As a consequence of the Rwandangenocide, several wars occurred in DRCongo since 1994. A great mass ofpeople was forced to find refuge in theforest. To survive they had no otheroption as cutting trees for firewood andeating bushmeat. Paradoxically it waswar that protected forest fromlumbering. When a semblance ofpeace came back, forestry startedagain, worse then before, and peoplecontinues to cut tree for their needs.

Congo - The African forest, an endangered heritage.A Photo story by ©Patrick Landmann/LightMediation

Contact - Thierry Tinacci - LightMediation Photo Agency +33 (0)6 61 80 57 21 thierry@lightmediation.com

2338-37: From the forest remains nothing more that stumps. As everywhere else in DRC the population cut down trees, to manufacture charcoal or cooked bricks among other things./// De la forêt, il ne reste plus que lessouches. Comme partout ailleurs en RDC la population coupe les arbres, entre autres, pour fabriquer du charbon de bois ou des briques cuites. Sous les gros tas de terre, des arbres de vingt mètre se consument. Les

sacs de charbon de bois seront vendus aux citadins, régulièrement privés d'électricités, comme combustibles pour la cuisine. Village au PK12, Province Orientale, République Démocratique du Congo.

2338-01: Estimated at a hundred years on average, these trees, often noble species (sapelli, frake, limbali,okoume, tiama, afromosia, moabi, etc) are cut down in a few minutes./// Estimé en moyenne à une

2338-02: Estimated at a hundred years on average, these trees, often noble species (sapelli, frake,limbali, okoume, tiama, afromosia, moabi, etc...) are cut down in a few minutes.///Estimé en moyenne à

2338-03: The tree while falling, wounds crashes down and flattens a certain number of small trees locatedin its direction of fall. It is to say that at long-term a modification of the cover occurs compared to the initial

2338-04: The trees on the ground, employees of an industrial exploitation check the wood by inspectingthe stump.///L'arbre au sol, des employés d'une exploitation industrielle vérifient le bon état du bois en

2338-05: Branches are removed from the cut tree and the trunk is cut into two to allow the evacuation.These operations are called logging and hauling./// L'arbre au sol, des employés d'une exploitation

2338-06: The trunk extraction consists in hauling cut down trees towards a trail or a provisional unloadingpoint. The damage which results from it is often more important than the cut itself./// Le débardage est une

2338-07: The trunk extraction consists in hauling cut down trees towards a trail or a provisional unloadingpoint. The damage which results from it is often more important than the cut itself./// Le débardage est

2338-08: The trunk extraction consists in hauling cut down trees towards a trail or a provisional unloadingpoint. The damage which results from it is often more important than the cut itself./// Le débardage est une

2338-18: A tugboat tows several hundreds of trees bound by a cable. Villagers set up makeshift tents with goods and pets./// Plusieurs centaines d'arbres liés par un câble sont tractés par un pousseur. Le voyage depuisle petit port de Mbandaka jusqu'à Kinshasa va durer deux à trois semaines. Des villageois ont installé des tentes de fortune emportant marchandises et animaux domestiques. Les nombreux sacs remplis de charbon de

bois sont destinés aux habitants de la capitale. Port de Mbandaka, Equateur, République Démocratique du Congo.

2338-09: The tractor opens a trail 4 to 5 meters wide and get deeply into the forest to haul the trunk atground. These are as much entries, which are then a direct and indirect cause of deforestation because

2338-10: Unloading point close to the village of Leyda, along the Bikoro road///Parc à grumes de Ledyasur la route de Bikoro (Equateur).

2338-11: The ceaseless passages of the forestry machines destroy the traditional trails once maintainedby the villagers. Their way of life is disturbed and the social cohesion is broken up./// L'ouverture des

2338-12: The ceaseless passages of the forestry machines destroy the traditional trails once maintainedby the villagers. Their way of life is disturbed and the social cohesion is broken up./// L'ouverture des

2338-13: The ceaseless passages of the forestry machines destroy the traditional trails once maintainedby the villagers. Their way of life is disturbed and the social cohesion is broken up./// L'ouverture des

2338-14: Within the concessions, kilometres of tracks are made for the exploitation, an entanglement oftrees rotted little by little on both sides./// Dans les concessions, de part et d'autre des kilomètres de pistes

2338-15: Within the concessions, kilometres of tracks are made for the exploitation, an entanglement oftrees rotted little by little on both sides./// A quelque pas du port de Kisangani, la place du marché en plein

2338-16: Trunks waiting to be loaded.///Des grumes en attente de chargement. Port de Kisangani,Equateur, République Démocratique du Congo.

2338-26: Congolese incinerates plots of forests to cultivate the soil. They start close to the villages, then progress farther year by year, as the ground become exhausted after one year./// Les Congolais incinèrent desparcelles forêts pour pouvoir cultiver la terre. Ils commencent au plus près des villages, puis progressent d'année en année, au gré de l'épuisement du sol. Yabogengo, Province Orientale, République Démocratique du

Congo.

2338-17: A tugboat tows several hundreds of trees bound by a cable. Villagers set up makeshift tents withgoods and pets./// Plusieurs centaines d'arbres liés par un câble sont tractés par un pousseur. Le voyage

2338-18: A tugboat tows several hundreds of trees bound by a cable. Villagers set up makeshift tents withgoods and pets./// Plusieurs centaines d'arbres liés par un câble sont tractés par un pousseur. Le voyage

2338-19: A tugboat tows several hundreds of trees bound by a cable. Villagers set up makeshift tents withgoods and pets./// Plusieurs centaines d'arbres liés par un câble sont tractés par un pousseur. Le voyage

2338-20: A tugboat tows several hundreds of trees bound by a cable. Villagers set up makeshift tents withgoods and pets./// Plusieurs centaines d'arbres liés par un câble sont tractés par un pousseur. Le voyage

2338-21: A tugboat tows several hundreds of trees bound by a cable. Villagers set up makeshift tents withgoods and pets./// Plusieurs centaines d'arbres liés par un câble sont tractés par un pousseur. Le voyage

2338-22: The trees are located by GPS. A team provided with a powerful chain saw go deep into theforest to find it taking a trail made by a tractor./// Les arbres sont repérés au GPS. Une équipe munie

2338-23: Congolese incinerates plots of forests to cultivate the soil. They start close to the villages, thenprogress farther year by year, as the ground become exhausted after one year./// Les nombreuses pistes

2338-24: Congolese incinerates plots of forests to cultivate the soil. They start close to the villages, thenprogress farther year by year, as the ground become exhausted after one year./// Les Congolais incinèrent

2338-31: The woodcutter to made boards from a trunk uses traditional methods. After having hoisted the trunk on a platform, pit sawyer will spend days to come to end./// Bûcherons qui transforment artisanalement destroncs en planches. Après avoir hissé la grume sur une estrade, ces scieurs de long mettront des jours pour en venir à bout. Ils vendront les planches dans les grandes villes pour 4000 francs congolais, soit 5 euros. Une

autre cause de déforestation est la consommation de vin de palme. La récolte se fait plusieurs fois par jour en incisant la feuille, mais cela épuise et fragilise l'arbre ou la sève est directement extraite d'un arbre abatturégulièrement retaillé. Yembé, Equateur, République Démocratique du Congo.

2338-25: Congolese incinerates plots of forests to cultivate the soil. They start close to the villages, thenprogress farther year by year, as the ground become exhausted after one year./// Les Congolais incinèrent

2338-26: Congolese incinerates plots of forests to cultivate the soil. They start close to the villages, thenprogress farther year by year, as the ground become exhausted after one year./// Les Congolais

2338-27: Congolese incinerates plots of forests to cultivate the soil. They start close to the villages, thenprogress farther year by year, as the ground become exhausted after one year./// Les Congolais

2338-28: In the early hours along the road to Bikoro./// Au petit matin, sur la route de Bikoro. Equateur,République Démocratique du Congo.

2338-29: The demand for timber soars with the population growth. This woodcutter will spend 30 minutesto cut this tree 60 cm in diameter. Helped by the villagers, they will transform it into boards./// La demande

2338-30: The woodcutter to made boards from a trunk uses traditional methods. After having hoisted thetrunk on a platform, pit sawyer will spend days to come to end./// Bûcherons qui transforment

2338-31: The woodcutter to made boards from a trunk uses traditional methods. After having hoisted thetrunk on a platform, pit sawyer will spend days to come to end./// Bûcherons qui transforment

2338-32: The woodcutter to made boards from a trunk uses traditional methods. After having hoisted thetrunk on a platform, pit sawyer will spend days to come to end./// Bûcherons qui transforment

2338-35: From the forest remains nothing more that stumps. As everywhere else in DRC the population cut down trees, to manufacture charcoal or cooked bricks among other things./// De la forêt, il ne reste plus que lessouches. Comme partout ailleurs en RDC la population coupe les arbres, entre autres, pour fabriquer du charbon de bois ou des briques cuites. Sous les gros tas de terre, des arbres de vingt mètre se consument. Les

sacs de charbon de bois seront vendus aux citadins, régulièrement privés d'électricités, comme combustibles pour la cuisine. Village au PK12, Province Orientale, République Démocratique du Congo.

2338-33: The chief of the village of Yembe./// Le chef du village de Yembé. Equateur, RépubliqueDémocratique du Congo.

2338-34: The chief of the village of Yembe. Le chef du village de Yembé. Equateur, RépubliqueDémocratique du Congo.

2338-35: From the forest remains nothing more that stumps. As everywhere else in DRC the populationcut down trees, to manufacture charcoal or cooked bricks among other things./// De la forêt, il ne reste

2338-36: From the forest remains nothing more that stumps. As everywhere else in DRC the populationcut down trees, to manufacture charcoal or cooked bricks among other things./// De la forêt, il ne reste

2338-37: From the forest remains nothing more that stumps. As everywhere else in DRC the populationcut down trees, to manufacture charcoal or cooked bricks among other things./// De la forêt, il ne reste

2338-38: At the market of Mbandaka, tons of firewood are on sale twice a week. One finds there alsocharcoal and boards for construction. All this wood comes from illegal cut./// Au marché de Mbandaka,

2338-39: At the market of Mbandaka, tons of firewood are on sale twice a week. One finds there alsocharcoal and boards for construction. All this wood comes from illegal cut./// Au marché de Mbandaka,

2338-40: At the market of Mbandaka, tons of firewood are on sale twice a week. One finds there alsocharcoal and boards for construction. All this wood comes from illegal cut./// Au marché de Mbandaka, des

2338-39: At the market of Mbandaka, tons of firewood are on sale twice a week. One finds there also charcoal and boards for construction. All this wood comes from illegal cut./// Au marché de Mbandaka, des tonnes debois de chauffe sont en vente deux fois par semaine. On y trouve aussi du charbon de bois et des planches pour la construction. L'ensemble de ce bois provient de coupe illégale. Mbandaka, Equateur, République

Démocratique du Congo.

2338-53: Not very far from the port of Kinshasa, a boat cemetery./// Non loin du port de Kinshasa, uncimetière pour navires. République Démocratique du Congo.

2338-42: Firewood is used as an energy source in the private household for cooking, lighting andheating./// Le bois est utilisé par les ménages pour la cuisine, comme source lumineuse et pour se

2338-43: Close to the reserve of Mabali, men carve a pirogue. In the absence of roads, one moves muchon water./// Près de la réserve de Mabali, des hommes sculptent une pirogue. En l'absence de route, on

2338-44: The beetle larvae are an important source of proteins./// Les larves de coléoptères sont unesource importante de protéines. La récolte se fait en coupant un palmier et en le laissant pourrir à terre.

2338-45: Every kind of bushmeat is sold at the market, antelopes, on a spit, smoked or whole monkeys,rats of Gambia, wild boars, tortoises, crocodiles and even elephant./// Marché de Mbandaka. L'élevage est

2338-46: Every kind of bushmeat is sold at the market, antelopes, on a spit, smoked or whole monkeys,rats of Gambia, wild boars, tortoises, crocodiles and even elephant./// Marché de Mbandaka. L'élevage est

2338-47: Every kind of bushmeat is sold at the market, antelopes, on a spit, smoked or whole monkeys,rats of Gambia, wild boars, tortoises, crocodiles and even elephant./// Marché de Mbandaka. L'élevage

2338-48: Every kind of bushmeat is sold at the market, antelopes, on a spit, smoked or whole monkeys,rats of Gambia, wild boars, tortoises, crocodiles and even elephant./// Marché de Mbandaka. L'élevage est

2338-41: A woman, back from the forest in a street of Mbandaka./// Une femme de retour de forêt dans une rue de Mbandaka. Les arbres sont une source vitale pour le bois de chauffe. Mais son utilisation massiveprovoque la fragmentation des forêts et à terme modifie profondément le milieu qui risque de se transformer en savane. Mbandaka, Equateur, République Démocratique du Congo.

2338-49: ONGs promote farming methods much more respectful for the environment. To try to reverse thetendency, NGO WWF suggested cultivating rice in the marshy zones than on a plot of burned forest.///

2338-50: Aerial view of the Congo River./// Vue aérienne du fleuve Congo. Equateur, RépubliqueDémocratique du Congo.

2338-51: Boatmen on the Congo River. For lack of road infrastructure, it is the most important means oftransport in the DRC./// Piroguiers sur le fleuve Congo. Faute d'infrastructure routière, il est le plus

2338-52: Boatmen on the Congo River. For lack of road infrastructure, it is the most important means oftransport in the DRC./// Piroguiers sur le fleuve Congo. Faute d'infrastructure routière, il est le plus

2338-06: The trunk extraction consists in hauling cut down trees towards a trail or a provisional unloading point. The damage which results from it is often more important than the cut itself./// Le débardage est unetechnique de sylviculture qui consiste à transporter des arbres abattus de leur lieu de coupe vers une route ou un lieu de dépôt provisoire. Les dégâts qui en résultent sont souvent plus importants que la coupe

elle-même. Les engins d'exploitation ouvrent des layons de 4 à 5 mètres de larges et pénètrent profondément dans la forêt pour aller tirer le tronc à terre. Ce sont ces ouvertures qui sont ensuite une cause importante dedéforestation directe car elles favorisent la pénétration des agriculteurs et des braconniers. Kayate, Province Orientale, République Démocratique du Congo.

The Africanforest, anendangeredheritage.

The hands of the young black driver aretightened on the wheel of thatbroken-down old car while listeningattentively the comments of the whitesupervisor. The red literate trail wounds itsway through a dense forest. It's a longtime ago that the shock absorbers wereworking of this out of age vehicle.Countless of potholes shake so much theworkers inside and those on top of thepickup that they are just unable to speak.They are trying to hold themselvessomewhere, but it's waste of effort. Lots ofentangled dead trees are lying down anddry out on each side of the trail. After acouple of hours trip deep in the forest, thecar is stopping on a huge open space.The place is muddy. Heavy lorries carryingtrunks have dug out lots of ruts. Thetractor in progress to haul a cut tree ismoving hardly. Tens of sapelli, limbali,okoumé, tiama, afromosia, and moabitrunks are waiting to be transported to thesawmill or to the nearest port. Most ofthem to supply the European market.

This concession run by one of the twentyEuropean companies that operate inDemocratic Republic of Congo is locatedin the Kisangani-Isangi-Ubundu triangle.The spot looks devastated and somenarrow forest tracks disappear into theforest. NGO's often point an accusingfinger at the foresters for the damages

they cause sometimes just to haul onetrunk. In 2006, production in DRC rises upto 300,000 m3 and soars from that timeforward since war is over, according to theFIB (Fédération des Industriels du Bois).However, listening experts, exploitationrepresents only 1% of deforestation. It'snot much, indeed, but, taking the mostvaluable species creates a poor forest andat the end a modification of the coveroccurs and consequently a pressure to thebiodiversity.

PK 12 is the name of the village twelvekilometers far from Kisangani. The villageis well known because most of theirhabitant work on charcoal production.Several groups of young strong menshare the forest around. A large surface isclear of trees, just remain the stumps. Theground is black and the air smells ofsomething burning. The place looks like itwas bombed. Under large ground heaps,trees of twenty meters burn slowly tobecome charcoal. No more animalsaround since a long time. Any soundscould be heard. From the forest remainjust nice memories now, even though. Thepeople living here have no conscious ofthe damage they cause. For them, theforest is without end. The villagers earngood money. The production of charcoalis not ready to stop. One heap produces40 bags that would be sold to the urbanpeople as fuel for cooking. It's brings in200 US $, it's extremely high in DRCwhere most of the people live with less as2 US $ a day. But this is not the onlyplague. Millions of people cut trees, theones to make slash-and-burn agricultureor cooked bricks, the others to producetimber or furniture. Who cares in thatcountry on the verge of bankruptcy.

Of over 2.345.000 km2 of surface land,

1.352.000 are naturally forested, whichrepresents 47% of all African forest. It'sthe second largest after the Amazonianforest. DRC's one hold between 25 and 30billion tons of carbon dioxide, 8% of globalcarbon stores, according to Greenpeace,the equivalent of about four years ofglobal emissions and represents the fifthnation considering biodiversity. A miserypopulation, which is estimated at 66millions in 2008, a demographic growth of3,2% per year, and 90% of unemploymentplace this country to the top regardingbushmeat consumption namely 1 milliontons each year. The "bushmeat crisis" hasemerged in the DRC mainly as a result ofthe poor living conditions of the peoplecombined with deplorable economicconditions. It has forced many Congoleseto become dependent on bushmeat, eitheras a means of acquiring income (huntingthe meat and selling), or are dependent onit for food. The hunting dates (August toDecember) are not respected and thetrails used for exploitation built by theforesters allow the poachers an easyaccess into the forest. Because ofdeforestation and poaching, certain animalspecies living in the Democratic Republicof Congo are now down to a fewindividuals. However, every kind ofbushmeat is sold at the markets acrossthe country, antelopes, smoked monkeyson a spit or whole, rats of Gambia, wildboars, tortoises, crocodiles and evenelephant. The forest becomes slowly clearof trees: that is the "syndrome of theempty forest" and also get scarce of itsanimals: it is the "syndrome of the silentforest".

The Main causes of deforestation areuncontrolled industrial logging, palm oil,charcoal and cooked bricks production,poaching and bushmeat trade, ivory trade,clandestine gold, diamond and coltan

mining, onshore oil and gas explorationand exploitation, urbanization anddemographic growth, roads and trailsconstruction, persistence of conflicts,slash-and-burn agriculture, corruption andbad governance. In addition, lack ofeducation and misery draw a very blackpicture of the situation. Some NGOs likeWWF and international organizations suchas the FAO and the World Bank Group tryto help. WWF promote farming methodsmuch more respectful for the environment.To try to reverse the tendency, the NGOsuggested cultivating rice in the marshyzones than on a plot of burned forest.There, the ground is much richer, it willproduce during 5 years and harvests willbe ten times higher than those obtainedby slash-and-burn agriculture. Butbreaking habit is not an easy job.

The forestry companies have to pay thetaxes according to the volume of cut trees.Corruption is a plague that has to stop.Before all, it's the leaders at everygovernment's level to set an example ofhonesty. The country is rich in ore, it haswildlife, interesting for tourism, and it hasmuch possibility to develop its economywithout threatening nature. Congoleseought to think that at the end the best wayto catch a better life is to protect forestand not to destroy the big green ocean.The future is in the Congolese hands.

Captions

1 and 2)Estimated at a hundred years on average,these trees, often noble species (sapelli,fraké, limbali, okoumé, tiama, afromosia,moabi, etc...) are cut down in a fewminutes by the employees of the woodindustry. They will be transformed intoplywood, boards, veneer, rafters, and slatsor will be conveyed in rough trunks, mainlyfor the European market.Kayate, Oriental Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

3)The tree while falling, wounds crashesdown and flattens a certain number ofsmall trees located in its direction of fall.One observes also breakings andwindfalls, which are primarily caused bythe crushing of the tree crown on theground, the trunk slipping on young grows.A part only of the crown creates an openspace thus a new type of vegetation. It isto say that at long-term a modification ofthe cover occurs compared to the initialforest.Kayate, Oriental Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

4)The trees on the ground, employees of anindustrial exploitation check the wood byinspecting the stump.Kayate, Oriental Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

5)Branches are removed from the cut treeand the trunk is cut into two to allow theevacuation. These operations are calledlogging and hauling.Kayate, Oriental Province, Democratic

Republic of Congo.

6 to 9)The trunk extraction consists in hauling cutdown trees towards a trail or a provisionalunloading point. The damage whichresults from it is often more important thanthe cut itself. The tractor opens a trail 4 to5 meters wide and get deeply into theforest to haul the trunk at ground. Theseare as much entries, which are then adirect and indirect cause of deforestationbecause farmers and the poachers usethem afterwards.Kayate, Oriental Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

10)Unloading point close to the village ofLeyda, along the Bikoro road (EquateurProvince), Democratic Republic of Congo.

11 to 13)The trails made for forest exploitation-sometimes more then hundreds ofkilometres- involves a dramatic rise ofpoaching since the hunters have access inthe forest. Moreover, the trucks, whichtransport the trunks, make it possible toevacuate the bush meat towards thecities. However, in tropical forest, thedissemination or the pollination of manytrees depends on the animals (zoochorie)and in particular on the large fauna. Theceaseless passages of the forestrymachines destroy the traditional trailsonce maintained by the villagers. Theirway of life is disturbed and the socialcohesion is broken up.Kayate, Oriental Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

14)Within the concessions, kilometres oftracks are made for the exploitation, an

entanglement of trees rotted little by littleon both sides.Kayate, Oriental Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

15)At a short distance from the Kisanganiport, the open-air market is little by littleused as an unloading point, to the greatdispleasure of the villagers.Kisangani port, Equateur Province,Democratic Republic of Congo.

16)Trunks waiting to be loaded.Kisangani port, Equateur Province,Democratic Republic of Congo.

17 to 21)A tugboat tows several hundreds of treesbound by a cable. The trip since the smallport of Mbandaka until Kinshasa will lasttwo to three weeks. Villagers set upmakeshift tents with goods and pets. Themany bags filled with charcoal areintended to the inhabitants of the capital.Port of Mbandaka, Equateur Province,Democratic Republic of Congo.

22)The trees are located by GPS. A teamprovided with a powerful chain saw godeep into the forest to find it taking a trailmade by a tractor.Kayate, Oriental Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

23)All trails built for the forestry machines areas much entries deep into the forest. Thevillagers around use the tracks and thedeforested plots to incinerate plots offorest to practise slash-and-burnagriculture.Kayate, Oriental Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

24 to 27)Congolese incinerates plots of forests tocultivate the soil. They start close to thevillages, then progress farther year byyear, as the ground become exhaustedafter one year.Yabogengo, Oriental Province,Democratic Republic of Congo.

28)In the early hours along the road toBikoro.Equateur Province, Democratic Republicof Congo.

29)The demand for timber soars with thepopulation growth. This woodcutter willspend 30 minutes to cut this tree 60 cm indiameter. Helped by the villagers, they willtransform it into boards.Yembé, Equateur Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

30 to 32)The woodcutter to made boards from atrunk uses traditional methods. Afterhaving hoisted the trunk on a platform, pitsawyer will spend days to come to end.They will sell the boards in the big citiesfor 4000 Congolese francs, that is to say 5euros. An other cause of damage to theforest is the consumption of wine palm.Harvest is done several times per day byincising the leaves, but that exhausts andweakens the tree or the sap is directlyextracted from a cut down tree which isre-cut regularly. When it has just beencollected, the wine, actually the sap, issoft and sweetened. The drink isalcoholised quickly by naturalfermentation.Yembé, Equateur Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

33 and 34)The chief of the village of Yembé.Equateur Province, Democratic Republicof Congo

35 to 37)From the forest remains nothing more thatstumps. As everywhere else in DRC thepopulation cut down trees, to manufacturecharcoal or cooked bricks among otherthings. Under large ground heaps, trees oftwenty meters burn slowly to becomecharcoal. The bags will then be sold to theurban people, regularly deprived ofelectricity, as fuel for cooking. Village at the PK12, Oriental Province,Democratic Republic of Congo

38 to 40)At the market of Mbandaka, tons offirewood are on sale twice a week. Onefinds there also charcoal and boards forconstruction. All this wood comes fromillegal cut.Mbandaka, Equateur Province,Democratic Republic of Congo

41)A woman, back from the forest in a streetof Mbandaka. Trees are a vital source offirewood in rural Africa, but cut on a largescale it causes forest fragmentation and atthe end turns forest into savannas.Mbandaka, Equateur Province,Democratic Republic of Congo

42)Firewood is used as an energy source inthe private household for cooking, lightingand heating. Trees are a vital source offirewood in rural Africa, but cut on a largescale it causes forest fragmentation and at

the end turns forest into savannas.Mbandaka, Equateur Province,Democratic Republic of Congo

43)Close to the reserve of Mabali, men carvea pirogue. In the absence of roads, onemoves much on water.Equateur Province, Democratic Republicof Congo

44)The beetle larvae are an important sourceof proteins. Harvest is done while cutting apalm tree and by letting rotting at theground. Very quickly the female lays itseggs in it. Two months after people willtake large larvae.Mbandaka, Equateur Province,Democratic Republic of Congo

45 to 48)Market of Mbandaka. The breeding andfarming is not very developed in DRC. Thebushmeat consumption is estimated atone million tons each year. The huntingdates (August to December) are notrespected and the trails used forexploitation built by the foresters allow thepoachers to go deep into the forest. Everykind of bushmeat is sold at the market,antelopes, on a spit, smoked or wholemonkeys, rats of Gambia, wild boars,tortoises, crocodiles and even elephant.The forest becomes slowly clear of trees:it is the "syndrome of the empty forest"and get scarce of its animals: it is the"syndrome of the silent forest".Mbandaka, Equateur Province,Democratic Republic of Congo

49)ONGs promote farming methods muchmore respectful for the environment. To tryto reverse the tendency, NGO WWFsuggested cultivating rice in the marshy

zones than on a plot of burned forest.There, the ground is much richer, it willproduce during 5 years and harvests willbe ten times higher than those obtainedby slash-and-burn agriculture.Yafunga, Oriental Province, DemocraticRepublic of Congo.

50)Aerial view of the Congo River.Equateur Province, Democratic Republicof Congo

51 and 52)Boatmen on the Congo River. For lack ofroad infrastructure, it is the most importantmeans of transport in the DRC.Equateur Province, Democratic Republicof Congo

53)Not very far from the port of Kinshasa, aboat cemetery.République Démocratique du Congo.