The Congo Basin Forest in Africa is the second-largest rainforest on the planet after the Amazon. It spans over 3.6 million sq km and extends over 12 countries. Like other forests, it plays an important role in the fight against climate change. It stores and releases carbon, a key factor in evaluating the global carbon cycle. It fixes more carbon than either the Amazon or the forests of Indonesia (Euronews 2021) and contains the largest tropical peatland complex in the world. (Dargie et al. 2017). Researchers estimate that these peatlands store up to 30.6 billion tons of carbon, the equivalent of nearly 20 years of US fossil fuel emissions. The Congo Basin is also home to many Indigenous people and local communities.

For these reasons, safeguarding the Congo Basin is a priority for Jesuits and the Church in Africa. In 2015, the Ecclesial Network of the Congo Basin Forest (REBAC) was created. Today, it plays a leadership role in promoting environmental action in dioceses and communities at both national and international levels.

REBAC has four goals: 1) to reflect the social doctrine of the Church, particularly, “Laudato Si’,” in safeguarding the Congo Basin; 2) to define concrete actions to address environmental crises and promote ecological conversion; 3) to lobby authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and international institutions to implement policies favourable to local populations and Indigenous communities; and 4) to strengthen the capacity of local communities and organizations in safeguarding the Congo Basin ecosystem.

REBAC strives to achieve its goals by advocating against the large-scale dispossession of local communities’ lands, the global drive for raw materials, agro-business and the construction of major infrastructures without free, prior and informed consent. These activities push local communities toward collapse. In several cases, tensions with communities have led to open conflicts, leading to the loss of lives. REBAC tries to respond to these challenges.

REBAC works with local communities and applies their wisdom and knowledge in protecting forests. In Banalia, Tshopo province of DRC, REBAC and local people harvest seedlings from natural forests to help with regeneration. In the Ituri and Uvira regions, REBAC and local communities address issues around artisanal mining such as: 1) child labour; 2) poor work conditions; 3) lack of access to healthcare; and 4) the link between mining and armed groups. Around big cities where forests are fast disappearing, REBAC strengthens the capacity of local communities in employing sustainable farming.

In the past two years, COVID-19 has greatly impacted REBAC’s capacity to accompany the people and communities they work with in the Congo Basin Forest. The pandemic has isolated the central African region and reduced the inflow of resources. Our hope is that the future will bring more interest to the Congo Basin Forest, that more people will learn about the importance this region plays in mitigating climate change and that they will advocate for its protection. This calls for a collective and united response from all countries and greater solidarity in caring for our common home.

References:

Dargie, G, Lewis, S, Lawson, I. et al. Age, extent and carbon storage of the central Congo Basin peatland complex. Nature 542, 86–90, 2017.

Euronews. (2021, November 16) . Professor Baudouin Michel of the Institute Faculty of Agronomic Sciences (IFA) of Yangambi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) explains the importance of the Congo Basin forest. YouTube. https://youtu.be/h0o9tHfwtLw.