Opportunities and Potential for Sustainable Development in the Congo Basin from an Environmental Sustainability Perspective

Danae Maniatis and Kathryn Jeffery ()
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Danae Maniatis: SoGE - School of Geography and the Environment [Oxford] - University of Oxford
Kathryn Jeffery: University of Stirling, UMR AMAP - Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des Végétations - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - IRD [Occitanie] - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier

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Abstract: The Congo Basin, comprising the world's second-largest tropical rainforest, presents both critical environmental challenges and unique opportunities for sustainable development. This chapter evaluates key pathways for environmentally sustainable development in the region, with an emphasis on extractive industries, renewable energy, agroforestry, biodiversity conservation, ecotourism, and climate and carbon finance. Using regional indicators such as the Fragile States Index (FSI), Human Development Index (HDI), and Environmental Performance Index (EPI), the authors highlight the structural barriers—including weak governance, institutional fragility, and extreme poverty—that constrain the region's development trajectory. Despite these challenges, the Basin's ecological wealth offers potential for transformative interventions. Strategies such as Reduced-Impact Logging for Climate (RIL-C), sustainable mining practices, decentralized renewable energy systems, and integrated agroforestry models are analyzed for their capacity to reduce emissions, protect biodiversity, and enhance local livelihoods. The chapter further explores the potential of REDD+ and emerging carbon market frameworks to finance conservation and climate mitigation efforts. Emphasizing the role of participatory governance, indigenous knowledge systems, and scientific innovation, the chapter underscores the necessity of context-specific, cross-sectoral approaches to operationalize sustainability in one of the planet's most ecologically and geopolitically complex regions.

Keywords: Reduced-impact logging; Sustainable development; Congo Basin forests; Environmental policy and governance; Climate and carbon finance; Agroforestry systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-env and nep-min
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Published in Bila-Isia Inogwabini,; Bonaventure Sonke; Lydie-Stella Koutika; Lee JT White. Resilience and Sustainability in the Congo Basin, Springer Nature Switzerland, pp.1-31, 2026, 978-3-032-02023-9. ⟨10.1007/978-3-032-02023-9_23-1⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05572636

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-02023-9_23-1

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