A massive new protected area in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – equal to the size of France – has so far failed to include Indigenous people and local communities in its design, and appears to be a tool to promote trade rather than safeguard nature, environmentalists have warned.
Last month at the World Economic Forum (WEF), DRC President Felix Tshisekedi announced the creation of a 2,600 km-long “Green Corridor” stretching from Virunga National Park in the conflict-torn eastern region of North Kivu through the vast forests of Ituri and the Congo River to Kinshasa in the southwest and the Atlantic coast.
According to WEF, the reserve will form the world’s largest protected forest area, also a vital carbon sink as part of the Congo Basin, whose trees absorb and store planet-heating carbon dioxide.
“This project aims to protect some of the most intact tropical forests on the planet, while preserving extraordinary biodiversity, including some iconic species that are very unique to the Congo Basin, ” Tshisekedi said. “DRC is on the way to becoming a global model, proving that economic prosperity and environmental protection can go hand in hand.”
The project will facilitate the transportation of commodities, strengthen agricultural value chains and advance sustainable development in the resource-rich country, he added.
But Indigenous and local groups in eastern DRC told Climate Home they have no idea how the flagship project – slated to safeguard more than 540,000 km² of tropical forest – will be implemented, and fear it could impinge on their land.
“As native peoples, we know nothing,” said Kapupu Diwa Mutimanwa, president of the League of Indigenous Pygmy Associations of Congo. “We have not been consulted about this project – nor have local communities, people that own the land where it will take place been contacted in advance”.
He expressed concern that the project could spark tensions on the ground. “As Indigenous peoples, we might say to the authorities that we do not want this project passing through our cemeteries, as we do not know how it will be operationalised,” he said.
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Sustainable – not illicit – activities
Greenpeace Africa said the project, partly funded by the European Union, could perpetuate neo-colonialism, and so far lacks an inclusive approach as it has not respected the principle of gaining buy-in from affected local communities during the planning stage.
Other supporters include Grameen Bank, the Schmidt Family Foundation and the WEF’s 1t.org initiative.
President Tshisekedi has promised that the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor will revitalise the country’s economy, strengthen communities and promote lasting peace in eastern Congo. The region has recently seen Rwandan-backed M23 rebels make significant advances while reportedly committing atrocities on the civilian population.
The government hopes the project will improve the lives of 31 million people. Tshisekedi promised it will create 500,000 jobs, including at least 20,000 for young men and women who have been demobilised from armed groups.
Over half of Virunga National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site that is famous for its endangered mountain gorillas, is currently under rebel control and the long-running conflict has led to increased deforestation.
“By replacing illicit activities with sustainable agricultural and mineral sustainable value chains, we will build an economy that respects both people and nature,” DRC’s leader added in Davos.
Jozef Síkela, the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, who announced 42 million euros ($44 million) in new grant funding for the initiative, said in a post on social media platform X that it would promote job creation and biodiversity conservation.
It will also advance “eco-friendly trade” through the use of “hydrogen-powered boats and solar logistics hubs which will transport up to 1 million tons of goods annually, boosting regional trade and supporting sustainable agriculture”, he added.
Key aspects of the project:
Eco-Friendly Trade: Hydrogen-powered boats and solar logistics hubs will transport up to 1 million tons of goods annually, boosting regional trade a supporting sustainable agriculture.
Jobs and Growth: Over 20,000 jobs will be created, improving… pic.twitter.com/Qo8sFr6Dvw— Jozef Síkela (@JozefSikela) January 22, 2025
The DRC corridor – which Síkela described as a “lifeline for green economic transformation” – is part of the Commission’s Africa-EU Global Gateway, a package running from 2021-2027 that is investing 150 billion euros in the African continent to boost infrastructure projects.
Over the past decade, the EU and five of its member states have already provided around 1 billion euros for the area covered by the DRC’s Green Corridor to support conservation, security, energy, transport as well as agricultural value chains.
Tristan Smith, professor of energy and transport at University College London, is sceptical of some of the proposed ideas such as boats running on hydrogen, which he said is not a competitive or efficient energy source compared with electric batteries.
He warned the project might be “green/development PR” for the EU unless the solutions are thought through in the local context, and set up to operate over a time-frame of 20 years or more.
Imposed from the outside?
Pygmy representative Diwa Mutimanwa said there is a contradiction between the Green Corridor being presented as a community project while it is managed by the state-run Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN).
Furthermore, the plan seems to have been imposed on DRC from the outside, he added.
”The idea of creating this protected area is not a Congolese concept,” he said. “We notice that this has come from a foreign source even though we don’t know what the motivations are behind it all.”
The ICCN did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
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Daniel Makasi Mahamba, an environmental analyst and journalist based in the eastern rebel-held city of Goma, said previous natural parks with similar aims had done little to benefit local communities.
“Wanting to create more means depriving Indigenous communities of their rights to use the natural resources in these lands which were once part of their cultural heritage,” he said.
Meanwhile, efforts to ensure that such projects contribute to local development have not always worked in the past, he noted, citing an electrification initiative for communities around Virunga where high levels of poverty made it difficult for local people to access the electric power.
Potential for communities
Joe Eisen, executive director of Rainforest Foundation UK, said he was yet to be convinced that the project can achieve its “lofty aims”. He told Climate Home its ethos appears to be less of a protected area or community reserve and more of a “vehicle to promote green investments” along the corridor.
“A lot of the details – such as how it will protect 100,000 km2 of primary forests and create 500,000 jobs – remain to be seen,” he added.
The proposed reserve is intended to be a “community-managed protected area”, implying active involvement and governance by local communities, according to Tshisekedi.
But a report by the Rainforest Foundation points out that a ministerial decree establishing the corridor “lacks clear measures in terms of how it will function specifically as a Community Reserve”.
Nonetheless, Eisen said there could be upsides if there is genuine willingness on the part of the authorities to develop participatory governance of the area and unlock green investments in things like community forests.
“Some of the provisions built into the decree, such as the requirement for large development of conservation projects to obtain the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) of impacted local populations, can also in theory change the rules of the game in their favour,” he added.
