DRC: Deforestation in DRC Threatens Climate, Wildlife

Nov 29, 2017 | Godfrey Olukya, Anadolu Agency
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Deforestation in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become a pressing domestic and transnational issue with potentially high environmental costs. According to the UN Environment Programme, the direct causes of deforestation in the DRC are slash and burn agriculture, the collection of fuelwood and charcoal, illegal logging and road infrastructure development. Charcoal and fuelwood collection are considered a key driver of deforestation as it used for most of the population’s energy needs, it said. Together with illegal logging, it contributes to climate change domestically and in the region as a whole, according to environmental experts.