Congo Basin Indigenous Communities Face Industrial Extraction Threats

Indigenous and local communities living in the Congo Basin—the world’s second-largest rainforest—are bearing the devastating costs of industrial expansion as governments and investors race to extract minerals, timber, and oil to fuel economic growth and the green energy transition.

A new report from the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities and Earth Insight reveals alarming statistics about threats to community lands across this critical carbon sink. In the Congo Basin, 38% of community forests face encroachment from oil and gas operations, 42% are threatened by mining activities, and 6% by logging concessions. These overlapping pressures are degrading fragile ecosystems that Indigenous peoples have protected for generations while threatening their traditional livelihoods.

The situation is particularly dire in specific regions. In the TRIDOM landscape spanning Cameroon, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo, more than half of all community forests overlap with logging concessions. Even more concerning, oil licenses in western Democratic Republic of Congo threaten to encroach on 99% of community forests, including the vital Cuvette Centrale peatlands—home to 30 billion tons of stored carbon that’s crucial for global climate stability.

Released ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, the report highlights a troubling paradox: while the world seeks materials for green energy solutions, the extraction process is destroying the very forests needed to combat climate change. As Indigenous leader Joseph Itongwa noted, “Our peoples have protected these forests for generations… yet our rights remain fragile.”