TOTAL SYSTEMS FAILURE EXPOSING THE GLOBAL SECRECY DESTROYING FORESTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Global Witness reveals that Norsudtimber, the DRC's largest logging company, is operating illegally on 90% of its sites, breaching the DRC Forest Code through a lack of management plans and logging outside authorized perimeters. The report highlights how the DRC government is complicit in this illegality, while international donors from France, Germany, and Norway continue to support industrial logging under the flawed theory of 'sustainable forest management' (SFM). Norsudtimber uses a complex web of shell companies in Liechtenstein, Hong Kong, and Dubai to obscure its beneficial owners and trade timber to markets in China, Vietnam, and Europe. The investigation finds that SFM is scientifically unsound for the Congo Basin, as tree species take 100-230 years to mature, far exceeding the 25-year rotation cycle. Furthermore, the report documents negligible development benefits for local communities and significant carbon emissions resulting from forest degradation.

• Norsudtimber is the largest logging company in the DRC by surface area, controlling over 40,000km2 of concessions and nearly 60% of the country's international timber trade in 2017.
• Approximately 90% of Norsudtimber's concessions are operating illegally, primarily due to the failure to implement required 25-year management plans and evidence of logging outside authorized perimeters.
• The DRC government is complicit in illegal logging by ignoring the Forest Code and attempting to lift the moratorium on new industrial logging concessions.
• Norsudtimber utilizes a secretive corporate structure involving shell companies in Liechtenstein, Hong Kong, and Dubai to hide beneficial owners and potentially avoid taxes or facilitate corruption.
• Between 2013 and 2017, 78% of Norsudtimber's timber exports were destined for China or Vietnam, while Europe accounted for approximately 11%, mostly going to France and Portugal.
• The theory of 'sustainable forest management' (SFM) is scientifically flawed in the Congo Basin because the 25-year rotation cycle is insufficient for tree regeneration; some species take 100 to 230 years to reach minimum felling diameter.
• Development funds for local communities provided by Norsudtimber are negligible, ranging from only US$1.49 to US$4.79 per inhabitant per year.
• Nearly half of Norsudtimber's concessions, covering over 20,000km2, are located in intact forest landscapes (IFLs), and the company has begun operating in six of these since 2014.
• Industrial logging threatens endangered mammal species, including chimpanzees and bonobos, as logging roads provide hunters with rapid access to previously inaccessible forests.
• International donors, including the governments of France, Germany, and Norway, have provided or planned €28.3 million between 2011 and 2022 to promote industrial logging under SFM principles.
• The DRC logging sector provides very low fiscal returns, generating only US$8.3 million annually, which is significantly less than the US$1.36 billion lost through shady mining deals.

APA

Global Witness (2018). TOTAL SYSTEMS FAILURE EXPOSING THE GLOBAL SECRECY DESTROYING FORESTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. https://globalwitness.org/documents/121/Total_Systems_Failure_-_Exposing_the_global_secrecy_destroying_forests_in_DRC.pdf

Chicago

Global Witness. TOTAL SYSTEMS FAILURE EXPOSING THE GLOBAL SECRECY DESTROYING FORESTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. 2018. https://globalwitness.org/documents/121/Total_Systems_Failure_-_Exposing_the_global_secrecy_destroying_forests_in_DRC.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=TOTAL SYSTEMS FAILURE EXPOSING THE GLOBAL SECRECY DESTROYING FORESTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO |date=2018 |url=https://globalwitness.org/documents/121/Total_Systems_Failure_-_Exposing_the_global_secrecy_destroying_forests_in_DRC.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitness2018total, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{TOTAL SYSTEMS FAILURE EXPOSING THE GLOBAL SECRECY DESTROYING FORESTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO}}, institution = {Global Witness}, year = {2018}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/documents/121/Total_Systems_Failure_-_Exposing_the_global_secrecy_destroying_forests_in_DRC.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }