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In the wake of the closing of the world’s largest climate event in Glasgow-Scotland, it is the turn of the Democratic Republic of Congo to organize a universal forum on the Congo Basin. At the initiative of the Innovation Forum, Everland and Wildlife Works, a webinar dubed “Congo Basin: Mai-Ndombe REDD + Project de Wildlife Works Carbon LLC” was held in Kinshasa on Friday December 10th.
The Mai-Ndombe REDD + project of Wildlife Works Carbon LLC is a success story thanks to the creation of the company ERA CONGO in 2011. Era-Congo ensures the implementation of the objectives of the project and smooth working relation with the natives under the leadership of Doctor Jean- Robert Bwangoy, Country Director of Era Congo.
During the webinar, Jean-Robert Bwangoy who gave a detailed account of how Era Congo functions stated: « We are quite satisfied with the results that we have, especially in regard to our main objective, which is to produce the carbon credit and to monetize it for the benefit of our society, the indigenous community and both the central government and the provincial government. The goal is sufficiently achieved because we are the largest company that sold the most carbon credits in the world, in 2011 we produced 2.5 million tons, and 10 million tons from 2013 to 2016 «
That statement from the country director, Jean-Robert Bwangoy went in line with every panelist from Mai-Ndombe lines of thought. Case in point is Madame Basabo Boot’Ombala, Ikita’s pygmy’s village Chief. She asserted: « ERA Congo brought conservation to me and I accepted. Since I accepted, I started regaining everything I had lost. The wildlife that once became scarce is flocking back. In the past, in order to harvest honey, one had to cut down trees. Today, conservation has brought us methods to set up beehives in my backyard. Unlike in the past, I have a school and a borehole. Era-Congo also protects our sacred sites and since then I have managed to recover some lost traditional power. «
In its mission to raise awareness of the conservation of the ecosystem by monetizing the Carbone credit, Era Congo reached the indigenous people of the province of Mai-Ndombe precisely those of Inongo territory by establishing a local development fund that puts remittances from carbon credit to good use as Mr. Bola Bakali Ba Wema, chief of the Lokanga group said: “I thank Era Congo and wish them perpetuity. Era-Congo arrived to educate us about preserving our ecosystem. After consultation with my peers in Sombolo, we finally decided to seal this partnership which is very beneficial to us. The remittance from the sale of carbon credit is used for community development. I can get borehole water a few meters from my house, unlike in the past when we drank lake water. Whenever an epidemic arises around here, Era Congo avails a team of doctors and medicines to us without much ado. The fund also covers costs of funerals and even pays children’s school fees.”
From what we have gathered, a perceptible smooth working relationship defines the partnership between Era-Congo and the indigenous people. Whatch below some of the achievments in the Mai-Ndombe province.
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