OKAPI WILDLIFE RESERVE, Congo – For the past eight years, a Chinese mining corporation has been significantly expanding its operations within an endangered World Heritage Site, facing criticism from local communities and environmentalists for causing extensive environmental degradation.
Established as a protected area in 1996, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is recognized for its rich biodiversity and numerous threatened species, including the okapi, a forest-dwelling giraffe. The reserve is home to about 15% of the world’s remaining population of this species, which amounts to roughly 30,000 individuals. The reserve forms a part of the Congo Basin rainforest, the second largest globally and plays a crucial role as a carbon sink that mitigates climate change. Additionally, it is rich in mineral resources, including gold and diamonds.
The initial boundaries of the reserve were set three decades ago by the Congolese government and included the region where the Chinese company currently conducts mining operations. However, over the years, these boundaries have diminished under dubious circumstances, thus permitting the company to extract resources from the lush forest. Under Congolese mining regulations, mining activities are explicitly prohibited within protected areas, including the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.
According to Issa Aboubacar, a spokesperson for Kimia Mining Investment, the Chinese firm asserts that its operations are legal, having recently renewed its permits until 2048. The company claims that the mining registry relied on files from the ICCN, the authority responsible for overseeing Congo’s protected areas, and is collaborating with the ICCN to adjust the boundaries and safeguard the park. Furthermore, the ICCN stated that there had been a clarification on boundary misunderstandings during meetings with the mining registry earlier this year, suggesting that the original boundaries should be restored. An internal government memo from August indicated potential shutdowns of all mining operations within the reserve, including Kimia Mining, though the timeline and procedure remain uncertain.
Rights organizations in Congo have long urged the government to retract the mining permits granted to the Chinese firm, arguing that the mining ministry awarded these permits on flawed mapping data.
Key observations regarding this contentious issue highlight that the Muchacha mine, the largest in the reserve and among the biggest small- to medium-scale gold mines nationwide, stretches about 12 miles (19 kilometers) alongside the Ituri River and contains multiple semi-industrial sites. Satellite imagery assessments indicate a steady development pattern in the reserve’s southwestern region since mining operations commenced in 2016, with a noticeable increase in activity in recent years.
Geographer Joel Masselink, who specializes in satellite imagery and has worked on conservation efforts in the area, posits that the agency responsible for issuing mineral licenses has been using a version of the reserve’s maps that minimizes its area by nearly one-third. This alteration has enabled the agency to grant and renew exploration and extraction licenses. Changes to World Heritage Site boundaries require approval from experts at UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee, who assess the potential impacts of such modifications. Notably, a spokesperson for the World Heritage Center confirmed that no request had been submitted to alter the Reserve’s boundaries, emphasizing that such requests are infrequently approved.
Civil society advocates in Congo allege that some governmental officials have intentionally adjusted the reserve’s boundaries for personal gain. Additionally, a U.N. report revealed that mining operations are controlled by military personnel, with certain mines benefiting from powerful business and political affiliations, leading to soldiers occasionally restricting local officials’ access to these sites.
Local residents, including former and current employees of Kimia Mining, have reported that mining activities drastically destroy forests and wildlife while polluting the water and land resources. Out of fear of retaliation, several individuals who worked in the mines remained unnamed, revealing that toxic water sources are often left exposed after mining ceases in a given area, with dangers such as uncovered pits posing risks—especially during rainfall when water contaminates the soil. Experts allege that Chinese companies employ mercury in their operations—a substance recognized as hazardous to public health due to its detrimental effects on both the nervous and immune systems.
Assana, a fisherman who worked in the mines, expressed that it now takes him four days to catch the same quantity of fish he previously obtained in a single day. He witnessed significant deforestation caused by mining operations, which exacerbated already high temperatures. Between January and May of the current year, the reserve reportedly lost over 480 hectares (1,186 acres) of forest cover, equivalent to nearly 900 American football fields, according to a collaborative statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society and government agencies who expressed their concern regarding these findings.
Local populations, who once engaged in mining within the reserve, are outraged by the perceived double standards. Although the forest is protected, many residents were allowed to mine until the authorities imposed stricter regulations, primarily coinciding with the arrival of the Chinese mining operations. While Kimia Mining offers locals limited opportunities to mine for residual materials, exorbitant fees deter participation, according to community members.
Muvunga Kakule, a former artisanal miner who used to earn a living by selling food to other miners, reported that the Chinese firm no longer buys local produce, leading him to experience a staggering 95% drop in his income, restricting his ability to finance his children’s education. Many locals have shared that the absence of job alternatives has driven them to clandestinely engage in mining, putting them at risk of imprisonment.
Conservation organizations continue striving to safeguard the reserve but face challenges stemming from unclear legal frameworks. Emma Stokes, the Vice President of field conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society, emphasized the conflict where, while the law declares mining illegal in protected areas, the existence of official mining permits creates enforcement difficulties. An internal memo noted that discussions were ongoing between the ICCN and Congo’s mining registry aimed at resolving the boundary issues. This document commits to initiating the cessation of mining activities within the Reserve and integrating an agreed upon map into the mining registry’s system. UNESCO has requested a report from the Congolese government by February to clarify measures for resolving the delineation conflict.
