn’t bode well for an equitable oil boom.
- Joseph Itongwa Mukumo, an Indigenous community member of Walikale in the North Kivu province and director of ANAPA-DRC, and Christian-Géraud Neema Byamungu, Francophone editor at the China Global South Project, speak with Mongabay about the impacts of mining on local and Indigenous communities and what DRC residents need for a just energy transition.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/a-just-energy-transition-requires-better-governance-equity-in-the-drc/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/big-potential-and-immense-challenges-for-great-ape-conservation-in-the-congo-basin-experts-say/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/big-potential-and-immense-challenges-for-great-ape-conservation-in-the-congo-basin-experts-say/#respond 28 Jun 2023 22:14:36 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=270268 - In the great apes stronghold of the Congo Basin, national interests in natural resource exploitation, a lack of security in areas like the Albertine Rift, hunting, and the illegal wildlife trade all greatly impact populations of bonobos and mountain gorillas.
- In this episode of Mongabay Explores, Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Kirsty Graham, Terese Hart, and Sally Coxe speak with Mongabay about the threats to bonobos and mountain gorillas, the lessons learned from decades of conservation efforts, the importance of great apes for the protection of Congo Basin rainforest, and ways forward for conservation as well as livelihoods for Indigenous and local communities.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/big-potential-and-immense-challenges-for-great-ape-conservation-in-the-congo-basin-experts-say/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/new-data-show-10-increase-in-primary-tropical-forest-loss-in-2022/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/new-data-show-10-increase-in-primary-tropical-forest-loss-in-2022/#respond 27 Jun 2023 08:35:05 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=270226 - These losses occurred despite the pledges of 145 countries at COP26 in 2021 to increase efforts to reduce deforestation and halt it by 2030; the new data, from the University of Maryland, puts the world far off track for meeting the goal of zero deforestation.
- According to Frances Seymour of World Resources Institute, there is an urgent need to increase financing for protecting and restoring forests.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/new-data-show-10-increase-in-primary-tropical-forest-loss-in-2022/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/tap-african-knowledge-for-congo-basin-forest-conservation-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/tap-african-knowledge-for-congo-basin-forest-conservation-commentary/#respond 05 Jun 2023 17:36:39 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=269408 - One of the key ways to slow the loss of forest is to engage local communities which live in the area, whose cultures are deeply rooted in stewardship the land, and have a strong connection to the forest.
- “By tapping into African culture and engaging local communities, the conservation of the Congo Basin forest can be achieved in a sustainable and effective manner,” a new op-ed argues.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/tap-african-knowledge-for-congo-basin-forest-conservation-commentary/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/survival-and-economics-complicate-the-drcs-bushmeat-and-wild-animal-trade/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/survival-and-economics-complicate-the-drcs-bushmeat-and-wild-animal-trade/#respond 30 May 2023 16:20:32 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=269170 - In the Democratic Republic of Congo, subsistence hunting is often intertwined with the trade of bushmeat and in some cases live animals to sate the demand from larger markets, which can increase the pressure on wildlife populations.
- The trade of bushmeat provides one of the few sources of income for hunters, porters and traders, as well as a source of protein for families, in the town of Lodja, which sits close to forests that are home to unique species.
- Activists in Lodja and the DRC are working to save live animals from entering the illicit trade of endangered species and encourage alternative sources of income to the commercial trade of wild meat and animals.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/survival-and-economics-complicate-the-drcs-bushmeat-and-wild-animal-trade/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/congo-basin-communities-left-out-by-fortress-conservation-fight-for-a-way-back-in/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/congo-basin-communities-left-out-by-fortress-conservation-fight-for-a-way-back-in/#respond 16 May 2023 20:18:52 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=268644 - The contentious “fortress conservation” model remains popular with some governments in Central Africa, but conservation leaders are shifting their opinion, signaling a desire to move toward inclusive and rights-based approaches to protected areas and ecosystems, including in declarations such as the Kigali Call to Action.
- However, Indigenous leaders and conservation experts say action, not just talk, is urgently needed to achieve the goals outlined by the 30×30 initiative, and to make good on promises to address injustices faced by Indigenous communities across the basin.
- On this episode of Mongabay Explores the Congo Basin, Cameroonian lawyer and Goldman Prize winner Samuel Nguiffo, Congolese academic Vedaste Cituli, and Mongabay features writer Ashoka Mukpo detail the troubling history of fortress conservation in Central Africa, the role of paramilitary forces in it, the impacts on local communities, and ways to address the conflicts it has created.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/congo-basin-communities-left-out-by-fortress-conservation-fight-for-a-way-back-in/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/inaugural-indigenous-womens-forum-spotlights-congo-basin-conservation/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/inaugural-indigenous-womens-forum-spotlights-congo-basin-conservation/#respond 10 May 2023 14:15:42 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=268438 - Organizers hope the forum will result in a fund for Central African Indigenous women supporting biodiversity and climate resilience.
- Research shows that 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity is found in territory managed by Indigenous peoples, yet Congo Basin countries receive scarce funding for conservation.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/05/inaugural-indigenous-womens-forum-spotlights-congo-basin-conservation/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/mongabay-explores-the-congo-basin-the-heart-of-the-world-is-at-a-turning-point/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/mongabay-explores-the-congo-basin-the-heart-of-the-world-is-at-a-turning-point/#respond 25 Apr 2023 18:49:54 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=267827 - This first episode in our fourth season explores the Congo Basin, its vast biodiversity, environmental challenges and conservation solutions.
- Home to the world’s second-largest rainforest, it also contains unique flora and fauna found nowhere else and some of the world’s most carbon-rich peatlands.
- Featured on this episode are Conserv Congo founder Adams Cassinga and Joe Eisen, executive director of Rainforest Foundation UK, who discuss the roadblocks to protecting peatlands and rainforests from resource extraction, the challenges with foreign aid and the difficult situation locals face in a nation wracked by conflict and insufficient critical infrastructure.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/04/mongabay-explores-the-congo-basin-the-heart-of-the-world-is-at-a-turning-point/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/drcs-endangered-bonobos-face-another-threat-to-their-survival-malaria/ https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/drcs-endangered-bonobos-face-another-threat-to-their-survival-malaria/#respond 22 Mar 2023 08:19:32 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=266696 - A recent study that analyzed the feces of bonobo across the species’ range found that one bonobo population showed evidence of both malaria infection and a genetic variation that would likely protect them against severe disease.
- This genetic variation was less common in other populations, suggesting that other bonobo groups could be in trouble if climate change brings malaria-carrying mosquitoes into their habitats.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/drcs-endangered-bonobos-face-another-threat-to-their-survival-malaria/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/what-happened-in-the-worlds-rainforests-in-2022/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/what-happened-in-the-worlds-rainforests-in-2022/#respond 29 Dec 2022 22:07:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=264263 - But the outlook for tropical forests nonetheless remains tenuous.
- The following is a look at some of the major tropical rainforest storylines and developments in 2022.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/what-happened-in-the-worlds-rainforests-in-2022/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/environmental-peacebuilding-must-pay-more-attention-to-armed-groups-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/environmental-peacebuilding-must-pay-more-attention-to-armed-groups-commentary/#respond 29 Nov 2022 22:21:41 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=262776 - Environmental peacebuilding examines how addressing resource conflict and improving governance can serve as a stepping stone for broader efforts at peace.
- Though much research and programming of this sort speaks of governments and communities as the main conflict parties, armed parties should also be considered conflict actors in their own right.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/environmental-peacebuilding-must-pay-more-attention-to-armed-groups-commentary/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/cop27-long-on-pledges-short-on-money-for-forests-congo-basin-at-risk/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/cop27-long-on-pledges-short-on-money-for-forests-congo-basin-at-risk/#respond 18 Nov 2022 20:38:30 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=262777 - But as COP27 draws to a close, policy experts and activists agree that funding so far is far too little, and too slow coming, with many pledges still unfulfilled. Without major investments that are dozens, or even hundreds, of times bigger, tropical forests will keep disappearing at an alarming rate.
- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) offers a case study of just how dire the situation is becoming. While some international forest preservation money is promised and available, it is insufficient to stop companies from leasing forestlands to cut timber and to convert to plantations and mines.
- Some experts say that what is urgently needed is the rapid upscaling of carbon markets that offer heftier carbon credits for keeping primary forests growing. Others point to wealthy nations, who while still cutting their own primary forests, encourage poorer tropical nations to conserve theirs without paying enough for protection.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/cop27-long-on-pledges-short-on-money-for-forests-congo-basin-at-risk/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/after-14-years-of-advocacy-the-drc-president-signs-new-indigenous-peoples-law-commentary/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/after-14-years-of-advocacy-the-drc-president-signs-new-indigenous-peoples-law-commentary/#respond 16 Nov 2022 21:10:01 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=262668 - For the country’s Indigenous pygmy people, this is the first time that they are legally recognized as a distinct people with rights and access to free, prior and informed consent before the government and industries can exploit their land.
- But not everything will change in the blink of an eye and implementation of the law will take time, says Patrick Saidi, one of the Indigenous coordinators that worked to get the protections enshrined into law.
- This post is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/after-14-years-of-advocacy-the-drc-president-signs-new-indigenous-peoples-law-commentary/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/podcast-escape-into-natures-soundscapes/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/podcast-escape-into-natures-soundscapes/#respond 16 Nov 2022 20:59:10 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=262666 - Healthy ecosystems are often noisy places: from reefs to grasslands and forests, these are sonically rich ecosystems, thanks to all the species present.
- Sound recordist George Vlad travels widely and on this special episode he plays soundscape recordings from Brazil’s Javari Valley and a rainforest clearing in the Congo Basin, and describes how they were captured.
- Recording soundscapes of such places is one way to ensure we don’t forget what a full array of birds, bats, bugs, and more sounds like, despite the biodiversity crisis.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/podcast-escape-into-natures-soundscapes/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/can-a-luxury-chocolate-company-save-a-congolese-forest/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/can-a-luxury-chocolate-company-save-a-congolese-forest/#respond 16 Nov 2022 17:57:06 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=262650 - Luxury food company, Original Beans, seeks to solve deforestation fueled by chocolate farming near Virunga National Park by planting organic cocoa in an agroforestry system that provides a sustainable form of income to local women.
- The company argues that producing luxury chocolate is a solution that generates enough money to bypass mass-production and opaque supply chains, while fairly paying local producers.
- Agroforestry experts say the project relies too heavily on planting invasive tree species and does not follow all sustainability recommendations.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/can-a-luxury-chocolate-company-save-a-congolese-forest/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/easygoing-bonobos-accepting-of-outsiders-study-says/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/easygoing-bonobos-accepting-of-outsiders-study-says/#respond 10 Oct 2022 13:24:51 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261276 - A recent study set out to examine this question by observing members of habituated bonobo communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and comparing their behavior to observations of chimpanzee groups in Uganda’s Kibale National Park.
- The researchers found that, compared to chimpanzees, bonobos maintain strong and distinct core groups, but also exhibit frequent and peaceable between-group interactions.
- The findings give conservationists a better understanding of bonobo social behavior, which in turn can inform conservation actions.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/easygoing-bonobos-accepting-of-outsiders-study-says/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/locals-in-the-dark-about-oil-auctions-in-drc-report/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/locals-in-the-dark-about-oil-auctions-in-drc-report/#respond 06 Oct 2022 14:07:08 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261231 - Researchers visited fourteen villages in four of the proposed oil blocks, finding that most residents didn’t know about the government’s plans.
- This week the DRC’s environment minister rejected an appeal by U.S. climate envoy John Kerry to remove some blocks from the auction.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/locals-in-the-dark-about-oil-auctions-in-drc-report/feed/ 0 https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/the-mine-leak-was-bad-the-drc-and-angolas-response-are-no-better-report-says/ https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/the-mine-leak-was-bad-the-drc-and-angolas-response-are-no-better-report-says/#respond 04 Oct 2022 12:19:15 +0000 https://news.mongabay.com/?p=261083 - Twelve people were killed, a further 4,400 fell ill and an estimated 1 million more were affected by the polluted water.
- Fourteen months later, the DRC government has not released full results of tests conducted on the rivers, but a ban on drinking the water from the Kasai and Tshikapa rivers remains in place.
- An independent report published in September 2022 has found that the leak killed off much of the rivers’ aquatic life, with severe and ongoing impacts on river-dependent communities.
]]> Mongabay]]> https://news.mongabay.com/2022/10/the-mine-leak-was-bad-the-drc-and-angolas-response-are-no-better-report-says/feed/ 0