congo basin case study

state the location of the Congo Basin Rainforest

• Cameroon

• Equatorial Guinea

• Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

• Central African Republic (CAR)

• Gabon

• Republic of Congo

state the size of the Congo Basin Rainforest

500 million Ha

state what % of the world’s rainforest does the CBR make up

18%

state how many people live in the Congo Basin

75 million

state the number of ethnic groups living in the Congo Basin

150

state the name of the hunter-gatherer people living in the Congo Basin

Ba’Aka people

describe the climate of the Congo Basin

• rainfall - 2,000mm annually

• temperature range - 20-27 degrees C

describe the interdependency of climate and vegetation in the CBR

• temperature humidity and rainfall

• create conditions for plants to grow

describe the interdependency relationships of strangler fig in the CBR

• BENEFITING THEMSELVES

  • strangler fig seeds are deposited by mammals/birds

  • strangler fig needs trees to grow around

• BENEFITING OTHERS

  • strangler fig provide niche food sources to invertebrates, bats, reptiles and birds

  • strangler fig provide figs for bonobos

describe the interdependency relationships of the Congolese people in the CBR

• Congolese people are reliant on bush meat (e.g. bonobos)

• Congolese people use trees for traditional medicines

describe the interdependency relationships between the moabi trees and elephants in the CBR

• elephants use moabi as a food source

• moabi use elephants for seed dispersal

describe the value of the CBR to humans (MEDICINE)

• International Cancer Institute (ICR) has identified 1,400 tropical forest plants with potential to fight cancer

• Moabi trees alone make over 50 traditional drugs

describe the value of the CBR to humans (NATURAL RESOURCES)

• the CBR contains lots of desirable natural resources, such as tin, diamonds and copper

• the CBR contains 80% of the world’s supply of coltan

• the CBR is energy resource rich - oil and high potential for HEP and solar

• the CBR contains US $20 trillion in untapped mineral deposits

describe the value of the CBR to humans (PEOPLE)

• Indigenous tribes, such as the Ba’Aka, follow hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the CBR

• the CBR provides freshwater, food and shelter for 75 million people

• the CBR is a place of refuge in times of strife (e.g. civil war)

describe the value of the CBR to humans (TOURISM)

• the CBR is home to rare wildlife which can be a magnet for tourists

  • tourists can kickstart local multiplier effects in economies

describe the value of the CBR to the planet (FAUNA)

• CBR CONTAINS:

  • 400 mammal species

  • 1,000 bird species

  • 50% of continent elephant populations

  • mountain gorillas, forest elephants, bonobo and okapi (ENDANGERED)

describe the value of the CBR to the planet (FLORA)

• CBR CONTAINS:

  • 10,000 plant species

    • 30% of these plant species are unique to the region

describe the value of the CBR to the planet (CLIMATE REGULATION)

• CBR exchanges water and energy with the atmosphere

• controlling local and regional climates

• deforestation would reduce water/energy flows by ~50%

describe the value of the CBR to the planet (CARBON STORING)

20 gigatonnes of carbon is stored in the DRC

state the 3 reasons why the CBR is deforested

• logging

• mining

• agriculture

describe the logging in the CBR

• government permission was given for 50Ha to be logged

• much more logging is done illegally

• some estimate ~90% of logging in the CBR is illegal

describe the rate of deforestation in the CBR

• 0.2% per year

• 30% gone by 2030

state how logging has affected endangered species in the CBR

there are now 190 critically endangered species in the CBR

describe how palm oil has affected the CBR

• palm oil is more intensive than any other crop

• there is 3 million Ha of palm oil in the CBR

describe how rural populations affect the CBR

• 60% live in rural areas

• this lead to heavy reliance on subsistence farming

state what is exploited in the CBR

blood diamonds

state the name of the process whereby the surrounding area doesn’t benefit from resources, even though it should

resource curse

describe how mining is a threat to biodiversity

• mining means areas are deforested

• environmental degradation occurs in proximity to the mines

• access roads to mines split up the CBR, preventing migration of species and damaging habitats

describe the volume of poaching in the CBR

• 2 million tonnes of bushmeat per year are harvested

• mainly antelope, monkey and wild boar

describe the impact of poaching in the CBR

• elephant population declined by 60%

• ivory exports have increased - particularly to the booming middle class in China - which has increased poaching

• 500 gorillas poached per year

• guards killing protecting animals

state the economic positives of the Virunga National Park (VNP)

• increased tourism to VNP means more jobs for local people

• 60,000 new jobs created

state the social positive of the VNP

improved drinking water, health and education are all part of the VNP plan

state the environmental positives of the VNP

ranger force has improved surveillance to hugely decrease illegal logging and poaching

state the economic negative of the VNP

it costs a lot of money to run and employ 700 park rangers

state the social negative of the VNP

VNP has management problems and now being managed by an external organisation

state environmental negatives of the VNP

• the VNP plan cannot stop all poaching

  • 2007 - an illegal charcoal mafia a family of mountain gorillas

state the economic positive of the sustainable forest certification (SFC) from the forest stewardship council (FSC)

saves rainforest for long term sustainable use

state the social positives of the sustainable forest certification (SFC) from the forest stewardship council (FSC)

• SFC criteria includes whether the rights of local and indigenous people are respected and whether there are safe working conditions

• the FSC trains local communities, which increases buy-in

• the FSC is internationally renowned for transparency and quality of work; they are independent and thus free from corruption

state the environmental positives of the sustainable forest certification (SFC) from the forest stewardship council (FSC)

• the FSC focuses on saving high conservation value areas

• 5 million Ha of rainforest have been SFC certified

state the economic negative of the sustainable forest certification (SFC) from the forest stewardship council (FSC)

• the FSC lacks large spatial impact

  • FSC only has 10,000 product lines

  • Tesco alone have 100,000 product lines

state the social negative of the sustainable forest certification (SFC) from the forest stewardship council (FSC)

independent audits of the FSC saw them to mismanage much of the donated money

state the environmental negatives of the sustainable forest certification (SFC) from the forest stewardship council (FSC)

• the FSC gives countries a 5 year grace period when they join when there is still no punishment for illegal logging

• GTFN only monitors logging, doesn’t prevent logging

state the economic positive of World Bank Funding

$40 million funding for 120,000 people makes a big impact in country where average wage is less than $500 per person per year

state the social positive of World Bank Funding

improved quality cooking stoves for people in Kinshasa means fewer health issues due to respiratory problems

state the economic negative of the World Bank Funding

money may be better spent on education or healthcare

state the social negatives of World Bank Funding

• money is channelled through the government which has a poor record for corruption

• focus is on Kinshasa (urban), whereas 60% of the DRC lives in rural areas

state the environmental negative of the World Bank Funding

kerosene still produces harmful emissions