Congo river’s floating timber trade threatens africa’s most biodiverse ecosystem

The Congo River basin, often called the “lungs of Africa,” faces mounting pressure as families risk dangerous journeys transporting timber on makeshift rafts down one of the world’s mightiest rivers. This vast ecosystem, second only to the Amazon in biodiversity, is caught between conservation needs and the survival demands of a growing population dependent on timber and charcoal trade.

Jean de Dieu Mokuma exemplifies this precarious balance. As sunset paints the Congo River, he pilots a timber cargo downstream with his wife Marie-Therese and their two young children, their logs lashed to a fragile raft tied to a single canoe. “You can’t be scared of the storms,” Mokuma explains. “With the current, once your voyage has begun, there is no turning back.” His family joins countless others who wake at dawn on floating platforms of logs and merchandise, navigating treacherous waters toward Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital.

These floating timber cities represent a critical environmental crossroads. The Congo River basin supports extraordinary wildlife and serves as a crucial carbon sink for the planet. Yet millions of people depend on its forests for their livelihoods, creating an urgent need for sustainable solutions that can protect both the ecosystem and the communities it sustains. The question remains whether innovative conservation strategies can preserve this irreplaceable natural treasure while addressing the economic realities of those who call it home.