‘Declines in wildlife population could adversely impact the Congo basin’s capacity to sequester carbon’
The 2024 Living Planet Report by conservation organisation World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) published October 10, 2024 revealed some disturbing statistics: Wildlife populations have shrunk by 73 per cent over the last five decades.
The worst-hit regions were Latin America and the Caribbean, where species declines went up to 95 per cent, data showed. Africa was also hit, with declines of up to 76 per cent.
In an exclusive interview with Down To Earth, WWF Congo Basin Director Martin Kabaluapa, said these declines could significantly impact the basin’s
ecological dynamics and potentially reduce its carbon sequestration capabilities.
Here are the edited excerpts:
Ngala Killian Chimtom: WWF has just published its 2024 Living Planet Report. What are its major highlights?
Martin Kabaluapa: WWF’s Living Planet Report 2024 tells us that there has been a catastrophic 73 per cent decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations in just 50 years (1970-2020).
The report warned that as the Earth approaches dangerous tipping points posing grave threats to humanity, a huge collective effort will be required over the next five years to tackle the dual climate and nature crises.
NKC: The report highlighted a 76 per cent decline in wildlife populations in Africa. Can you elaborate on the specific impacts this decline has had on the Congo Basin’s ecosystems and local communities?
MK: The report showed that the wildlife population is still under threat in the Congo Basin, despite efforts made by governments, communities and conservation groups. Decline in wildlife populations can create significant imbalances in the Congo Basin’s ecosystems.
Many species play critical roles in maintaining the health of forests, rivers and wetlands. For example, elephants, known as ecosystem engineers, help shape the forest landscape by dispersing seeds and clearing paths for other species. Their decline disrupts these natural processes, affecting biodiversity and forest regeneration.
However, there are flickers of hope as we have some species like the mountain gorillas in the greater Virunga landscape (Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo) that have witnessed a 3 per cent increase in their population every year between 2010 to 2016.
In Dzanga Sangha National Park, co-managed by the government of the Central African Republic and WWF, communities are actively involved in the park’s management, leading to broader support for conservation measures both within and around the park.
In turn, this reduces opportunities for external forces to engage in illegal activities in the region, such as illegal logging or elephant poaching for ivory.
NKC: Habitat degradation and loss are cited as the primary threats. What are the main causes of habitat degradation in the Congo Basin, and how are they being addressed?
MK: Habitat loss and degradation in the Congo Basin are driven by forest conversion for plantation agriculture, slash and burn agriculture, industrial logging, urban expansion and mining.
Overexploitation, particularly through unsustainable hunting and the bushmeat trade, is exacerbated by logging and mining activities that make previously inaccessible areas vulnerable. Rapid population growth adds pressure on agriculture and resource extraction, while climate change further disrupts species distribution and ecosystem health.
Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach. Strengthening regulations and improving governance can curb illegal activities and promote sustainable practices.
Proper landuse planning and enforcement of the law can reduce anarchical occupation of land. Conservation efforts by organisations like WWF, coupled with international support and funding, are essential for protecting habitats and biodiversity.
NKC: The report mentions that the food system is a major driver of habitat loss. How does agriculture and food production impact the Congo Basin and what sustainable practices could mitigate these effects?
MK: Agriculture and food production in the Congo Basin, as in much of the world, contribute significantly to biodiversity loss and deforestation. The Living Planet Report states that the global food system is destroying biodiversity, depleting the world’s water resources and changing the climate, but isn’t delivering the nutrition people need.
Despite record production, some 735 million people go to bed hungry each night. Yet there are expanding farmland for crops and livestock resulting in habitat destruction, leading to ecosystem imbalances and loss of wildlife.
In regions like the Congo Basin, where local communities depend heavily on the land, this environmental degradation worsens poverty and food insecurity, deepening the crisis of malnutrition and hunger.
Adopting sustainable agricultural practices can mitigate these negative impacts. For example, in the Cameroon segment of the TRIDOM landscape, farmers have embraced sustainable cocoa production methods, which help preserve forest ecosystems while improving yields.
Techniques such as agroforestry, where crops are grown alongside trees, can restore soil health and maintain biodiversity. By scaling these sustainable practices, the Congo Basin can safeguard its environment while improving food security for local communities.
NKC: How are climate change and pollution affecting the Congo Basin’s biodiversity, and what measures are being taken to combat these threats?
MK: Rising temperatures, altered rainfall patterns and extreme weather events are disrupting ecosystems, leading to habitat loss and shifts in species distributions.
Many species, including endangered ones like forest elephants and great apes, are struggling to adapt to these rapid environmental changes, increasing their risk of extinction.
Additionally, pollution from mining, agricultural runoff and plastic waste further degrades the region’s water and soil quality, threatening freshwater ecosystems and diminishing the health of forest habitats.
WWF is working with governments to strengthen protected areas and promote reforestation projects to restore ecosystems in the Congo Basin. Sustainable land management practices, like agroforestry, are being encouraged to reduce deforestation and preserve biodiversity.
We are also pushing for the Congo Basin to have its fair share of finances for conservation and climate critical in supporting adaptation and mitigation strategies in the region, helping to protect the Congo Basin’s biodiversity from the growing pressures of climate change and pollution.
NKC: The Congo Basin is often referred to as the second lung of the earth. Can you explain the role of the Congo Basin in global carbon sequestration and how wildlife declines might affect this role?
MK: The Congo Basin plays a crucial role in global carbon sequestration, often referred to as the “lungs of Africa”. It is the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world, after the Amazon, absorbing around 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and storing around 25-30 billion tonnes of carbon in its vegetation.
This makes it a more significant carbon sink than the Amazon rainforest. The basin’s peatlands, which store about 29 billion tonnes of carbon, further enhance its capacity to mitigate climate change. However, declines in wildlife populations can adversely affect this role.
Healthy ecosystems rely on diverse species to maintain their functions, including carbon storage. Conservation of large mammals through Forest Stewardship Council certification brings wider benefits to forests, as these mammals play a pivotal role in ecological processes, including seed dispersal, seed predation, browsing, trampling, plant competition, nutrient cycling and predator-prey interactions.
It has also been suggested that forest carbon storage is higher when large mammal assemblages are more intact because the ecological processes they are part of (such as seed dispersal) often benefit large, high wood density trees and the benefits of their conservation may far outweigh the costs. Habitat degradation from human activities such as logging, agriculture and mining threatens the integrity of these ecosystems.
To address these challenges, conservation efforts are essential. Strategies include enforcing sustainable land management practices, protecting critical habitats, and involving local communities in conservation initiatives.
By ensuring the health of wildlife populations and their habitats, we can enhance the Congo Basin’s vital role in global carbon sequestration and combat climate change effectively.
NKC: Despite the overall decline, there have been some conservation successes. Can you share specific examples from the Congo Basin where conservation efforts have led to the stabilization or increase of certain species?
MK: There are signs that in certain specific areas conservation efforts are yielding positive results in the Congo Basin. In Virunga National Park spanning the DRC, Uganda and Rwanda, conservation efforts have resulted in a 3 per cent increase in the population of the Critically Endangered Mountain Gorilla.
In the Central African Republic (CAR), anti-poaching teams have been established in Dzanga-Sangha National Park. These efforts have significantly reduced elephant poaching for ivory, one of the main causes of population decline in the past. Collaboration with local communities and careful land-use planning have also played a key role.
NKC: What are the most effective conservation strategies currently being implemented in the Congo Basin, and how can they be scaled up to address the broader challenges highlighted in the report?
MK: WWF has identified the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Congo Basin and is actively engaged in conservation in several of these places. In three National Parks in Central African Republic, Republic of Congo and the DRC, WWF is working together with the government in a co-management approach where the protected area is jointly managed.
The role of WWF is to facilitate effective engagement of local and indigenous communities in park management and build capacity with the government partner in park management, including introduction of the latest insights and techniques, fund raising and building of partnerships.
NKC: How are local communities involved in conservation efforts, and what role do they play in protecting and restoring the Congo Basin’s ecosystems?
MK: In all the places we work in the Congo Basin, we put people at the centre of our actions. We closely work with local communities and indigenous people, to deliver conservation at scale. WWF engagement with indigenous people and local communities around the Dzanga Sangha National has resulted in buy-in from the local population in the management of the park.
WWF involves local and Indigenous communities in conservation efforts across the Congo Basin, recognising their connection to the land and ecosystems.
WWF co-manages the park with the Central African Republic government, engaging indigenous Baka communities in decision-making, wildlife monitoring, and ecotourism, which provides alternative livelihoods. In Ntokou Pikounda (Republic of Congo), WWF together with the government and the surrounding communities has set up a community fisheries agreement that allows these communities to continue their traditional fishing practices inside the Park in the TRIDOM landscape, WWF supports sustainable agriculture, like eco-friendly cocoa farming, reducing deforestation while involving communities in anti-poaching and forest restoration.
NKC: A critical issue is the lack of finance .Why in your opinion do you think Africa receives so little climate funding?
MK: Looking at climate change-related funding, only 3 per cent of the globally available funding is being invested in Africa. This is way too little and hampers the governments to implement their sustainable evelopment plans.
In other areas, funding is applied to prevent expected deforestation. In the Congo Basin, most countries are so-called High Forest Low Deforestation (HFLD) countries, meaning deforestation rates are relatively low. Under the current funding systems, this means that these countries are eligible only for very low financial compensations. Investment in the HFLD countries is needed to prevent deforestation and only then will funding become available.
NKC: One critical issue on how to keep global temperatures low and preserve biodiversity is the energy transition. What in your opinion would a just energy transition mean for Africa, especially with 600 million of its peoples going without lights?
MK: Africa’s energy needs are huge and the continent has the potential to provide clean and sufficient energy to run its industries and households. Attaining this will require a massive mobilisation of investment, critical materials and infrastructure.
An accelerated transition that achieves climate targets will produce a dramatically better future for people and nature. The way we produce and consume energy is the principal driver of climate change, with increasingly severe impacts on people and ecosystems.
We know we must rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy to cut greenhouse emissions in half by 2030 and keep 1.5ºC within reach. Over the next five years, we need to triple renewable energy, double energy efficiency, electrify 20-40 per cent of light-duty vehicles and modernise energy grids around the world to achieve the 1.5ºC target 160, 218,219.
NKC: The Living Planet Report is coming at the time the world is preparing for COP16. What should Africa be pushing for during this global conservation event?
MK: At the COP16 on biodiversity taking place in Cali, Colombia, the focus will be on aligning national strategies with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Countries need to revise and update their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans and targets to align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
Africa will be pushing for the establishment of a dedicated Global Biodiversity Fund, under the COP’s authority, to support the GBF’s goals, as per Article 20 (2) of the Convention. A legally binding framework for the fair sharing of monetary benefits from digital sequence information on genetic resources should be created, alongside clear processes for non-monetary benefits. Additionally, capacity building, scientific cooperation and technology transfer are crucial for implementing the GBF.