The Congo Forest

The vast forest of the Congo Basin is the second largest tropical rainforest on earth and the lungs of Africa. Its incredibly rich and diverse ecosystem provides food, fresh water, shelter and medicine for tens of millions of people, and is home to many critically endangered species including forest elephants, gorillas, bonobos and okapis. Of the hundreds of mammal species discovered there so far, 39 are found nowhere else on Earth, and of its estimated 10,000 plant species, 3,300 are unique to the region.

The rainforest supports an astonishing range of life, within its teeming rivers, swamps and savannahs. But it also helps to sustain life across the whole planet. An estimated 8% of the earth’s carbon that is stored in living forests worldwide is stored in the forests of the DRC, making the country the fourth largest carbon reservoir in the world. The Congo Basin rainforest plays a critical role in regulating the global climate and halting runaway climate change, for the benefit of the entire biosphere.

But the forest, and the people and animals that depend upon it, are under threat as the unquenchable global thirst for natural resources, crops and foodstuffs means African lands are, more than ever, a target for investors. The solutions to these threats lie firmly with those who live there.

The latest updates

 

DRC's trees are endangered too

Blog entry by Danielle Van Oijen | 15 July, 2014

When one thinks of endangered species, the usual large animals spring to mind. Elephants, tigers, rhinos. And quite rightly they are the ones who get the lion's share of the attention at the meeting of the standing committee of the ...

Pushing for transparency in Congo Basin palm oil

Blog entry by Amy Moas | 27 June, 2014

The global palm oil industry is at a critical juncture. In 2012 we published a report that outlined how Africa is a new frontier for industrial palm oil production . This may bring much needed development to the continent, but it...

Herakles Farms: Champions of illegal deforestation

Blog entry by Brendan Schwartz | 27 May, 2014

The lead up to this summer's World Cup is already dominating international news with every manager's squad selection being scrutinized while analysts attempt to predict the tournament's winner. Greenpeace has been closely monitoring...

Licence to Launder

Publication | 27 May, 2014 at 13:00

The oil palm plantation being developed by Herakles Farms in the southwest region of Cameroon – an area of great biodiversity surrounded by five protected areas – illustrates what happens when irresponsible companies are not held accountable to...

DRC logging is out of control as Chatham House study lays bare

Blog entry by Raoul Monsembula | 1 April, 2014 3 comments

Almost all of the logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo is illegal, says a new report by the UK-based think tank, Chatham House . Though the figure of 87% is a startling one, it is not surprising for those of us here at...

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