A ministerial commission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has recommended the cancellation of 30 forest concessions due to suspected irregularities, according to a report released on Tuesday.
Congo is home to sixty percent of the world’s second-largest rainforest, giving it an essential role in the fight against climate change. It has been scrutinized and compelled to curb deforestation and improve forest management.
The commission was established by the government a year ago to compile a comprehensive inventory of all granted forest concessions and to confirm their compliance with Congolese law.
Its initial findings were presented to the government in February and posted to the website of the environment ministry on Tuesday.
The analysis suggested terminating thirty out of a total of 82 forestry concessions. There were twenty-two forestry agreements and eight conservation agreements. Several honors were discovered to have been made in violation of the law, necessitating legal action.
After determining that taxes were owed on an additional 36 contracts, the commission gave those businesses three months to become compliant.
The report, written by Environment Minister Eve Bazaiba, states, “After this term, the state will reclaim the concession.”
President Felix Tshisekedi requested an audit of forest concessions in 2021 in an effort to bring order to an inadequately regulated industry.
In April of last year, a local public finance monitor reported potential irregularities in a dozen forestry contracts, prompting authorities to suspend them.
