By PATRICK ILUNGA

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Nature conservation is a concept that means very little to the vast majority of the Congolese population, yet it is one of the most important issues facing the planet.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the run-up to International Day for Nature Conservation, which is celebrated every July 28, debate on the prospect of oil exploitation in certain protected areas has resurfaced.

More than a year after issuing invitations to tender for the exploitation of gas and oil blocks, the project has not yet attracted any major bidders, but the government is not giving up, despite pressure from nature conservationists to shelve the plans.

Environment Minister Eve Bazaïba defends the bid to exploit the fossil fuels, saying those against it need to provide alternatives to Kinshasa’s quest for socioeconomic development.

The DRC, one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, has been looking to benefit from climate-related financial flows. The government calls this “climate justice”.

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According to International Trade Administration, the oil and gas discoveries in the eastern DRC give it the second-largest crude oil reserves in Central and Southern Africa, after Angola. The reserves are located in the four major lakes bordering Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.

The DRC has proven reserves of 180 million barrels, the organisation says.

“Along with recently identified potential oil fields, the DRC may hold as many as 30 billion cubic metres of methane and natural gas in three major petroleum deposits. Lake Kivu, bordering Rwanda and Burundi, has nearly 60 billion cubic metres of dissolved methane in its waters. While the methane gas poses a threat to populations along its shores, this gas can be trapped and converted into electricity.

Methane is already being extracted on the Rwandan side of the lake, through a Rwanda-built power plant that generates 30-40 megawatts of electricity. Beyond the estimated 60 billion cubic metres of methane found in Lake Kivu, the lake has the capacity to produce between 120 and 250 million cubic metres of new methane annually.

The DRC imports all its refined petroleum fuels and lubricants,” says ITA.

The Congolese have been asking if they should forgo oil wealth and continue wallowing in poverty.

“This raises the question of talking about nature conservation where communities are facing hunger. It is perfectly possible to talk about nature conservation even in a context where communities are ravaged by poverty. First of all, you have to make communities understand that natural resources are exhaustible. These communities need to take responsible actions to ensure that future generations do not suffer from a shortage of natural resources,” says Joe Kassongo, senior legal officer at the African Wildlife Foundation.

“Communities need to be made to understand that sustainable management is key. When we talk about sustainable management, we mean using natural resources in such a way as to give these resources the chance to regenerate.”

He says DRC has a choice to protect the environment in the interests of humanity.

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But the Congo also finds itself in a dilemma.

“Oil is the barometer of the economy. When you have little access to oil, the prices of goods and services go up. The cost of living goes up. But when you have easy access to oil, the cost of goods and services drops, and the population has access to the basic necessities of life,” argues Minister Bazaïba.

Kassongo says while conservationists are not against oil exploitation or development, those behind the projects must demonstrate that the exploitation will not endanger the survival of species.

He says inasmuch as the DRC wants to benefit from the petrodollars, it should first consider exploiting the existing potential for green energy and minerals essential for the energy transition.

“The law clearly states that any activity incompatible with conservation objectives is prohibited in a protected area,” he said.
But there is a loophole in the law.

“There are measures that can only be taken in the general interest or for scientific reasons. The law says that these measures can only be taken if they are the only option available, but they must not jeopardise the conservation objectives set by the law, and must not harm species of fauna and flora in their natural environment,” the conservationist says, noting that “most of the Congolese forests are in protected areas”.

So is it possible to reconcile the need to industrialise with that of nature conservation on a continent that is desperate to emerge from underdevelopment?

Kassongo says it is possible to make objective decisions for species, to live in harmony with wildlife and to protect it.

In June this year, DRC set up the Ministry of the Climate Economy to play an active role in green diplomacy and seek more financial flows.

With an estimated forested area of 155 million hectares (62 per cent of the national territory), a large hydrographic network, one of the richest and most varied mega biodiversities, significant fishing potential, a soil rich in minerals of all kinds, hydrocarbons, peat bogs and arable land covering an area estimated at 80 million hectares, the Democratic Republic of Congo is counted among the largest forested countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world.

Richard Kitenge, an expert in forestry, says that the Congolese forests and peatlands can generate up to $200 billion a year through the sale of carbon credits.

“The Congo can also rely on tourism to generate substantial revenues through the conservation of its rare species, hence the need to insist on conservation,” Kitenge says.

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But Prime Minister Judith Suminwa notes that DRC’s positioning as a country that can resolve the climate crisis places it at the centre of the new challenges of global governance.

“Putting in place solid measures in these sectors will enable the DRC to play its full role as a leader in international discussions on climate change, while taking advantage of appropriate mechanisms such as carbon credits, the proceeds of which can be channelled into the fight against poverty,” the PM says.

Despite positioning itself as a “solution country” to the climate crisis, the DRC is ironically one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The country is also not sufficiently prepared to deal with natural disasters.

According to a recent International Monetary Fund report, based on national reports on climate and development from 2023, the nation is facing a number of major challenges, such as deforestation, soil degradation and increasing pollution from plastic waste in urban areas.

“It is clear that considerable efforts are urgently needed to reverse this trend and combat these harmful effects, including flooding, erosion and epidemics, in a sustainable manner,” the Prime Minister says.