Hope and Change are Far from Reality for Congolese and a Threatened Environment

This December 2008 briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the intersection of the humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the ecological degradation of Virunga National Park. The author argues that the park's natural resources are being exploited to fund ongoing conflict and that environmental governance must be integrated into any sustainable peace agreement to ensure long-term regional recovery.

• The eastern province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing an intensified humanitarian crisis characterized by the failure of a late October ceasefire, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, and protests against the UN mission MONUC for failing to ensure local safety.
• Virunga National Park is a globally significant biodiversity hotspot and Africa's oldest and most diverse park, supporting over 3 million Congolese people through its fisheries, watershed, and energy sources. It is home to the critically endangered mountain gorilla and holds African records for mammal (nearly 220) and bird (over 700) species.
• Two decades of conflict have led to the exploitation of park resources to finance violence, specifically through an illegal charcoal trade estimated at $30 million per year. This trade has resulted in the clearing of up to 25 per cent of old-growth hardwood forest in the park's southern half and the 2007 killing of 10 mountain gorillas to intimidate conservationists.
• Environmental governance in the region has been eroded by nearly 20 years of conflict and corruption, leaving the Congolese wildlife authority ill-equipped. This is evidenced by the deaths of 120 park rangers on duty and a reduction in conservation budgets as international resources are diverted to the humanitarian crisis.
• The conflict in the region since August 1998 has been deadlier than any since 1945, with the International Rescue Committee reporting more than 5.4 million deaths, the majority of whom were civilians and nearly half of whom were children.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Hope and Change are Far from Reality for Congolese and a Threatened Environment. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_hope_change.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Hope and Change are Far from Reality for Congolese and a Threatened Environment. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_hope_change.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Hope and Change are Far from Reality for Congolese and a Threatened Environment |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_hope_change.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndhope, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Hope and Change are Far from Reality for Congolese and a Threatened Environment}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_hope_change.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }