Despite renewed global attention on ecosystem protection during Earth Day, forests in the Congo Basin — one of the planet’s most important carbon storage regions — are facing intensifying environmental pressure.
In Congo-Brazzaville, the growing overlap of mining, logging, and artisanal gold extraction is accelerating deforestation and biodiversity loss across some of the country’s most fragile forest ecosystems.
The issue is particularly severe in the Mayombe massif in Kouilou and the Chaillu massif in Lékoumou, where multiple economic activities are being carried out on the same land without effective coordination.
In Mayombe, communities such as Louvoulou are now surrounded by competing industrial and extractive projects. Mining operations including Ntombo and Zibati overlap with the Ntombo Forest Management Unit (UFE), with more than 58,000 hectares — over half the area — already affected.
Further ecological damage has been recorded in the Dimonika biosphere reserve, a UNESCO-recognised protected area, where past gold-mining operations by City SARL have left long-term environmental scars despite an official suspension of activities in 2024.
Large sections of forest have been cleared, while hills reaching up to 700 metres have been excavated in the search for gold, granite, cassiterite, and gravel. More than 3,000 artisanal miners are believed to be active in the area, contributing to the degradation of nearly 30% of the reserve.
In the Chaillu region, the Mpoukou-Ogooué UFE, managed by TAMAN Industries, overlaps with the Zanaga iron-ore permit operated by MPD, as well as several gold concessions including Ngonaka and Bikelélé. Altogether, the impacted zone covers more than 91,000 hectares, or roughly 24% of the region.
Environmental consequences include widespread forest loss, landscape destruction, and the release of large volumes of carbon stored in vegetation and soil. In Dimonika, mercury pollution from gold extraction has also severely damaged aquatic ecosystems, leading to the disappearance of species such as the Killi Cap Lopez (Aphyosemion australe).
Congo-Brazzaville established an interministerial committee in 2009 to address overlapping land use, but the body has been largely inactive, holding only one session in March 2024. Officials have acknowledged the need for clearer planning and stricter allocation of land resources.
“We must prioritise land allocations and define clear criteria,” said adviser to the Prime Minister Étienne Paka during the committee’s most recent meeting.
The challenge extends beyond Congo-Brazzaville. Countries across the Congo Basin face similar conflicts between conservation and economic development. In Gabon, authorities have recently reaffirmed efforts to prevent land-use conflicts through stricter coordination of national projects.
As the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, the Congo Basin remains critical to global climate stability. However, experts warn that without stronger governance and consistent implementation of land-use policies, long-term ecological damage may be unavoidable.
Congo-Brazzaville’s 2024–2028 Sustainable Land Use Program is intended to address these challenges, but its success will depend heavily on sustained political commitment and enforcement.
