Our solutions for the Congo River Basin forests

A proven commitment for the region’s forests

To say that the Congo River Basin is a challenging environment for conservation would be a huge understatement.

Political instability and poverty, high levels of government debt, a complex social fabric, a history of poor natural resources management… These are just some of the obstacles to conservation that WWF encounters every day.

In this context, can conservation really happen? Despite the massive odds stacked against environmental protection efforts in the region, positive results are shining through.

Some represent huge leaps in conservation achievements. Others feel like drops of water. But what these results clearly show is that people, forests, and the wildlife they contain can coexist – under the right circumstances. And these often need to be nudged into place. This is what WWF does.

Great conservation opportunities exist

The good news is that despite continued population growth in the region, human population densities are still low and large areas of intact forests persist.

Moreover, African, European and US governments, along with international organizations have shown a growing and unprecedented level of interest and commitment to protect the forests of the Congo River Basin.

There is cause for celebration

Major recent developments, such as the US government's US$ 53 million commitment to the Congo River Basin Forest Partnership and millions of hectares of new protected areas can be traced to the 1999 WWF-organized Yaoundé Summit in Cameroon.

This landmark event brought together for the first time the Central African heads of state to discuss the future of their countries' forests and wildlife. And it wasn’t just talk.

WWF presence in the Congo River Basin

From its Central Africa Regional Programme Office (CARPO) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, WWF coordinates conservation work in the Central African sub-region for 6 countries: Cameroon, Gabon, Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic (CAR).

The Eastern Africa Regional Programme Office (EARPO), based in Nairobi (Kenya), manages 3 key areas in the eastern part of the Congo River Basin: Itombwe, Kahuzi-Biega and Virunga. EARPO is also part of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme.

Who funds WWF’s work in the Congo River Basin

Piecemeal and haphazard funding is not enough for conservation. Our efforts are long-term and seek to create major changes. This calls for serious and committed backers, such as USAID, the European Union and others.
Find out more about our partners and donors

A snapshot of WWF’s presence in the Congo River Basin

On the ground, WWF and partners:

• help create protected areas, work with logging companies to control bushmeat and to promote good forest management practices. A big focus is on integrating local communities, notably indigenous forest people such as BaAka pygmies in the use of natural resources to improve their welfare.
  
• lead conservation work in 7 of the priority landscapes in the forests of the Congo River Basin, with funding from the Congo Basin Forest Partnership.
• have habituated gorillas for research and ecotourism;
  
• search for solutions to the ebola outbreaks that are killing villagers and devastating gorilla populations; and
  
• are working with logging companies to halt wildlife poaching and to reduce deforestation.

A day in our lives

On any given day, our elephant specialist might be knee-deep in mud, tracking a pregnant female elephant and fighting off blood-sucking leeches, while 2,500 km away, a policy officer maps out the proposed revised boundaries of a protected area at a Forests Ministry.

In a nearby village, one of the WWF health scouts will be dispensing a lesson and useful tips for staying healthy in a clean environment. Back at our headquarters, a programme officer will be discussing a solution to the bushmeat trade with one of our local grantee NGOs.

Global efforts, local impacts

At a global level, our advocacy work to curb global warming highlights the importance of preserving large tracts of tropical rainforest - such as those of the Congo River Basin forests.