Environmental Case Study Saving an African Eden

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When conservation biologist Paul Elkan first entered the Goualougo tract in remote northern Republic of Congo on a wildlife reconnaissance expedition in 1997, he was astonished at how little fear the animals showed. Generally, when wild monkeys or chimpanzees spot humans, they shriek and run away. Conditioned by years of hunting, wild animals fear humans. In the pristine forests of Goualougo, however, Elkan found that the animals followed him for hours, seemingly curious about this strange new species in their forest home. Bordered by two untamed rivers and many kilometers of dense, flooded forests, the Goualougo shows no signs of human intrusion. Even the local Bambendjelle people (called forest Pygmies by Europeans) had no memories of ever hunting there. “This is one of the last great wild places in the world,” Elkan said.

The Congo basin holds about one-fourth of the world’s tropical forests and is the largest stretch of lowland rainforest in the world, aside from the Amazon. Those forests are home to some of the most important wildlife populations remaining in Central Africa, including forest elephants (Loxodonta africana cyclotis), lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus), buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus), leopard (Panthera pardus), six species of small antelope, and eight species of monkeys. Logging and hunting are a growing threat to the forests and the wildlife they shelter. It has long been common practice for loggers to subsist on the local wildlife, or bushmeat. And logging roads provide access deep into the forest for hunters and settlers. Up to 1 million tons of bushmeat may be consumed in Central Africa each year.

In 1982, all the lands in the northern Republic of Congo were divided into large logging concessions. In the late 1980s, wildlife explorations revealed that the Nouabalé-Ndoki region held one of the densest assemblages of wildlife and the richest collection of primates on earth. Recognizing its ecological importance, the government of Congo upgraded the Noubalé-Ndoki forest from a forest management unit to national park in 1993. Adjacent parks in the Central African Republic and Cameroon create a contiguous area of irreplaceable lowland tropical rainforest.

Unfortunately, when the parks were being established, the most pristine area was cut in two, and half of it, Goualougo triangle, was slated for logging. Logging rights were sold to a German-owned company, Congolaise Industrielle des Bois (C.I.B.). Biologist/explorer Mike Fay, who publicized the region’s plight with his “megatransect” across the Congo basin, calls the Gualougo triangle the Inner Sanctum of this great forest. Elkan and others have confirmed the richness of this African Eden.

Environmental Case Study Saving an African Eden

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In July 2002, C.I.B., the Congolese government, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced that a 26,000 ha (100 mi2) tract of the Goualougo triangle would be added to the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. This was the first time any logging company in the entire Congo Basin had voluntarily given up rights to valuable timberland. The C.I.B. estimated that it would forgo logging timber worth an estimated $40 million (U.S.). In addition, C.I.B. promised to practice sustainable forest management on its remaining timber concessions and to participate in a wildlife protection program run by the WCS.

C.I.B. promises to prohibit hunting and transporting of bushmeat by company employees and promises to develop alternative protein sources (imported beef, fish, and poultry farms). The company will provide garden supplies and training to local farmers and a conservation awareness program for villagers and company employees. The forest outside the park will be zoned with community hunting areas near villages and no-hunting zones immediately surrounding the park. Protected areas will be patrolled by six government officers and 40 local ecoguards funded and managed by the WCS.

Environmental Case Study Saving an African Eden

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Why did the C.I.B. give up such lucrative logging concessions? Biologists played a vital role by revealing the incredible richness of the wildlife and the absence of human encroachment. Consumers who voiced concern about tropical forests were also key. More and more, consumers of paper products, furniture, and lumber are recognizing their links to tropical forests, and public pressure often leads to better policies. European environmental groups provided leadership and helped educate the public. C.I.B. gave up the Goualougo triangle as part of an effort to get its products certified as sustainably harvested, so that it could retain its European market.

Land-use policies are central to environmental quality, and they are influenced by decisions of national governments, corporations, citizen organizations, and individuals. In this chapter, we’ll look at land uses, especially on forests and grasslands, and we’ll consider how each of us plays a role, as individuals or as members of a community, in land-use decisions affecting our common environment.