Do you support Oil drilling in Virunga National Park?

the nice thing about national parks here in the states, is that you are able to visit them once, visit again ten later years later and am able to see the same environment un-altered from anything except nature itself. Relatively speaking national parks are not that big land mass wise and are therefore more easily protected. The drilling would provide temporary, probably meager salary (2 dollars a day) for the native people and will most likely be profiting some group of fat-cats in London,NY etc. Virunga national park is a sanctuary to some of the last silver back mountain gorillas in the world only 700 remain world-wide. The ecological diversity, and area of scientific research are much more economically valuable than drilling. And lets remember, if there is a spill it would be harder to clean up given that its in a rain forest environment (vs. a desert, ect. i.e. the u.s. Midwest) and would be absorbed into the soil more easily contaminating the poor, rural people who depend on the water shed for the drinking water the national park supplies. Don't forget what happened in Ecuador 20 years (also jungle environment) which is still being fought in court today.

bkv said:

Congolese people don't eat parks. We don't even know what is in those parks..alors il faut forer partout ou on peut trouver les hydrocarbures. I'm 110% for oil exploration in the virungas whith or without his Excelleny Joseph Kabila.

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M for drilling without Kabila. Becauuse the money will end un Kinshasa and Kigali.

@ Preme.

The Oil wouldn't be exported but domestic market instead. Uganda is already drilling, Tanzania and Kenya are already doing exploration after making some discovies. South Sudan will flood that with more Oil etc...

Reason why we need the drilling is simple.....East Congo must end Oil imports...imagine what would happen if there's an Oil embargo on that part of the country. much worst is the Oil import goes through our enemy territory.

Virunga National park won't replace the Oil imports and the economic and human catastrophes it would. Cause to millions of people.

Moreover the Tourism would depend on Westerners, if they decide to impose embargo on the. Country, would be screwed again......

Sustainable tourism industry is the one that. Depends on own citizens, Congo. Needs a large middle class in order to ha real Tourism. Tourism should be made to accommodate Congolese first, not to please foreigners first.

Importing Oil, Depending on foreign tourists is just being hostage.

I understand your poi.

But o still disagree with it.

1. Real/sustainable Tourism is th one. That depends on domestic tourists or economy. Congo does not need foreigners to generate revenue from Tourism. We have the numbes, all we need is to create a large middle class.... Tourism is. Supposed to be developed to accommodate Congolese, foreigners. Are just a surplus.


2. I don't think you put in consideration economic independence of the country. Why should. Congolese. Economy keep importing petroleum products when. We have. Proven. Reserves to make us independent and keep most of the money in the country? ( I'm speaking. In terms of decent. Leadership by the way, not with. kanambe around). Makes no common sense at all.

Perhaps you forgot that. the Kivus , PO get to import petroleum products that has to go through. Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi?

People in those provinces hate it , but they have no other alternatives.... But we have. The possibilities to end that within about 5 years or so.

I'd rather we get half the revenues and 10,000 jobs than being a hostage to anyone. Generated by Oil than. Depending on enemies.


Anyways, Urban tourism generates far more revenues than Safari Tourism.

preme3000 said:

With or without Kanambe, the people won't benefit from the oil we have to be realistic. The country's ruling elite are corrupt to the core and any oil companies to exploit to land will be corrupt foreign as we do not have a national company that is capable of doing so. DRC was corrupt before Kanambe and will continue to be so after him, I just hope for a corrupt but technically competent president - corruption is a way of life.

We need to preserve the park, build the necessary infrastructure to carry oil from the west of the country to the East. Those kind of numbers (50 000+) is what Angola drills from DRC territory anyways so we need to reclaim that.

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I agree on corruption problem.

However, its said Angola drills. Something like 400,000 bo/d in our territorial waters.

Kongo central drill like 20,000-25,000. That us not enough for even half the country. It only enough for Kin, KC, Bandundu. And a pipeline that long, who is going to finance it to only carry 20k berrels a day? It makes absolutely no economic sense.
it will be the longest pipeline in Africa at more than 1700 kms long.

There is proven Oil in Northern Katanga by kalemie. Also in PO near Bunia are the only alternatives.

I also doubt Foreign companies proposed to drill would spend Billions to build a pipeline the ocean Indian for such small. Quality and through such complex terrains. Makes absolutely no economic sense either.

If we didn't have to depend on our enemies and outside, then would make sense to preserve the Park.

Sooner or later much of the Park will eventually go. In and around it there're many people and heavily and density populated areas in the country.



The oil producing African countries are also very corrupt, and frankly mos people don't benefit from the fast wealth (except Algeria) , but st least they don't depend on their enemies or foreigners in general).

If a country that produces enough petroleum for itself is brought under embargo for wherever reasons , cannot be negatively impacted as the one that doesn't. No matter how corrupt the. Producing is. They is the difference.


This us not just my feelings or POV, great majority of people in the Nk, SK, Maniema , PO feel this way. The more self sufficient we become, the better for the country.
Were not supposed to be importing Cement from our enemies or use them as transit. We're supposed to be self sufficient. Not only. Cement, but Oil and. Other merchandise.