1. Environmental Science

Corruption fears surround environmentalist’s conviction

Sentencing

“The situation has only worsened as a result of the corruption used by the illegal loggers. 

“This exploitation is taking on a new dimension, with a network involving certain provincial deputies, armed groups and logging companies, with the blessing of certain provincial authorities,“ he said. 

The administrator of the Kabambare territory issued a letter suspending all forms of illegal logging of redwood in the area, but the logging has continued, he said.  Aruna blamed this on the loggers’ network of politicians and armed groups. 

At Bin Lumbangi’s trial in October, the president of the court refused to let his lawyer represent him despite the fact that he could not appear in person due to health problems, Aruna said. 

“The judge took the case under advisement and rushed to hand down a judgment sentencing Yahaya to six months’ imprisonment and a fine equivalent to US$4,000,” he said. 

Intimidation

The judge refused another request by SOCEARUCO to reopen the case, and handed down judgment on 4 November. “We saw suspicions of corruption in the handling of this case, and that our colleague did not receive a fair trial,” he said. 

“We are no longer confident with this court and we want to oppose this judgment against our colleague and our work,” he added. SOCEARUCO’s appeal against Yahya’s sentence was heard at a court in Kisongo this week. 

“We are calling for international solidarity to persuade the DRC authorities to protect environmental defenders, because our work only serves to support the country in implementing the global biodiversity framework and the climate agenda by halting the erosion of biodiversity through the trafficking of timber,” he said. 

Staff of SOCEARUCO have been subject to death threats and intimidation, according to Aruna.

A lawyer acting for the loggers declined to comment on the case.

Spotlight

The case highlights the wider links between corruption and illegal logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which have beset the country and held back attempts to control deforestation for decades, according to investigative environmental organisation Global Witness.

The DRC is home to approximately 60 per cent of the Congo Basin rainforest, the second-largest tropical forest in the world and a vital carbon sink. Logging, including industrial logging, is a key driver and catalyst of forest degradation and deforestation in the country.

International demand for Congolese timber plays a key role in driving logging in the DRC, it says. In 2022, China imported more timber from DRC than any other country, although the scale of illegality and cross-border trade makes the total amount of timber exported difficult to calculate.

Though the DRC government introduced a moratorium on new logging concessions in 2002, new contracts have continued to be allocated. Similarly, a ban on the export of logs bought in the same year contains significant loopholes, and in any case has not been implemented. 

A wide-ranging investigation by Actions pour la Promotion et Protection des Peuples et Espèces Menacés (APEM), Environmental Investigation Agency, and Rainforest Foundation UK published in October found that industrial logging in the DRC is plagued by illegalities, including violation of harvesting quotas, misdeclaration of species to enable overharvesting for Chinese clients, and routine payment of bribes.

Community

Analysis carried out for the investigation of 82 forest concessions managed by 29 companies and covering approximately 14.5 million hectares found that only six per cent of industrial logging concessions in the country met the criteria for legality according to the country’s own forest code.

More than 42 per cent of logging concessions had not paid tax they owe the DRC state, while only 15 per cent of companies are compliant with their socioeconomic obligations to local communities.

“The vast majority of forest concession holders in DRC are failing to meet even the most basic environmental, social and fiscal standards,” said Blaise Mudodosi, APEM national coordinator.

Though the DRC government suspended the contracts of 16 concessions operating illegally early last year, it did not go far enough, he added. 

It should take similar actions with other illegal companies, shelve a plan to open up tens of millions of hectares of forests to the timber industry, and expand its support for scaling up community forest management in the country, he added. 

Protest

Charlie Hammans, an investigator with Global Witness, said: “If you have money in the DRC, and you want to operate, it’s very easy to do, so even if you don’t respect the laws locally.”

The danger faced by local people opposing the loggers was highlighted in 2022 when the Congo Sunflower Forestry Development company orchestrated physical violence against the villagers of Tokoma in the Tshuapa province of DRC after they seized some of the company’s equipment from a site illegally being operated on their lands.

The company called in military support instead of taking legal proceedings through civil channels. Two of the villagers were shot, with one having to have his leg amputated due to the severity of his injuries. 

“It’s really quite a dangerous environment for communities to protest in,” Hammans said. 

The DRC’s secretary general for the environment and sustainable development Benjamin Toirambe Bamoninga were approached for comment on this article, but had not responded at the time of publication. 

This Author

Catherine Early is a freelance environmental journalist and chief reporter for the Ecologist. Find her on Bluesky @catearly.bsky.social.

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