DRC Opens 50% of Land to Oil Drilling, Threatening Gorillas & Forests

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has announced plans to open more than half its land—including 306 million acres of intact tropical forest and critical gorilla habitat—to oil and gas drilling. A new report by Earth Insight, titled *Forests to Frontlines: Oil Expansion Threats in the DRC*, warns that the move threatens 64 percent of the country’s pristine forests and could disrupt ecosystems vital to both wildlife and local communities.

The auctioning round includes 52 oil blocks, expanding on three previously awarded concessions. According to the report, the designated areas overlap with 20.5 million acres of protected regions, 21.3 million acres of Key Biodiversity Areas, and 165.1 million acres of intact tropical forests. Additionally, 72 percent of the newly established Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor, a key ecological zone, intersects with these oil blocks, raising concerns about its long-term sustainability.

The DRC is home to some of the world’s most ecologically significant landscapes, including the second-largest tropical rainforest and the Cuvette Centrale peatlands, which store approximately 30 gigatons of carbon. The expansion of oil drilling threatens these carbon sinks, undermining global climate goals while also endangering endangered species such as mountain gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas, and bonobos.

The proposed oil blocks cover an area where roughly 39 million people live, many of whom rely on the forests and rivers for their livelihoods. Critics argue that the move contradicts the government’s stated commitments to environmental protection and sustainable development.

Pascal Mirindi, campaign coordinator for Notre Terre Sans Pétrole, expressed frustration over the government’s decision, stating, “Imagine: 39 million Congolese people… and 64% of our forests could be directly affected by the awarding of these oil blocks. And all this while the government is promoting the Kivu-Kinshasa ecological corridor. Where is the logic? Where is the coherence?”

Environmental groups are calling for the cancellation of the 2025 licensing round and an end to future hydrocarbon expansion. They urge respect for the rights of local and Indigenous communities, greater transparency in decision-making, and alignment of international financing with biodiversity and climate commitments.

Anna Bebbington, a research manager at Earth Insight, warned that oil and gas development in these fragile ecosystems would have severe consequences for biodiversity, land rights, and global climate efforts.

The Earth Insight report is a collaboration between DRC-based civil society groups, including the Coalition des Organisations de la Société Civile pour le Suivi des Reformes et de Action Publique (CORAP) and Our Land Without Oil, alongside Rainforest Foundation UK.

The DRC’s latest oil auction marks a significant expansion of a controversial 2022 initiative, raising concerns about the country’s environmental priorities. Conservationists argue that the decision undermines the DRC’s global commitments to biodiversity protection and climate action while jeopardizing the livelihoods of millions who depend on these ecosystems.