ATTACHMENT_18_-_Threats,_Drivers_and_Opportunities_Strengths_in_Conservation_and_Climate_Change.pdf

Attachment 18: Threats, Drivers and Opportunities/Strengths in Conservation and Climate Change

Direct threats Drivers and political economy dimensions

● Overhunting, especially for the commercial bushmeat trade

● Overfishing

● Trafficking in wildlife, timber, minerals

● Agricultural expansion (smallholder and increasingly industrial)

● Deforestation and forest degradation for charcoal and in some areas fuelwood

● Large-scale and artisanal mining

● Commercial and artisanal (illegal) logging

● Uncontrolled forest fires

● Siting, construction, and operation of roads

Governance dimensions

● Collapse or serious weakness of governance

● Unrealistic, ill-conceived and weakly implemented policies and regulations

● Lack of rule of law, impunity of powerful actors

● Rise of criminal elements involved in trafficking

● State agents, especially security agents, cover their salaries through corruption and graft

● Failure to clarify land and resource tenure, which results in de facto open access to resources (e.g., tree resources for charcoal and illegal logging)

Social dimensions

● Weak agency of civil society in effecting change; threats to civil society increasing over the last year

● Lack of local benefit from and buy in to PAs and conservation in general

● Low levels of education

● Unhealthy populations due to poor nutrition, lack of healthcare and exposure to many tropical diseases with possible links to deforestation and environmental degradation

● Gender and ethnic inequalities that result in high levels of vulnerability and marginalization of indigenous people and others

● Outdated extension and development approaches (top-down, lack of economic analysis, not holistic, not practicing adaptive management)

● Lack of national and local attention to environment in media and social fora

Economic dimensions

● Weak engagement of private sector in sustainable development

● Grave poverty, lack of economic options, rural collapse (able-bodied people migrate to cities)

● Reliance on extractive industry--Dutch Disease syndrome (booms and busts in commodity prices destabilize economy and shift it toward rent-seeking)

● Lack of productive investment for example in livestock or other high value assets due to instability, fear of theft and other issues

● Low productivity and profitability of agriculture driving extensification

Security dimensions

● Conflict, internally displaced people and internal migration

Demographics

● Population growth

● In-migration to biologically sensitive areas that can also provoke conflict

● Internally displaced people

Opportunities/Strengths

● Civil society is robust in many places, including media, religious organizations despite threats mentioned above

● Culture (art, music, dance) is a driving force and source of pride in Central African society that can be tapped for conservation and climate change awareness

● Some localities are self-organizing to promote local development

● There is a model of “green growth and stability” around protected areas such as

Virunga

● CARPE and its partners have longstanding ties to institutions and sites, and a long term approach which has developed in-depth experience of the areas and their challenges

● PPPs are in place or being developed for several protected areas covered by CARPE

● The lack of infrastructure and rugged terrain actually limits wholesale conversion to agriculture, logging

● Entrepreneurialism is strong in the local private sector

● Community forestry has potential to put large areas under sustainable management

● REDD+ efforts involve engagement of DRC Government, multilaterals, and donors