The Conservation International (CI) program in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) submitted the attached policy brief as a component of ABCG efforts to assess the best way to engage the mining sector in DRC and to ensure that biodiversity and forest are not sacrificed in the scramble for Africa’s mineral resources. Outcomes include reducing mining activities in protected areas, addressing factors of deforestation, mitigating the threat of violent conflict and building peace.

In January 2013, the President of the Democratic of Congo (DRC) Joseph Kabila and Prime Minister Matata Mponyo recommended a revision of the country’s Mining Code in order to integrate provisions that safeguard ecosystem conservation. This created some concern in the conservation community in part due to mining contracts awarded to foreign companies, particularly Chinese companies, whose exploitation could potentially threaten the conservation of biodiversity.