" ‘It’s a real mess’: Mining and deforestation threaten unparalleled DRC wildlife haven" 13 October 2023

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) protects nearly 14,000 square kilometers (5,405 square miles) of tropical rainforest and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s home to a treasure trove of wildlife: one-fifth of the global population of okapi (Okapia johnstoni); the DRC’s largest populations of forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes); 17 species of primates, more than any other African forest; 10 species of forest antelope, including bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) and dwarf antelope (Nesotragus batesi); more than 370 species of birds; and more. In the north, rocky outcrops called inselbergs house unique endemic plants, and in the south, waterfalls cascade along the Epulu River. Approximately 27,000 people — a quarter of whom are Indigenous Mbuti and Efe forest peoples — live within the reserve and depend on the forest. [...] Artisanal and semi-industrial gold mining are among the most serious threats to the reserve, a spokesperson from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) stated in a written response to questions. WCS has co-managed the reserve with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) since 2019. While the reserve status allows local communities, including the Indigenous Mbuti and Efe, to live, farm and hunt within certain zones in the reserve, mining is prohibited.

Destruction from artisanal mining — along with ongoing conflict on infrastructure and elephant poaching — prompted UNESCO to add the reserve to the World Heritage Sites in Danger list in 1997.

More recently, larger, more intensive semi-industrial mining operations with dredges and excavators have moved in. Most prominent is the Chinese-owned Kimia Mining Investment operation at the Muchacha mining site in the southwestern portion of Okapi. In a 2021 report, UNESCO warned that the Muchacha site was “transforming into a permanent settlement.” There are also more than 40 Congolese-owned semi-industrial mining operations within or near the borders of the reserve, according to the University of Antwerp brief, particularly along the western border. Some may anchor outside the reserve during the day but move barges into the reserve at night. The population explosion around mining sites, particularly in the villages of Bandegayido and Bandesende along the National Road 4, may also be driving bushmeat consumption. Elephants, okapi, pangolins and many other key, threatened mammal populations in the park have been declining over the past 30 years. These declines, along with deforestation and the presence of miners, can make it harder for Indigenous Mbuti and Efe to hunt and access traditional foods.