Congo’s UNESCO Reserve Still Reels from Chinese Mining Damage

Despite the Republic of Congo shutting down a Chinese gold mining operation in November 2024, the environmental devastation at the Dimonika Biosphere Reserve continues to plague local communities months later. A new Mongabay video investigation reveals the lasting impact of City SARL’s industrial mining activities on this protected UNESCO site in southwestern Congo.

The 336,000-acre reserve, home to endangered chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas, has suffered severe pollution that contaminated the primary water source for nearly 3,000 residents in the Mvouti district. Local gold panner Merveille Mbouinga described the shocking transformation: “We used to have water sources, very good water sources. Today it’s all yellow; you’re even afraid to wash your hands in it.”

The scale of destruction has particularly devastated artisanal miners who have worked the area sustainably for decades using traditional methods. When City SARL arrived in 2023 with heavy machinery, the environmental impact was swift and dramatic. “What we do in a year the Chinese companies do in a week,” explained local miner Prudal Makayis. “With artisanal gold panning, we can’t cut down 10 or 15 trees. With their machines, they raze everything to the ground.”

The case highlights the ongoing tension between large-scale industrial mining and both environmental protection and traditional livelihoods in Central Africa. While the government’s shutdown of operations represents a step toward protecting the biosphere reserve, the contaminated water and damaged ecosystem serve as stark reminders that environmental recovery often takes far longer than environmental destruction.