DRC - Salonga National Park threatened by oil exploration

WWF expresses deep concern over the decision of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) government to approve an oil production contract with the Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SONAHYDROC) - Compagnie Minière du Congo (COMICO) on blocks 1 in Mbandaka, 2 in Lokoro and 3 in Busira of the Cuvette Centrale, overlapping Salonga National Park.
The decree paves the way for oil exploration and exploitation to be conducted under the contract, initially signed in 2007, in blocks within the UNESCO World Heritage site, threatening the ecosystem’s exceptional flora and fauna as well as the lives and livelihoods of neighbouring communities. 
WWF, which is also tasked with the co-management of Salonga, urges the DRC government to ensure that the Salonga landscape and its National Park are outside the defined areas for this type of extractive activity, as required by the convention and guidelines for UNESCO World Heritage sites.
In addition, DRC has made several international commitments to preserve its forest cover, the second largest in the world. These commitments form the basis of several multifaceted partnerships with international funding mechanisms such as USAID-funded CARPE, the 11th EDF funded by the European Union, the Biodiversity and Forest Programme funded by the German Development Bank (KFW) and WWF calls upon the government to urgently reconsider its decision which contradicts these national and international commitments.
WWF and ICCN are joining efforts to preserve the Salonga landscape from any type of exploitation that would endanger its entire ecosystem and conservation value on a global scale.
 
For further information, please contact:
Dandy Yela, WWF DRC Communications Manager, DYela@wwfdrc.org