The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the second-largest country in Africa, plays a crucial role in the continent’s nature conservation efforts. Over half of the DRC’s land is covered with dense forests and woodlands, and it boasts significant reserves of copper, gold, coltan, and other minerals.

Despite these abundant natural resources, the DRC remains one of the world’s least developed countries, with a large portion of its population living in poverty. Factors such as systemic corruption and ongoing conflicts impede economic progress and exacerbate pressures on the environment. These challenges lead to unsustainable mining practices, poaching, pollution, deforestation, and soil erosion, all of which threaten the country’s wildlife and habitats.

	Score	Rank	Change
Total Score – NCI 2024	51.31	140	N/A
Land Management	53	93	N/A
Protected Areas (Terrestrial)	51	114	N/A
Ecological Representativeness of Terrestrial Protected Areas	100	1	N/A
Connectedness of Terrestrial Protected Areas	72	21	N/A
Protected Areas (Marine)	1	111	N/A
Pristine Habitat (Converted Land)	100	1	N/A
Sustainable Nitrogen Management (Soil Pollution)	39	87	N/A
Sustainable Pesticide Use	11	128	N/A
Threats to Biodiversity	60	111	N/A
Threatened Species (Terrestrial)	87	87	N/A
Threatened Species (Marine)	32	142	N/A
Threatened Species’ Coverage by Protected Areas	58	161	N/A
Species Coverage by Marine Protected Areas	74	115	N/A
Species with Declining Populations (Terrestrial)	33	66	N/A
Species with Declining Populations (Marine)	0	10	N/A
Depleted Fisheries
Fishery Pressure in the High Seas	100	31	N/A
Invasive Species Pressure	97	65	N/A
Capacity and Governance	63	87	N/A
Total Management Cost	99	35	N/A
Conservation Culturomics	39	113	N/A
Conservation Legislation	42	72	N/A
Ratification of CBD	100	1	N/A
Ratification of CITES	100	1	N/A
Political Stability and Absence of Violence	10	161	N/A
Control of Corruption	20	172	N/A
Government Effectiveness	16	169	N/A
Future Trends	40	104	N/A
Climate Change Mitigation	40	104	N/A

Four pillars elaborated:

Land Management

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) boasts a comprehensive network of protected areas that span about 11% of its national territory, encompassing a variety of conservation zones. This network includes seven national parks, three biosphere reserves, numerous wildlife and nature reserves, including specialized ones for primates, and a scientific reserve. Together, these protected regions play a critical role in conserving the rich biodiversity and natural heritage of the DRC.

Threats to Biodiversity

The Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing severe threats to its biodiversity due to a combination of widespread poverty, recurring conflict, and a heavy reliance on mineral extraction. These pressures manifest in rampant poaching, pollution, deforestation, and soil erosion, all of which jeopardize the survival of wildlife and their habitats. For example, a significant study in 2016 by Fauna & Flora International, alongside the Wildlife Conservation Society, highlighted a shocking 77% decline in the population of Grauer’s gorillas, also known as mountain gorillas, since 1995 due to illegal hunting, civil unrest, and habitat destruction from mining.

Further exacerbating the situation, the main threats in the DRC, such as habitat degradation, uncontrolled fishing, and the introduction of invasive species, have persisted over time. Deforestation is particularly driven by the local dependence on fuelwood, extensive slash-and-burn agriculture, and unchecked mining operations. Additionally, bushmeat hunting is prevalent across the Congo Basin, targeting not only common species like monkeys, duikers, and antelopes but also threatening endangered species like gorillas and bonobos.

Capacity and Governance

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been a pioneer in African nature conservation, starting with the establishment of the Virunga National Park in 1925 and the Rubi-Tele Forest Reserve in 1930. Today, multiple ministries collaborate on biodiversity management, with the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism playing a leading role, supported by the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature. Key legislative measures such as the 2002 Forest Code, Mining Code, and various laws on hunting and nature protection underpin these efforts.

In 2016, the DRC updated its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan to enhance the sustainable management of its forests and biodiversity, focusing on reducing human impacts, utilizing genetic resources sustainably, and restoring ecosystem services. Additionally, in 2018, the DRC signed the Brazzaville declaration to safeguard the Cuvette Centrale region in the Congo Basin, home to the world’s largest tropical peatlands, emphasizing coordinated governmental efforts to protect these vital ecosystems and acknowledging significant scientific contributions to peatland mapping.

Future Trends

In collaboration with the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), the European Union is funding numerous conservation projects across several of DRC’s protected areas with a budget of €140 million provided by the European Development Fund. Key areas benefiting include Virunga, Salonga and Garamba National Parks, the Upemba-Kundelengu complex, and the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve. Half of this funding is allocated for biodiversity preservation, while the other half supports community development surrounding these areas.

For instance, in Virunga, efforts have led to the creation of thousands of jobs and the return of significant numbers of mountain gorillas, elephants, and hippos. In Garamba National Park, the EU’s contributions have included educational and sustainable initiatives like farmer field schools and solar mini-grids, which provide renewable energy to local households, businesses, and public services.

Biodiversity

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is characterized by a vast expanse of tropical rainforest, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world and providing a remarkable diversity of biomes and ecosystems. It holds the status of being the most biologically diverse country in Africa and ranks among the top globally for its variety of animal and plant species, hosting a significant portion of Africa’s tropical forests.

he DRC is a sanctuary for an extensive range of species, including hundreds of mammals, birds, fish, and thousands of plant types. Among these are critically endangered species such as the northern white rhino, mountain gorilla, the endemic okapi, eastern lowland gorilla, and bonobo. A notable percentage of its mammals and plants are endemic, found nowhere else in the world.

In the table below are the number of known species in several main groups, how many of these species are Threatened with extinction, and how many of them are Endemic (unique to DR Congo only):

	Species (World rank)	Threatened	% Threatened	Endemic	% Endemic
Mammals	507 (#8)	32	6.3%	47	9.3%
Birds	1,110 (#10)	42	3.8%	15	1.4%
Reptiles	34 (#138)	9	26.5%	32	94.1%
Amphibians	230 (#17)	11	4.8%	65	28.3%
Fishes	1,552 (#22)	124	8.0%	373	24.0%
Plants	8,641 (#37)	148	1.7%	3	0.0%