Gorilla habitats and pristine forests are in danger as the Democratic Republic of Congo opens half the country to oil and gas drilling bids.

Gorilla habitats and pristine forest at risk as DRC opens half of country to oil and gas drilling bids

Government launches licensing round for 52 fossil fuel blocks, potentially undermining a flagship conservation initiative and affecting an estimated 39 million people

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is opening crucial gorilla habitats and pristine forests to bids for oil and gas drilling, with plans to carve up more than half the country into fossil fuel blocks.

The blocks up for auction cover 124 million hectares (306 million acres) of land and inland waters, described by experts as the "worst place in the world for oil exploration," as they contain vast amounts of carbon and are home to some of the planet's most valuable wildlife habitats, such as the endangered lowland gorillas and bonobos. This year, the government launched a licensing round for 52 oil blocks; these are in addition to three previously awarded blocks. Of the total area, 64% is intact tropical forest, according to spatial mapping and analysis in a new report by Earth Insight. This expansion of oil and gas exploitation contradicts the Democratic Republic of Congo's commitments to protect biodiversity and the climate, experts warn. In July 2022, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo launched tenders for 30 oil and gas blocks, but these were subsequently canceled, citing late submissions and a lack of competition. “The worst place in the world for oil exploration is up for auction again,” said Professor Simon Lewis of University College London, who led the team that first mapped the peatlands of central Congo. “No credible company would bid for oil in the DRC’s forests and peatlands, as there is likely not enough oil to make it commercially viable, and the financial, social, and environmental costs will be high.”

Earlier this year, the government announced the landmark Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor conservation initiative, but 72% of that area now overlaps with planned oil blocks, according to the report, produced in collaboration with the DRC-based organization Notre Terre Sans Pétrole (Our Land Without Oil), Corap, and Rainforest Foundation UK. The Cuvette Centrale, the world's largest tropical peatland complex, is included in the newly designated oil blocks. This vast swampy area is the size of Nepal and is home to rare wildlife, including forest elephants, lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, and endemic birds. It stores approximately 30 billion metric tons of carbon in peat. In recent years, several international initiatives have been launched to secure funding to protect the DRC's forests.

The most significant tranche of money was a $500 million (£417.6 million) forest protection agreement signed on behalf of the Central Africa Forest Initiative (CAFI) at COP26. The 10-year deal, running from 2021 to 2031, aimed to reduce deforestation and promote the regeneration of 8 million hectares of degraded land and forests. So far, only $150 million has been transferred to the DRC, far short of the nearly $400 million that should have been delivered by now under the terms of the agreement. Discussions are underway on how to accelerate the release of funds. One source said that a lack of international financing to make it more cost-effective to keep forests standing than to clear them is making countries like the DRC more likely to seek deals in the oil and gas sector. They described it as a “collective failure.” In addition to the conservation impacts, an estimated 39 million people live in the area being sold for oil, including many Indigenous Peoples and forest communities who depend on healthy forests and rivers for their survival.

“Imagine: 39 million Congolese people… and 64% of our forests could be directly affected by the allocation of these oil blocks,” said Pascal Mirindi, campaign coordinator for Notre Terre Sans Pétrole. “And all this while the government is promoting the Kivu-Kinshasa ecological corridor. Where is the logic? Where is the coherence? We remind our leaders that the Congolese people are the ultimate sovereign. We will not remain silent while certain individuals organize to sell out our future.” The report urges the DRC government and its international partners to cancel the 2025 oil auction and invest in development models that respect Indigenous and community rights. “Oil and gas exploitation in these fragile ecosystems would have devastating effects on biodiversity, communities, land rights, and the global fight against climate change,” said Anna Bebbington, research director at Earth Insight. The DRC government did not respond to a request for comment.