The Green Corridor: the Congo River becomes an economic lifeline without affecting the rainforest

The Virunga Alliance led by Emmanuel de Merode succeeded in maintaining the majestic Virunga National Park by creating jobs for the population. The Green Corridor aims to transplant that successful model along the Congo River. Its goal is to bring food from the interior to Kinshasa and to protect the Congolese rainforest.

Forests in the tropics store massive amounts of carbon. That makes them an important weapon in the effort to combat our changing climate. Unfortunately, these areas of jungle are under severe pressure. Partly because people keep cutting down trees, but also due to climate disruption itself.

Higher temperatures and drought slow growth and in some cases, trees are even dying off. There are also many more forest fires, nowadays. As a result, the Amazonian forest – which has traditionally been the largest green lung on our planet – has been emitting more carbon than it absorbs for several years now.

Slash and burn

Today, the rainforest in the Congo Basin is the most important lung on this earth. Indeed, tropical forests in the Congo River basin are still absorbing carbon overall. They can be found in DR Congo, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, and Cameroon, amongst other locations.

But even the Congo Forest is suffering hardships, primarily due to the explosive population growth and the lack of employment opportunities. In DR Congo, for example, 80% of the population still lives off agriculture. People there have no other choice but to burn down a patch of forest to grow food. And once that patch of land is exhausted, they burn off another patch of forest (this is known as slash and burn). While they used to return only after 30 years – once the soil had recovered – they're returning much sooner nowadays.

Pearl of nature

Nevertheless, some hope is still on the horizon. The Virunga National Park is a pearl of nature located in North Kivu (in eastern Congo). Its landscapes range from steppes, swamps, savannah, and rainforest to spectacular high mountains and lava plains. What is more, it hosts exceptional biodiversity and acts like a sponge (see box).

Like the rest of the Congo forest, the Virunga National Park is under serious threat – from logging, poaching, fishing, and armed groups. Still, this unsurpassed gem remains intact and that is thanks to the relentless efforts of people such as our fellow countryman Emmanuel de Merode and his numerous Congolese collaborators. De Merode has been in charge of the Virunga National Park since 2008, as provincial director of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN).

Soap and chocolate

The basic idea is that we can never protect forests if we don't give the people the means of making a living. Previously, we reported how De Merode was busy creating a local economy in the area. Hydroelectric power stations were providing electricity; micro-credits were helping budding entrepreneurs, and a chocolate factory – supported by the chocolatier Dominique Persoone – was under construction.

Today – six years later – we can regard this as a success story. Quality chocolate is being made and is finding its way to countries in Africa and beyond. Another factory produces soap from local palm oil. Before that, that oil was being sent to the neighbouring country, Burundi, only to return as expensive pieces of soap.

Locally grown papaya is being used to extract latex enzymes for the pharmaceutical and food industries. Coffee is being roasted. Local palm oil is being converted into biodiesel to run the tractors. A variety of businesses are finding a secure location in the Mutwanga industrial zone, right next to the Virunga National Park. A Belgian, Dimitri Moreels, set up a plant there to ferment high-quality cocoa beans.

The Virunga Model

In short, the Virunga National Park proves that the model works, even in the turbulent Congolese context, where a bloody conflict is taking place nearby in eastern Congo. An additional benefit is that the jobs themselves also contribute towards peace and security. Because when people find work, they are less likely to become members of armed groups. In fact, a lot of jobs are being taken up by ex-militia members, for that matter.

The success of Virunga led Emmanuel de Merode to his next idea: why not transplant the model to other sites along the Congo River? After all, those sites offer enormous potential, but nothing is being done with them. Partly due to lack of knowledge and resources, but also because there are no options for transportation.

The Congo River is difficult to navigate

The impressive Congo River is indeed notoriously difficult to navigate. At various locations along the river, vessels have to contend with sand banks, chunks of wood, and other impediments. As a result, transport is limited to traditional praus that travel only short distances, and certainly not the hundreds of kilometres to the capital Kinshasa.

The distance from Kisangani – further east – to Kinshasa in the far west via the Congo River is a staggering 1,600 kilometres. Only twice a year does a public boat run between the two cities. The trip takes two weeks downstream – from east to west – and four weeks upstream – from Kinshasa to Kisangani.

Palm oil from Malaysia

As a result, the eastern and western parts of Congo are virtually separate regions. Palm oil is hugely popular in Congolese cuisine, yet Congo sources almost all of its palm oil from Malaysia, which subsidises its palm industry, even though palm trees grow abundantly in the Congolese interior along the Congo River. The problem is that the product is simply unable to reach the metropolis of Kinshasa.

The same also applies in the case of vegetables, fruits, grains and so on. In fact, just about everything – from refrigerators to cookies – is carried from Kinshasa inland by boat. But those cargo ships make the return journey empty. Hardly any products find their way from the interior to Kinshasa, though some foods do reach neighbouring countries to the east such as Uganda and Rwanda.

Green Corridor

This creates a situation in which the population along the Congo River remains poor and continues to cut down areas of forest, while Kinshasa imports most of its food. If better transportation options and support for that population were available – including a food industry to process the harvests – huge potential would exist there.

Congo could benefit greatly while protecting its green lung, the Congo Forest. This would enable the Congo River to become a true ‘green corridor’ – a green strip that reconciles environment and the economy, and connects the interior of the country with the capital.

Global Gateway

This great potential also convinced the European Union (EU). By means of its Global Gateway initiative, the EU is currently supporting some 12 corridors in Africa. These are transport lanes – via ports, roads for freight traffic, railways, etc. – that link various African countries together. The aim of the corridors is to allow raw materials and processed products to be transported more smoothly, thereby boosting the economy.

Eventually, the EU decided that it would also include the ‘Green Corridor’ – le Couloir Vert – along the Congo River as a 13^th corridor, exceptionally within the same country. This recognition should provide additional funding. The Congolese government also expressed enthusiasm for the initiative.

UNESCO biosphere reserve

Initially, the Green Corridor will mainly tap into the rich experience our country has already accrued in the region. Belgian institutions – the AfricaMuseum, Ghent University, The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, the Meise Botanical Garden, etc. - are already conducting a large amount of research at the University of Kisangani and nearby in Yangambi, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, in collaboration with Congolese colleagues.

There, they are not only monitoring changes in the rainforest, but are also seeking to identify better performing varieties of cocoa, coffee, bananas and so on. This is very important as a means of boosting agricultural production along the Congo River.

An agro-environmental approach

The Green Corridor is also building upon projects of Enabel, the Belgian Agency for International Cooperation, a close partner of our FPS. Enabel is already working there in Southern Ubangi and Tshopo provinces, where it organises training courses and encourages entrepreneurship. It supports farmers and assists provincial governments.

All those activities are now going to be stepped up. Increased agricultural production is crucial, but the approach will mainly be an agro-ecological one. After all, farming should be as environmentally friendly as possible, since the intention is to protect the rainforest.

In line with the Virunga model, a processing industry will also be set up, which will be used for the processing of corn, palm oil, wheat, cocoa, potatoes and so on. In the future, it should even be possible for transportation to be provided by small electrically powered boats and trucks. They will be able to recharge their batteries with the help of the solar farms located along the Congo River.

Ecotourism is also becoming an important pillar. All activities are undertaken in close consultation with local people.

Carbon credits

In addition to funds from the EU and our FPS, the Green Corridor could also obtain funding from the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) and the Green Climate Fund. In time, it aims to attract much larger amounts of funding, especially from the private sector. Belgian companies such as Colruyt, Puratos, and the shipping company CMB have already shown interest.

A green economy is at the very heart of the initiative, but protecting the rainforest is equally important. Extra attention is therefore being paid to various natural parks and reserves along the Congo River. That, too, can make money. The forests there hold massive amounts of carbon and help to create a more stable global climate. For that reason, they are entitled to carbon credits.

So the Green Corridor is looking very promising. The many partners will do their best to bring the initiative to fruition. The Virunga Alliance – part of ICCN – maintains an overview of all activities.