Country Profile: Republic of Congo Image by US FWS / Flickr OVERVIEW CONTEXT Project Title: Strengthening the Management of Wildlife and Congo’s forest biodiversity is one of the richest and most biologically Improving Livelihoods in Northern Republic of Congo important on the planet. Around 65% of the country is covered by Project Sites: Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, Ntokou lowland tropical forests which possess a wealth of biodiversity Pikounda National Park including forest elephants and leopards and are important sources of Species Focus: Elephants, Silverback Gorilla income and livelihood products for many local communities and indigenous peoples. However, these rich biological resources are Total Project Cost: $6.5 million under threat from unregulated activities. Forest habitats are being Executing Partner: Ministry of Forest Economy, Sustainable fragmented and destroyed due to unregulated forestry and the Development and Environment uncontrolled harvesting of non-timber forest products. Commercial GEF Implementing Agency: World Bank logging opens up formerly inaccessible forest, which perpetuates the Contact: Julian Lee, jlee7@worldbank.org decline of wildlife populations from unsustainable hunting to supply the bushmeat trade and illegal income generation from illegal wildlife trade and commercial hunting. The Congolese government has made significant contributions towards protecting the forest by creating national parks. Ongoing conservation efforts include establishment of a National Elephant Action Plan (NEAP)/National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP), the priorities for protection of twelve trans-boundary conservation areas through the “Plan de Convergence”, the regional trans-boundary biodiversity efforts focused in the Tri-national Sangha region. ICCWC recently identified and completed priority interventions that will be incorporated PROJECT COMPONENTS The GWP Congo project aims to improve wildlife management in northern Republic of Congo and to protect habitats while improving local livelihoods. The project components are: 1. Capacity building and institutional strengthening 2. Involvement of local communities and indigenous people in forest resource management 3. Habitat and biodiversity conservation See the World Bank website for more information: Global Wildlife Program Country Profile: Republic of Congo Image by jbdodane / Flickr OVERVIEW CONTEXT Project Title: Integrated and Transboundary Conservation The Republic of Congo is home to one of the richest and most of Biodiversity in the Basins of the Republic of Congo biologically important and intact-forest ecosystems on the planet. Over Project Sites: Odzala-Kokoua NP, Lossi Gorilla Sanctuary, 65% of the country is covered by lowland tropical forests. It is home to a future Messok Dja Reserve, forest concessions of Ngombé, diverse range of rare and endangered mammals, insects and plants Tala-Tala, Jua-Ikié, Kéllé-Mbomo, the Djoua-Ivindo Forest that are increasingly threatened due to illegal wildlife trafficking (IWT) Triangle Massif and other issues. For example, forest elephant populations in Tri- Species Focus: Elephants and gorillas National Landscape Dja Odzala- Minkébé (TRIDOM) decreased by Total Project Cost: $3.1 million 50% between 2002 and 2011. Indeed, the TRIDOM zone within the Executing Partner: Ministry of Forest Economy, Minkébé-Odzala-Dja Inter-zone is a IWT hub. Sustainable Development and Environment (MEFDDE) GEF Implementing Agency: UNDP Contact: Lumiere Jean-Felix Issang, The porosity of borders and poverty in Congo is compounded by the jean-felix.issang@undp.org fact protected area managers often lack the financial and technical resources sufficient to efficiently manage the protected areas (Pas). Safeguarding Congo’s ecosystems, and addressing the IWT challenge, are now pivotal to Congolese national development plans. Conservation efforts include the establishment of a National Elephant Action Plan (NEAP)/National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP), the establishment of priorities for protection of 12 trans-boundary conservation areas through the “Plan de Convergence”, the regional trans-boundary biodiversity efforts focused in the TRIDOM region, and the implementation of the Sectoral Forest and Environment Programs (FESP). PROJECT COMPONENTS The GWP Congo project aims to strengthen the conservation of globally threatened species in the basins of the Republic of Congo by improving biodiversity enforcement. The project components are: 1. Improving the effectiveness of PA Management 2. Strengthening capacity for effective PA and IWT governance 3. Reduce poaching and illegal trade in threatened species at site level via Community based natural resource management and sustainable livelihood 4. Gender Mainstreaming, knowledge management, and M&E. See the World Bank website for more information: Global Wildlife Program