Washington, DC — Congo Basin forests that were virtually untouched ten years ago are now threatened by increased logging of tropical hardwoods and expanding populations, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa was told Wednesday.
"The resources that are being sought are wood, minerals, oil and arable land," said J. Michael Fay, a biologist with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), testifying before the subcommittee. "As witnessed in most frontier areas opened for resource use, there is little regard for the environment, stainability, or for local people."
Fay gained worldwide recognition for his "Megatransect" - a 13-month trek across the Congo Basin sponsored by the WCS and National Geographic. In the Congo Basin, logging concessions to mostly foreign companies cover over 60 percent of the forests, Fay said.
"One estimate has logging taking out Congo Basin forest areas at a rate of twice the size of Rhode Island each and every year," said Subcommittee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) opening the session. "At current kill levels, most species of apes and other primates, large antelope, and elephants will disappear from the Congo basin, with some becoming extinct,"
The Subcommittee focused on support for the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) which was launched by Secretary of State Colin Powell last September at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD). This partnership of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo, aims to develop a network of national parks and protected areas, and to help local communities better manage the forest and wildlife resources of the Congo Basin.
The Congo Basin, which covers most of Central Africa, At 700,000 square miles, it is nearly seven times the size of California. It contains the world's second largest contiguous expanse of old growth tropical forest; Brazil's Amazon is the largest. The projected national park system in the CBFP will set aside over 10,000 square miles of habitat.
With U.S. assistance, the nations of the CBFP "are committed to address the challenge of conserving [their] natural forest heritage while providing jobs, training, and income for the people of the region who depend on its natural resources," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Walter H. Kansteiner who described himself as "passionate" about protecting the Basin. It is, a "global treasure in a region of both great challenge and great opportunity."
The U.S. plans to provide a "significant contribution" to the partnership, said Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, John F.Turner in testimony--up to $53 million through 2005. Furthermore, Turner told the subcommittee, the U.S. Government's contributions have spurred additional financial support from other donor governments, most notably those of the European Union (EU).
"We firmly believe that U.S. contributions to the Congo Basin Forest Partnership will promote economic development, help alleviate poverty, and improve local governance through natural resource conservation programs," said Turner. U.S. based environmental NGOs like the WCS and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are also committed to the effort, said Turner, and are even "committed to matching the United States Government's contribution for work in the landscapes."
Beginning with a network of effectively managed national parks in the six nations, the CBFP commits the United States to helping in effort to stop illegal logging and illegal trade in wildlife and other unsustainable practices; to implement programs to improve forest management; and to help people obtain sustainable forest-based livelihoods such as employment through ecotourism, wildlife law enforcement, reduced impact logging and park management.
Already, in what Fay called a "historic action", Gabon has committed to 13 national parks that will represent 10.8 percent of the country -- some 7.5 million acres. "We cannot fail in our commitment to help Gabon put in infrastructure and management systems in parks, work to build capacity for management, work closely with logging companies in management programs, help change land-use practices, and improve the benefits for local people."
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Fay would like the CBFP program to be funded at US$15m a year for ten years. He also wants a commitment from CBFP nations to agree to address a number of "objective deliverables that are judged to be essential to the program."
Also testifying before the subcommittee was USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa, Constance Berry Newman. The Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), launched by USAID in 1995, is a "key component" of the effort, she said. The program identifies and begins to establish conditions and practices necessary for conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in the Congo Basin.
African governments "have become much more attentive" to the need to effectively manage and protect the forests of the Basin. Faced with growing pressure to exploit the region, they are "improving laws and institutions that manage it."
Newman, Turner and Kansteiner form a State Department committee to manage and oversee the U.S. role in the effort.
