Press release: 7 August 2020

Republic of Congo passes historic new forest governance laws to help preserve world’s ‘second lung’

The Republic of Congo has passed an historic new law ensuring more sustainable management of the country’s vast forests that play a crucial role in regulating the world’s climate.

Legal experts from ClientEarth, who work with partners in the country, have welcomed the new Forest Code, which received presidential approval in July and will govern the central African nation’s 223,340 km2 of forests – an area larger than Great Britain. While the law was approved by Parliament in April, its actual details have only just been made public.

ClientEarth legal experts have spent the past eight years working with local partner organisations to help draft the law to manage forest resources more sustainably and ensure community and indigenous involvement in forest governance processes.

While the law represents a significant improvement, there are details regarding its implementation that remain to be addressed.

Forests in the country are part of the Congo Basin – the second largest tropical rainforest area in the world, after the Amazon – and home to an expansive ecosystem of plant and animal species. Despite its vegetation and peatlands acting as large carbon sinks, the exploitation of natural resources continues to threaten the ecological balance.*

ClientEarth Senior In-Country Associate, Inès Mvoukani said: “Research proves that the best way to manage forests around the world is to have strong national laws governing them that recognise and secure rights of forest dependent communities.

“This new law is a crucial step towards more sustainable management of Congo’s invaluable forest resources and a tool for strengthening the rights of forest communities who are their most effective guardians.

“The vast forests of the Congo Basin act as the planet’s second lung. So globally, it is hard to overestimate just how important ensuring this wealth of ecological diversity will be in avoiding climate catastrophe.”

The legal reform process started in 2012 and is one of the key outcomes of the bilateral timber-trade agreement between the European Union and Republic of Congo, otherwise known as a Voluntary Partnership Agreement. The aim of this agreement is to ensure that all timber produced is legal.

A number of contributions from ClientEarth’s legal experts and their partners were included in the final draft of the law, including clauses to strengthen environmental standards and ensure communities’ participation in forest management. Key changes include:

• The Forest Code puts in place for the first time the concept of Free, Prior and Informed Consent, to ensure local communities and indigenous peoples’ involvement in forest governance processes;
• Forest-dependent communities are granted forest management rights with the establishment of a community forestry scheme;
• Civil society organisations take part in the commission in charge of adjudicating forest-concessions;
• Within the forest-concession contracts, special benefit-sharing specifications are negotiated directly by affected communities;
• Forest management plans are examined and adopted by two distinct multi-stakeholder committees composed among others with civil society organisations, local communities and indigenous peoples;
• A legal regime governs the conversion of forests to another use;
• The mandate of civil society’s forest independent monitoring is legally recognised for the first time;
• And provisions support REDD+ projects development and provide for a carbon ownership

While these are notable improvements, there are concerns that the law does not go far enough in providing legal certainty to enhance community rights. The extent of local communities and indigenous peoples’ use rights over forests is not yet clear, and will be addressed in implementing regulations to come.

There are also concerns that forest areas dedicated to community livelihoods remain subject to rules developed by logging companies. This could mean communities are consulted, but not actively involved in, determining the management of their own development areas.

It is essential that civil society and community representatives play a central role in the decision-making process of forest management. ClientEarth Law and Policy Advisor, Tanja Venisnik, said: “In order for Congo’s forest management to be sustainable into the future, the key improvements of the law need to be followed up by equally strong implementing regulations. In determining these next steps, active civil society involvement should be a priority.”

The legal reform process was an opportunity for local organisations and groups to participate in law-making processes, although it was not without setbacks and did not always allow enough time for people to take part.

Venisnik continued: “The Republic of Congo needs to promote transparency and inclusivity and ensure that communities – particularly indigenous ones, who depend of forests – are part of the legal and political process deciding forest management."

ENDS

Notes to editors

*The Congo Basin accounts for 70% of Africa’s forest cover and contributes to the livelihoods of about 75 million people. In the Republic of Congo, forest covers around two thirds (65%) of the territory. The bulk of it, an area larger than England (15 016 863 ha), is allocated for logging.

About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a charity that uses the power of the law to protect people and the planet. We are international lawyers finding practical solutions for the world’s biggest environmental challenges. We are fighting climate change, protecting oceans and wildlife, making forest governance stronger, greening energy, making business more responsible and pushing for government transparency. We believe the law is a tool for positive change. From our offices in London, Brussels, Warsaw, Berlin and Beijing, we work on laws throughout their lifetime, from the earliest stages to implementation. And when those laws are broken, we go to court to enforce them.