Part of the second largest rainforest on the planet, the rainforests of the DRC play a critical role in regulating the global climate and are an essential resources for millions of the country's people. The forests are also critical for biodiversity. In the coming few months the future of 21 million hectares of rainforest will be decided in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The logging industry in the DRC is out of control. It causes social conflicts and contributes to biodiversity loss as new roads open up previously intact forest areas. The carve up of the country's forests by loggers is driving deforestation which in turn contributes to climate change. Logging is not contributing to poverty alleviation at this time, it is simply reinforcing poor governance as revenue intended for local communities disappears before it reaches them. As the major donor to the DRC the World Bank has a critical role to play assisting the country's development. The Bank must therefore work with the Government to ensure that the logging industry is contained and controlled.
