With 18% of the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in the largest tropical forests facing threats from looming oil and gas expansion, there is a closing window of opportunity to mobilize around nature as a climate solution
November 20 (Baku, Azerbaijan) — As world leaders turn their attention to nature and biodiversity, Indigenous peoples, gender equality, and oceans and coastal zones tomorrow for a dedicated “Nature Day” at COP29, Indigenous and civil society leaders are sounding the alarm calling on negotiators to urgently protect biodiversity treasure chests in the Congo Basin, the Amazon Basin and South East Asia.
New research shows that in the Amazon and Congo basins as well as Southeast Asia, 18% of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) by area are overlapped with active and potential oil and gas and mining concessions, which also cover 180 million hectares of high-integrity forests.
“Fossil fuel expansion shouldn’t be happening anywhere, but the last place it should be happening is in the largest tropical rainforests in the world,” said Florencia Librizzi, Program Director, Earth Insight.
Coming on the heels of a nature-focused COP in Cali, and now in the midst of a climate COP in Baku, today’s call to action is based on findings highlighted in a newly released report, “Closing Window of Opportunity: Mapping Threats from Oil, Gas and Mining to Important Areas for Conservation in the Pantropics,” which paints a stark picture of the escalating risks to both ecological integrity and the livelihoods of Indigenous communities, whose stewardship of lands and waters across the pantropics spans millennia. The report is co-published by Earth Insight, the International Indigenous Forum for Biodiversity, Campaign for Nature, World Commission on Protected Areas, and others.
Commonly referred to as “Africa’s lungs,” the Congo Basin is the world’s largest carbon sink. According to this report, oil and gas blocks overlap with 40% of KBAs by area in the Congo Basin. In the Amazon Basin, over 30 million hectares of Indigenous Territories overlap with oil and gas concessions, with several case studies in the report also showing extractive expansion threats to Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation. In Southeast Asia, 14% of KBAs by area are overlapped by oil and gas blocks.
“There is an urgent need to address the nature and climate crises and expanding respect for and recognition of Indigenous people’s rights and territories is essential to this global goal,” said Jennifer Corpuz, International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity. “Indigenous peoples must have a seat at the table and access to financial solutions and direct and increased access to biodiversity and climate finance when it comes to priorities related to nature and climate change.”
“It is critical for world leaders to protect nature for climate stability and also to sustain the livelihoods and cultures of Indigenous people and local communities,” said Harrison Nnoko, Director of AJESH and Advisory Board member of Earth Insight. “During COP 29, we are trying to draw attention to the fact that nearly 20% of Key Biodiversity Areas in the Congo and Amazon basins and Southeast Asia are at risk from oil and gas and industrial expansion. Put simply, this is endangering our shared future and there is a closing window of opportunity to act and ensure these critical regions are free from fossil fuel and industrial development,”
Experts are calling on negotiators to seize the momentum from COP16 in Cali, and use this moment at COP29 to bridge the gap between nature and climate goals. This is especially pertinent at the present moment given that in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the licensing round for 27 oil blocks was recently canceled, and will likely be opened again for auction in the coming months. New analysis (see map infographic here) of the DRC blocks that were up for auction shows that over 11 million hectares of tropical forests as well as more than 4 million hectares of Key Biodiversity Areas are also overlapping within these oil blocks. A new campaign called Our Land Without Oil has recently emerged from a civil society coalition who have issued a declaration that is calling for these oil concessions to be permanently removed and not re-auctioned.
“We welcome the government's decision to cancel 27 oil blocks in the DRC temporarily. However, we believe that the idea of launching new calls for tenders for the exploitation of oil blocks will only increase the risk of destroying Key Biodiversity Areas and the land of local communities in the Congo Basin,” said Emmanuel Musuyu, Technical Secretary of CORAP. “There is a great opportunity for the DRC to position itself as a world leader in renewable energy and to chart a path forward that is in line with the global imperative to end fossil fuel expansion.”
Similarly in the Amazon region, Colombia’s President Petro’s commitment to cease oil and gas expansion during COP 28 has recently been analyzed to reveal just what is at stake for nature if the commitment is made permanent. In total, 64 million hectares or 52% of oil and gas blocks are still unassigned and if these blocks are permanently removed, it will represent a truly historic step for the protection of nature and indigenous territories. See map infographic here.
“It is alarming to see the huge threats that some of the most important places on the planet are facing,” said Brian O’Donnell, Director, Campaign for Nature. “Expansion of industrial activity is poised to damage and degrade rainforests, wetlands, grasslands and savannahs that harbor critically important species and are vital for climate stability. The window is indeed closing to ensure that ecosystem integrity and the rights and territories of Indigenous peoples and local communities are upheld and expanded. Ensuring that financial commitments for protecting and restoring nature are met by 2025 and that new solutions are supported and urgently resourced is essential.”
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Media Contact:
Ziona Eyob, Communications Advisor, Earth Insight, press@earth-insight.org
Background
Addressing the biodiversity crisis is at the forefront of the climate crisis, but these two sides of the same coin are often decoupled in mainstream narratives. The pantropics not only harbor immense biodiversity but also serve as vital carbon sinks, regulating the global climate. Industrial activity in these regions threatens to push fragile ecosystems past tipping points, with potentially irreversible consequences for both nature and human populations.
This report, cited in today’s call press conference, calls for urgent and coordinated global action to bridge the gap between conservation commitments and the realities of industrial-scale exploitation of natural resources. Key recommendations include:
- Expand the global network of protected and conserved areas and restrict industrial expansion in these areas: Immediate efforts are required to designate new protected areas, prioritizing regions of high biodiversity, cultural, and ecological significance and to protect these areas from industrial activity
- Respect Indigenous sovereignty and provide sufficient resources for Indigenous-led conservation: Provide Indigenous peoples with the necessary financial, technical, and political resources to exercise governance over their territories while fully recognizing and respecting their sovereignty.
Increase funding for nature conservation: Mobilize and increase funding for conservation at both national and international levels.