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52 new oil blocks announced in 2025, bringing total to 55
53% of DR Congo’s land and inland waters now under oil block coverage
63% of all community forests and 39 million people affected
Oil blocks overlap with protected areas, peatlands, and key biodiversity zones
Cuvette Centrale peatlands, storing 30 gigatons of carbon, under threat
Civil society urges cancellation of 2025 licensing round
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has launched its most aggressive push yet for oil exploration, putting 124 million hectares — over half the country’s territory — under oil block coverage, warned a new report released July 29, 2025.
A total of 52 new oil blocks have been opened for auction in 2025, in addition to three previously awarded, marking a major expansion since the controversial 2022 auction of 30 blocks, parts of which were later cancelled in October 2024. The latest round covers 55 oil blocks in total, accounting for 53 per cent of the DRC’s land and inland waters.
The report, published by Earth Insight in collaboration with Congolese civil society groups Our Land Without Oil and CORAP and the Rainforest Foundation UK, describes the expansion as a direct threat to the ecological integrity of the Congo Basin — often called the “lungs of Africa” for its role in absorbing more carbon than the Amazon.
The oil blocks overlap with 8.3 million hectares of protected areas and 8.6 million hectares of Key Biodiversity Areas — critical habitats for species such as gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants and rare flora.
Of particular concern are the Cuvette Centrale peatlands, the world’s largest tropical peatland complex. These ecosystems store an estimated 30 gigatons of carbon — nearly 30 per cent of all tropical peatland carbon globally, equivalent to 20 years of US fossil fuel emissions. The peatlands have been recognised as one of the planet’s most vital ecosystems for climate stability.
Most of the peatland area now falls within newly auctioned oil blocks, reveals a June 2025 spatial analysis released by Earth Insight.
As several new oil blocks overlap with this ecosystem, any disturbance from drilling, road-building, or draining could release massive amounts of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere — exacerbating climate change, warned the report.
“These peatlands take thousands of years to form and can’t be restored if damaged,” the report warned. “Once their carbon is released, it’s gone for good.”
The move undermines DRC’s own conservation goals and violates its global commitments under the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and other climate treaties, according to environmentalists and civil society organisations.
The 2025 licensing round includes some conservation gains: following strong civil society pressure, the DRC government removed key protected sites like Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that had faced significant threat during the 2022 oil auction. But these exceptions are small compared to the broader risks, stated the report.
In January 2025, DRC announced the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor — a major initiative to protect 54 million hectares of forest and biodiversity-rich landscapes stretching across the Congo Basin. It was hailed as a breakthrough in landscape-level conservation planning.
However, the latest oil round overlaps with 28 blocks covering 39 million hectares or 72 per cent of the corridor. This overlap threatens to fragment and industrialise what was envisioned as a contiguous ecological spine connecting eastern and southwestern DRC.
If developed for oil production, this would introduce heavy infrastructure, pollution risks, and fragmentation into what was envisioned as a contiguous corridor of ecological resilience,
Forests to frontlines: Oil expansion threats in the DRC
The expansion also impacts the lives of people who depend on these ecosystems. Around 39 million people — nearly half the country’s population — live within the boundaries of the newly designated oil blocks now up for auction.
The latest licensing round also affects 63 per cent of all community forests in the country. This could lead to the displacement of communities, weaken traditional systems of land governance, and undo years of work on rights-based conservation, stated the report.
It further warned that pushing forward without proper consultation violates the legal principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent — a key safeguard under both Congolese and international law meant to protect Indigenous and local communities from harmful development.
The Congo Basin spans six countries — Cameroon, Central African Republic, DRC, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon — and plays a critical role in maintaining global climate stability. Its rainforests provide food, water and livelihoods to millions, while housing endangered species found nowhere else on Earth
Environmentalists argue that oil development in the region would have far-reaching consequences.
Oil and gas development in these fragile ecosystems would have devastating impacts on biodiversity, communities, land rights, and the global fight against climate change, said Anna Bebbington, Research Manager, Earth Insight.
“This is why this report calls on the DRC government and international partners to cancel the 2025 oil tender and invest in alternative development models that respect Indigenous and community rights, sustain local livelihoods and safeguard biodiversity and the climate,” she said.