In March 2007, BCI responded to urgent requests from local partners to intervene when illegal loggers entered the Mompano region, where BCI has agreements to establish a Community-Based Reserve. BCI responded by sending PERSE (Protection des Ecosystems et des Espèces Rares du Sud-Est de l'Equateur), a regional partner, on an emergency mission.

This mission ironically coincided with an April 2007 Greenpeace Report: “Carving up the Congo,” which highlights this critical issue—logging companies offering poor villages small gifts and false promises in exchange for thousands of kilometres of priceless forest concessions. Throughout the Congo Basin, Greenpeace reports that “ over 15 million hectares of rainforest have been granted to the logging industry. In exchange for timber, logging companies are also giving communities gifts such as bags of salt and crates of beer, and make promises to build schools and hospitals…Even the World Bank admits that over the last three years, not a single penny paid by the logging companies has reached local communities.”

While this issue has only recently come to the attention of the world, catalysed by Greenpeace and other activist organisations with broad media access, BCI has long been struggling with these issues on the ground. BCI recently witnessed the establishment of a 200,000-hectare logging concession "illegally" granted during the moratorium just 75km west of Mompano along the Maringa River. The challenge is to reach, collaborate with, and educate these remote villages before the illegal loggers begin their destruction. Fortunately, BCI’s partners reached Mompano before it was too late.

Since 2005, BCI has signed accords with several local communities in the region. During the recent mission trip, teams met with and received support from regional authorities and were openly welcomed into 6 groupementes, each containing approximately 5 to 10 villages around Mompano. Educated about their rights and the forest code and presented with an alternative to the logger’s propositions, a number of new conservation accords were signed.

Mompano still contains large tracts of undisturbed forests, bonobo, bongos, a variety of primates and many other species; all at risk. Much of the difficult work has been done, which is educating and motivating the local population to make commitments to protect and manage their forests. But support and investment is now needed to empower, build capacity and provide the resources necessary so that the local communities and NGOs can be stewards of their natural resources.

As with the loggers, however, a large catalyst was the promise of development in a region with few public services and no sources of employment. BCI is fortunate to be working with SOCOLO Plantations and South East Consortium for International Development under a USAID/GDA grant to support the sustainable rehabilitation of plantations that had formerly been the primary employers in the region prior to the war. BCI is also working to develop other agriculture and livelihood projects in the area, as the communities reported needs ranging from educational programmes to solar panels and improvements in transportation. While many of these are long-term goals that fall beyond BCI and its partner’s immediate funding capacity, they are necessary goals towards which our consortium is working.

Essylot Lubala, BCI’s DRC attorney and focal point for the region said, “We are fortunate that we have strong relationships in the region. Had we not earlier provided an HF radio, a motorcycle, bicycles and other support to our local partners we may have learned of this too late to act. We have succeeded this time, but the loggers will not go away. More support is needed to strengthen the Bonobo Peace Forest Management Network, and to support more communities in our conservation efforts.”

Please join with BCI as we support local efforts to protect their forests.

Peace | Conservation | Broadcast | Blog | Projects | Links | Stories & Songs | Bonobo Bibliography
| Just For Kids
What Is A Bonobo? | Where Do Bonobos Live? | What Is The Bonobo Initiative?
How Can I Help? | Shop | Home