Central Africa’s Evolving Natural Resource Management Paradigm: The Case of the Congo Basin Rainforest and Implications for Peace and Security in the Subregion

Abstract

This article examines the impact of increased logging, mining, bushmeat and fuel-wood harvesting in the rainforest of the Congo Basin. The most affected by these unscrupulous anthropogenic activities are the native forest dwellers (the pygmies). These people have a long tradition of extracting many commodities from the forest. Increases in their population plus indiscriminate logging have exerted tremendous pressure on the forest’s resources. This article argues that the present profit maximisation paradigm is unsustainable and calls for a sustainable livelihood and forest conservation programme. The article concludes by indicating that the winding up of the ongoing Conference of the Parties (COP) negotiation may herald a new dawn for forest conservation in Central Africa.