Coltan Boom, Gorilla Bust

The Impact of Coltan Mining on Gorillas and other Wildlife in Eastern DR Congo

A Report for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe andthe Born Free Foundation

Ian RedmondIndependent Consultant

Chairman of the Ape Alliance

May 2001

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Contents

Executive Summary and map of region 3

Recommendations 5

Itinerary and Contacts 6

Background 7

Coltan Mining and Trade in Rwanda 7

Coltan Mining and Trade in Kivu Province, Eastern DRC 8

Security Situation in Kahuzi-Biega National Park 10

The “Independent Consultant’s” Report and Interview 10

The “Negotiator” 11

The Position of ICCN 12

The Position of RCD-Goma 13

The Rwandan Government’s Position 14

Bushmeat, Orphaned Apes and Ivory 14

Socio-economic Consequences of the Coltan Boom 15

Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References 17

Annex A 18Sections of the Panel of Experts Report to the UN Security Council relevant to conservation, and theRwandan Government’s response.

Annex B 20Rapport de Mission Effectuee en Sous-Station d’Itebero, presented by IC, an independent consultantcommissioned by ICCN, 19th April 2001.

Annex C 21Letters to Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre from:(i) Kasereka Bishikwabo, Chief Warden, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, ICCN Bukavu.(ii) Anicet Mburanumwe-Chiri, Regional Co-ordinator ICCN, Goma.

Annex D 22Conclusions et Consensus de le Reunion Tripartite sur la Coordination des Activites ICCN dans les SitesPatrimoine Mondiale en RDC.

Annex E 23 - 26Report on ivory openly on sale in Kigali, January 2000, with update from 7th May 2001.

Annex F 27Tantalum-Niobium International Study Center press release

Annex G 28-31Letter from M. Viateur Nsengimana, with data on coltan mines in Rwanda, received 31.5.2001

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Executive Summary

The lucrative trade incoltan, a formerly obscure mineral, has recently become headline news.Organisations ranging from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe to the United Nations SecurityCouncil are talking about the need for a boycott of something most people have never heard of.This report explores the link between rising sales of mobile ‘phones and PlayStations and fallingnumbers of gorillas in an African war zone.

It must be made clear from the outset, however, that there are two controversies relating to coltanfrom Central Africa. First, there is the broad question of whether or not it is legal to trade withrebel-held territories. This is the subject of a report by a ‘panel of experts’, commissioned byUN Security Council to examine the exploitation of natural resources in war-torn DRC (extractsin Annex A). It is not within the remit of this study to discuss this wider issue. Instead, thisreport focuses on the second controversy - the exploitation of natural resources, especiallycoltan, in legally protected areas such as Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP). This park is aUNESCO World Heritage Site and was, before this crisis, home to 8,000 or so Grauer’s gorillas(also known as Eastern Lowland Gorillas,Gorilla beringei graueri) along with thousands ofother species (Steinhauer-Burkart et al, 1995). The KBNP population of Grauer’s gorilla wascontiguous with those in the adjacent Kasese forests, and together they represented 86 per cent ofthe world total for this sub-species (found only in DRC, Hall et al, 1998, see map below).

This report is based on a nine-day visit to Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) andKenya, during which discussions were held with conservationists, coltan traders, NGOs andgovernment ministers and officials.

It is clear from the information gathered that only immediate action at the highest level will haltthe destruction of this beautiful area, and offer a chance of the recovery of its uniquebiodiversity. It remains to be seen how many - or how few - of Kahuzi-Biega’s 3,600 elephantsand 8,000 gorillas have survived the massacre in the lowland area, but it is hoped that relictpopulations could have retreated to, or survived in, the most inaccessible parts, furthest from themining areas. The only accurate data is from the highland area, which has lost all of its 350elephants and half of its 258 gorillas (ICCN census funded last year by WCS and DFGFI).

From the new indirect evidence, itappears that the KBNP and Kasesepopulation of Grauer’s Gorilla may havebeen reduced to under 1,000. The othernine populations listed by Hallet al(1998) numbered in the tens or hundredsa decade ago and are also likely to havedeclined or been exterminated. Thepopulation Maiko National Park isthought to have escaped the heavypoaching, but if our worst fears provefounded, the sub-species may have beenreduced from about 17,000 to only 2,000– 3,000, an 80-90 per cent crash in onlythree years.

Assistant WardenMbilizi Wenga standsamidst the remains ofKahuzi-Biega’s gorillasand elephants

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Moreover, the indications are that the biodiversity of the Kahuzi-Biega region has beenseriously, if not irreparably, damaged.If action is taken immediately, however, recovery in thelong term may be possible even now. But if further procrastination and bureaucratic delaysprevent effective and co-ordinated action, the word from the conservationists on the ground isthat it will be too late.

If this happens despite their well-publicised warnings, the world will have stood by and watchedthe systematic destruction of one more natural wonder. And the magnificent Grauer’s gorillawill become the first great ape to be driven to extinction – a victim of war, human greed and hightechnology.

On reading the first draft of this report, Chief Warden Kasereka Bishikwabo made this comment,“I hope you shall plead for an improved organization of the exploitation of natural resources inthe DRC. As long as the exploitation of natural resources is disorganized, protected areas willbear the burden. Any excuse to pursue non-organized mineral exploitation in any of thecountries of the African Great Lakes countries will lead to destruction of protected areas in thewhole region.”

Distribution of Grauer’s gorilla populations. 1, Maiko National Park, north; 2, Maiko National Park, south; 3, MtTshiaberimu; 4, Lowa River; 5, Masis; 6, Kahuzi-Biega lowland sector-Kasese; 7, Kahuzi-Biega mountain sector; 8,Itombwe Forest A; 10, Itombwe Forest B; 11, Itombwe Forest D; national parks designated by dot-dashed lines.© 1998 FFI,Oryx, 32 (2), 122-130

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Recommendations

The simple message from all the conservationists on the ground is thatimmediate action isrequired to save KBNP. If the political will to stop the mining, and if resources for ICCN are notforthcomingnow, then the chances of Grauer’s gorillas surviving and the park recovering arevirtually nil. The medium- and long-term plans are, therefore, dependent on the successfulimplementation of the short-term acts.

NOTE: These recommendations are complementary to those by A. Kanyunyi Basabose andJuichi Yamagiwa, included in a new report by BRD, available atwww.bergorilla.de/kahuzie.pdf

URGENT – Short-term priorities:(i) Immediate, high-level international political pressure on the presidents of RCD-Goma,

Rwanda and Uganda to order action to halt the destruction in DRC’s national parks andreserves, especially KBNP.

(ii) Immediate release of the funds promised by UNESCO more than two years ago.(iii) Increase NGO support to ICCN.(iv) Co-ordinate with humanitarian agencies if people leaving KBNP are in need of

assistance.(v) Identify the chemical signature of coltan from KBNP and ensure trade in it ceases.

Medium-term actions:(i) Establishment of a Commission with representation by all stakeholders (UNESCO,

ICCN, local Government, NGOs and community leaders) to settle once and for all thedisputed boundaries of KBNP.

(ii) Locate funds to enable ICCN to increase manpower and extend the excellent monitoringand protection currently afforded to the mountainous sector to the lowland sector ofKBNP. A census of large mammals is a high priority to assess the potential for recoveryof the park’s ecosystems.

(iii) Implement DFGFE proposal to establish an endowment to finance a micro-credit schemesimilar to the successful one pioneered by DFGFE in Goma, providing the means forlocal people to set up small businesses and thereby reducing their dependence on illegallyacquired resources in KBNP.

(iv) Identify the best location for a sanctuary to care for orphaned primates, thereby enablingICCN to confiscate them (modelled on the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s Ngamba IslandChimpanzee Sanctuary).

(v) Assist local NGOs such as the PolePole Foundation, to source funds for conservationeducation, reforestation and improved farming practices around the park boundary.

Long-term objectives:When peace returns to the region, the successfulgorilla tourism of the 1970s and 1980s shouldresume, financing the conservation work andbringing benefits to the surrounding communities.Revenue sharing schemes such as those alreadyoperating in South-west Uganda should beintroduced and Kahuzi-Biega National Park willhave been saved.

John Kahekwa, gorilla guide and founder of thePole Pole Foundation, with the gorilla statue hebuilt and some pupils from the PoPoF school,now in its 2nd year.

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Itinerary and Contacts

23.4.01 Meeting in London with Greg Cummings, DFGFE Director, to discuss coltan; the urgent need for accurateand up-to-date information prompted this investigation, co-financed by DFGFE and the BFF.

27.4.01 Meeting with HE Mrs Rosemary Museminali, Rwandan Ambassador in London; learned that there aremany coltan mines in Rwanda as well as long-standing trade from DRC. Advised that the RwandanGovernment’s response to the UN Security Council report posted on website.

29.4.01 Telephoned Vince Smith, DFGFE’s Regional Co-ordinator in Kigali to discuss possible itineraries and optto join him on trip to Goma, prior to visiting Bukavu. This will enable me to meet with ICCN officers aswell as DFGFE’s Goma staff to establish whether coltan is affecting gorillas in Masisi/Walikali.Depart Bristol 4pm; Depart Heathrow 8pm to Nairobi.

30.4.01 Depart Nairobi 8.20am; arrive Kigali 8.45am, clear customs and met by Vince; drive to DFGFE office.Vince calls Jean de Dieu Ntiruhungwa, Minister of Interior, who agrees to meet us at 11.30am today.Rwanda’s official policy is protection of gorillas and environment; shocked by ApAl bushmeat report;calls Presidential advisor who says may be able to meet me, will know at 4.00pm. Postpone departure fromKigali, but Vince goes to Goma; I discuss coltan with Francois Nkinziwike, who calls ViateurNsengimana, manager of EXCOM mineral trading company; he calls in and explains how coltan tradeworks within Rwanda, main areas, factory, etc. He offers to help and agrees to take me to mines whenreturn to Kigali. Rang minister at 4.20pm – in meeting, will call back… no call. Overnight at Okapi Hotel.

1.5.01 5.30am breakfast and depart for Ruhengeri 6am; arrive 7.20!! Matatu to Gisenyi and arrive at borderapprox. 8.45. Rang Vince and picked up on Congo side; meeting with DFGFE staff and partners. MayDay holiday so all offices closed. Rang Kasuku – agree to meet chez lui – very useful overview ofsituation in N. Kivu – not much coltan here, mostly further south and west, around Walikale and PNKB.Interview for Radio Cosmos at DFGFE Goma office; discussions with partners and decide to head forBukavu on overnight boat, then return on Friday for meetings with Goma officials.Depart Goma at 6.30pm on MV Rafiki (thankfullynot the boat which sank the next night!).

2.5.01 Arrive Bukavu 7.00am, met by Remy Mitima, Director of Paidek – Bukavu, and drove to home ofKasereka Bishikwabo, Chief Warden of PNKB for discussions over breakfast.To GTZ office, met Carlos Schuler-Deschryver and staff for discussions, then to Tshivanga, the park HQ tosit in on detailed monthly meeting giving state of park and activities – very impressive; hear from trackersheld for three days by Interahamwe.

3.5.01 Early GTZ/ICCN meeting before they go to Tshivanga for community leaders’ liaison meeting. We buyplane tickets to Goma and meet World Food Programme Deputy Director Mme Gertrude Mudekereza.Next spent some hours with IC, going over details of his month under cover in PNKB. Met up with Remyagain to find a coltan dealer to question from the point of view of a potential investor. Successful.

4.5.01 Met IC with sample of coltan from Kakelo, a hill near Camp Vuma in PNKB; covert filming of coltandealers shop fronts in Bukavu, en route to airport. To Goma for meetings with ICCN (Stanislas Bakinahe,Warden of PNV, Anicet Mburanumwe-Chiri, Regional Co-ordinator for ICCN) and political authority inarea (Francis Bedy Makhubu Mabele, equivalent of Minister for Environment and Rural Development inRCD-Goma, and his Chief Advisor, Gaby Djanga Lombe).

5.5.01 Collate data with Vital for report; meeting with Anicet Mburanumwe-Chiri, who brought a letter for me todeliver to UNESCO in Paris, and gave his views after 40+ years of conservation work in Congo. Depart

6.5.01 Met with local NGOs in Kigali, then taken to see Rwandan coltan mines near Gitarama.

7.5.01 Breakfast meeting with anonymous informant; rang Kes Hillman Smith, UNESCO/UNF Programme forWHS in DRC to arrange meeting, then depart Kigali 9.20am. Arrive Nairobi 11.40am and taxi to KWSfor unrelated meeting (Mt.Elgon Elephant Proposal). To UNESCO/UNF DRC office and met withMafuko Girineza to brief him on trip (Kes just left for meeting in DRC with John and Theresa Hart reOkapi Wildlife Reserve). To UNEP to brief Rob Hepworth and discuss progress on UN Special Envoy forGreat Apes, especially in the light of this report. Depart Nairobi 11.55pm.

8.5.01 Arrive Heathrow, to DFGFE HQ for de-briefing and work on draft report.

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Background

Coltan and its Uses:Coltan is an abbreviation of columbo-tantalite, an ore containing a mixture of two very similar heavy metals, namelyNiobium (Atomic No.41, Atomic Weight 92.91, melting point 2,500 degrees C) and Tantalum (Atomic No.73,Atomic Weight 180.95, melting point 2,850 degrees C).Columbite is the name for ore containing more of the element Niobium (formerly known as Columbium) than ofTantalum.Tantalite is the name for ore containing more of the element Tantalum, a metal with many useful properties, used inthings from electronic components to surgical implants. In nature it is found only as Tantalum Oxide Ta2 O5.Columbo-tantalite (and hence the term coltan) is peculiar to Central Africa.According to the Tantalum-Niobium International Study Centre in Brussels, only 15 per cent of the world’stantalum supply comes from Africa, but demand is high due largely to its use in electronic components, mainlytantalum capacitors (devices which store electrical charge and release it quickly to buffer fluctuations in power).Of the 525 tons of tantalum used in the USA in 1998, 60 per cent was used for this purpose, with a predicted growthrate of 14 per cent per annum (from Uganda Gold Mining Ltd web site).Other uses include various alloys, which benefit from tantalum’s high melting point and corrosion resistance, andare used in aerospace components, jet engines and gas turbine parts.

Price of ColtanFluctuations in the world market have a significant effect onthe level of activity in Africa. Poor deposits may becomeeconomical to work if the price is high enough, but will then beabandoned if the price falls again. At its highest last year, theprice reached $800 per kilo, but it is now around $100 per kilo(still significantly higher than the 1998 price of around $40 perkilo). This price reflects what the final dealers receive, notwhat is paid to the peasant miners, which is currently around$12 per kilo.Prices paid for the ore by dealers are also related to thepercentage of tantalum present, which is determined byspectrographic analysis in one of the trading centres (e.g.Bukavu, Goma or Kigali).

Coltan Mining and Trade in Rwanda

Minerals found in Rwanda include cassiterite (a tin ore), gold and wolfram (tungsten) as well as coltan. Before thecivil war, minerals – primarily cassiterite – were Rwanda’s only significant export other then coffee and tea. Aswith agriculture, most mining is undertaken by peasant farmers, who dig relatively small quantities by hand. Theytake bags of ore to local centres to be weighed and bought. Dealers then drive around the centres buying theaccumulated larger volumes. Preliminary purification of the ore takes place at a factory at Gatumba, on the borderbetween the Prefectures of Gisenyi and Gitarama. There it is ground up and passed over magnets to remove anyiron before export to factories elsewhere for separating the different metals.

Rwandan law regards ownership of land to stop at the level of the topsoil. In other words, any mineral wealthbelongs to the state, not the individual (although he or she can profit from mining it). There is now a legallyconstituted formula for calculating compensation should crops, buildings or trees be damaged by miningDeposits are found in 34 Communes of nine Prefectures across the country, from Cyangugu in the south-west toUmutara and Kibungo in the east (see map and list in Annex G), with most mines being in the Prefectures ofGitarama and Kigali-rural (see map on page 7a, below).

Pits and mines are very dangerous, especially after heavy rain, and accidents are common. So many people havebeen killed recently by rock-falls and landslides that the Ministry of Mines has ordered a halt to mining until thesafety issue has been addressed. On the ground, however, mining continues because there is no enforcement of thetemporary ban, and people with few other resources are unlikely to stop doing something that brings in an income.

There is little, if any, coltan mining in forested parts of Rwanda. In Nyungwe Forest, soon to be declared Rwanda’sthird National Park, there is a history of illegal gold mining, which also destroys habitat and pollutes streams, but no

Coltan buying is not a covert activity in Bukavu, butthe UN report controversy means that anyone askingquestions or taking photographs is likely to be treatedwith suspicion if not hostility.

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coltan. Fortunately for the mountain gorillas, there are no valuable mineral deposits in the Volcanoes NationalPark (or the contiguous gorilla habitat in DR Congo and Uganda).

Much of my information on the Rwandan mining industry came through meetings with Viateur Nsengimana,Administrator for EXCOM (Exploitation and Commercialisation of Minerals) and President of TWISUNGANE, aco-operative of peasant miners working three coltan mines around Kamonyi, in the Province of Gitarama. This kindco-operation culminated in him driving me to a number of mining sites on Sunday 6th May (see map below). As wedrove past Mt Kigali, he pointed out that it has cassiterite deposits but they are not currently being mined. AtMugina he spoke of heavy coltan deposits at the top of a hill, leading the mining co-operative to install a pump toget water up to the mine. Near Taba there are many coltan deposits around the big Protestant church and hospital atRemera. At Shyorongi the mines produce cassiterite, coltan and wolfram. Rutongo has the only cassiteriterefining factory in the country. At Kayenzi, the coltan ore has up to 61 per cent tantalum (usually 40-60%).

Historically, the Belgian mining companies Minetin and Somuki were replaced after independence by SOMIRWA –the sole mineral trading company until the war. It has now been replaced by Redemi (part state owned, partprivate) and COPIMAR (made up of many small miners’ co-operatives). After the war, mining became a free-for-all because crops had been left to rot and hungry people mined wherever they could find minerals they could sell forfood. Things are improving now, but it is still not properly regulated or controlled, which is why accidents are socommon. I asked about the ecological damage which mining leaves behind, and was told that the new mining lawrequires licensed miners to restore topsoil after the valuable minerals have been extracted, but this has not yethappened because it has just been introduced.

Coltan mine near Mwaka in downpour. Mininghas been going on here for more than 40 years.

Unfortunately, torrential rain prevented close inspection of all but one mine near Mwaka, but the deluge certainlyillustrated the danger from rock-falls and land-slips whilst digging in such soft rock. The mine consisted simply ofthe partially exposed flanks of several small hills. I learned that people have been mining here for more than 40years, and it took only a few moments conversation for people to run off and fetch a couple of specimens of coltanwhich I purchased. These were pebble-sized lumps – different from the Kahuzi-Biega grit I saw – one weighedabout 40gms and the other about 240gms. Around Mwaka, mines are worked by a small co-operative calledCEMAC, a member of COPIMAR.

After the visit, I discussed the call for a boycott of coltan from Central Africa with Mr Nsengimana and FrancoisNkinziwiki, President of a local NGO called The Dian Fossey Challenge. Whilst understanding the need to halt thedestruction of the two World Heritage Sites in DR Congo, they were concerned that any regional boycott would hitthousands of poor Rwandan families very hard. After a decade of civil war, genocide and social disruption, itwould be singularly cruel to impose further hardship on people who were simply carrying out a legal occupation thathas been going on for decades. Mr Nkinziwiki put it succinctly, saying, “To ban the coltan trade in Gitarama wouldbe like banning potatoes in Ruhengeri!”

Coltan Mining and Trade in Kivu Province, DRC

The terrain to the west of Lake Kivu might be summarised as rolling hills, many of them deforested long ago forcultivation and cattle ranches with only a few patches of forest here and there. There are very few cattle todaythough, because tens of thousand were appropriated and butchered to feed the refugee camps, allegedly with thehelp of the relief agencies, during the Rwandan refugee crisis in the mid-90s. One formerly wealthy landowner,Kasuku wa Ngeyo is pursuing his as yet unresolved grievance over this matter. Gorillas and chimpanzees lived in

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some of the forest patches on his land near Masisi and Walikale in the 1980s, but he doubts very much if anysurvive now.Deposits of coltan here are concentrated in South Kivu Province, but not all are in PNKB. Many are inundesignated forest or on agricultural land, and mining is simply an optional change in land-use for the land-owner.Indeed, finding that you have coltan beneath your soil might be seen as the Kivu equivalent of striking oil – with theadvantage that little equipment beyond a shovel is required to start mining. The law in Congo requires, however,that even on your own land, you need to pay for a license from the relevant government authority to extractminerals. During the two recent civil wars, however, such laws have been widely ignored and mining rights havebeen claimed by whichever militia holds sway over a particular area at the time.

As in Rwanda, the history of mining in this area goes back to the colonial period when a Belgian company MGLestablished permanent settlements to mine mainly gold and tin. After independence the mining was carried out bySOMINKI, and included one centre at Kabunga which was a base for prospecting in the area now included in theKahuzi-Biega National Park.

A long-standing controversyThe extension to the park was designated in 1977, but without a detailed study of the consequences. The boundaryas drawn included mines and permanent stone-built houses belonging to SOMINKI. The park authorities at the timeasked for a Commission to study the boundary issue and resolve disputes with local community leaders, but thisnever happened. M. Anicet Mburanumwe Chiri, the Regional Head of ICCN in Eastern DRC, proposes that, assoon as the crisis is over, this long overdue commission should be established. The commission should becomposed of representatives from UNESCO, ICCN, NGOs (local and international), local government andcommunity leaders. Its task would be to define once and for all the limits of this World Heritage Site and - ifagreement is reached by all parties - to establish zones within the boundary where controlled exploitation ispermitted. “Modern conservation opinion would never condone the creation of a vast national park that no-oneknows the exact boundaries of, and which does not take into account the needs or opinions of local communities?”

Pygmy communities in the PNKBDuring the Belgian colonial period, the authorities’ attitude to forest-dwelling pygmies living a traditional way oflife was to regard them as a part of the forest eco-system that the parks were created to protect. This was at oncean enlightened and a racist attitude - enlightened because seeing humans as a part of nature rather than separate fromit is a recent trend, but deeply racist because it carried with it the condescending implication that pygmy people werelittle more than animals. The future of their culture looks bleak in this region, but the fortunate few who find aneducation can do well; I was told that some had joined the army and that one had reached the rank of captain.

Pygmy people have not had much involvement with mining of any minerals because their traditional way of lifecentred around hunting animals. These soon disappear from around permanent settlements such as mines, throughhunting or disturbance by miners, and so there is little incentive for hunter gatherer communities to stay.

Mining techniquesThe coltan is found in fairly soft rock, streambeds and alluvial deposits. Miners (in French “creuseurs” or“boulonneurs” from boulot = job, or “njengeneur” ) dig with shovels, sometimes with picks and crowbars to loosenthe substrate. The loose mix is sieved through mesh of approx.5mm squares. The grit is then washed in a bowl,box or piece of curved bark until only the heavy coltan particles remain. The need for water to separate out thecoltan means, of course, that mining tends to be concentrated along streams and rivers. This exacerbates theerosion of soils and the risk of landslips during heavy rain, and tends to silt up pools downstream.The coltan grit is bagged in small nylon bags sewn from larger food sacks. There are two rough measures – a desertspoon and a “le gosse” (a small tin, originally a condensed milk brand, which has come to mean the tin itself; itcontains 78gms of sweetened milk concentrate when sold, but holds about 200gms of coltan grit). When the bagsare full they may weigh from 15kg to 50kg according to the strength of the carrier, and a spring balance is usuallypresent at the site to weight them. The bags are sewn shut and transported on the back in a “makako” – a sort ofbasket-rucksack made from forest lianas (another significant impact on the eco-system when one considers thethousands of people involved).The northern park boundary is along the River Luka, and pirogues (dug-out canoes) are used to cross to Isangi,which sits on a hill between the confluence of the Luka and the River Ilawimbi. The journey to Itebero is by footand canoe, and from there it is transported by road to Walikale airstrip.

Summary of Environmental Damage from Coltan Mining in DRC Forests

Forest clearance and use of timber and poles to build camps to accommodate workers;Forest clearance to expose substrate for mining;Pollution of streams by silt from washing process;

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Erosion of unprotected earth during rains leading to land-slips;Cutting of firewood for warmth and cooking in camps;Hunting of animals for bushmeat to feed miners and camp followers;Animals maimed or dying after escaping from snares;De-barking trees to make panning trays for washing coltan;Cutting of lianas to make carrying baskets for coltan;Disturbance of animals due to large number of people resident in and moving through forest;Silting up of streams likely to kill invertebrates and reduce photosynthesis in aquatic plants;Reduced productivity of fish stocks in lakes and rivers affected by silt pollution;Ecological changes due to loss of keystone species such as elephants and apes;Long-term changes in watershed due to rapid run-off in deforested areas.

A spoon full of coltan helps the biodiversity go down(and cost $2.50 in March 2001). A tin, or 'LeGosse', holds four rounded spoonfuls ($10).

Security Situation in Kahuzi-Biega National Park

For the past two years, only part of the highland area of the park has been accessible to wardens and rangers. Thearea monitored has varied from five to 10 per cent of the total 6,000 square kilometres. The other 90-95 per cent hasbeen under the control of various armed factions, including branches of the Mai-Mai and the Interahamwe (asdetailed in the ICCN/GTZ newsletter ‘Le Gorille’, last year’s Digit News by DFGFE, Wildlife Times by BFF andGorilla Journal by BRD).

In the three weeks prior to my visit, there were two incidents in which ICCN gorilla monitoring teams encounteredInterahamwe within a few kilometres of the park HQ at Tshivanga. They reported well equipped, uniformed patrolsof ten men, each with an AK47 and two magazines. They had radios, and even mobile phones – not the image ofragged gangs living in the bush. But if they control some of the coltan trade, they would certainly have the moneyto purchase such things. The reports beg the question of where the radios are being charged. On each occasion, atracker was kidnapped by the patrol, was held for three days and escaped. This led the warden to reduce the area ofregular patrolling to the bare minimum to monitor the habituated gorillas, and prevents any visitors from seeing thegorillas (in the monthly meeting I learned that last month, five brave tourists went gorilla tracking!).

Little has been known of what was going on in the vast lowland sector, except that bushmeat, ivory, timber andother products were reported to be being exploiteed at an alarming rate. It was not until March this year, however,that an accurate picture emerged, and the extent of the shocking damage was revealed.

The “Independent Consultant’s” Report and Interview

By far the most impressive source of information was the report by an independent Congolese consultant.In the words of M. Bedy Makhuba Mbele, Chef du Department de l’Agriculture et du Development Rural in theRCD-Goma government on hearing of his work, “He is a hero! He deserves some kind of official recognition.”Unfortunately, such recognition would likely lead to his untimely demise, so he is referred to only as ‘IC’ in thisreport, and his name and signature have been masked in the copy of his report attached as Annex B.

Most digging sites are around old SOMINKI camps (in Belgian times, called MGL Mines des Grands Lacs) wherecassiterite was mined. At that time, MGL was also mining gold in Kamituga, south of the park, which meant thatminers were active in the whole region. When MGL closed down after independence, local people continued to dig

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for gold, and noticed other minerals but the low price of coltan did not justify mining it. When the price oftantalum rose, it became a desirable commodity and led to the current boom, but it is important to see this in thecontext of the history of mineral exploitation in this area.

The link between Mai-Mai presence, coltan and military deployment: My notes on this subject are as follows:RPA/RCD presence between Tshivanga and Hombo. 4km North of Hombo, the Mai-Mai have their own road-blockat Tchambusha. Presence of roadblocks does not deter vendors taking goods to mines, but taxes have to be paid toMai-Mai (organised, not just personal bribes).In far west of PNKB is a sub-division of Mai-Mai called Manyowa-Manyowa. The term Mai-Mai, I was told, isfrom Maji-Maji (water) which was a password used by them. There are about 12 sub-groups within the generalterm Mai-Mai, which have been likened by US military analysts to ‘warlords’.Porters are paid a tin of coltan (then worth $30) to carry 20 kilos for two days (plus food) to Itebero.The weekly fee to work in the forest is 2 spoons of coltan (then about $7.50) – one to the military and one to the‘chef de colline’ (chief of hill). This is paid in coltan so its value changes. Multiply this by the10,000 – 15,000 ormore workers estimated to be in PNKB and the monthly income to those controlling the mining area was of theorder of $600,000 to more than $1 million for the month of March.

Transportation between Kavumu and mining sites: More than 13 flights per day from Kavumu to the fourairstrips in Shabunda region: Salamabila, Kampene, Namoyo and Lulingu, plus Walikale. Laden planes then fleweast, presumably to Kigali.

Sample for analysis: I asked IC if he could buy a sample of coltan from KBNP. The following morning he metme with about 850gms of heavy, dark-grey grit and small stones (particle size from sand to 8mm) which he hadbeen told was from Kakelo, a site near Camp Vuma (see map in IC’s report). The sample cost $25, and on returnto Kigali I had it analysed with the following results:

___________________________________________________________| S/N 5055 9:21 AM 5/08/01 *15665 || MODE:THRE CT:25 || % Ta205 = 6.359 || % Nb205 = 7.457 || % Sn02 = 51.347 || % Ti02 = 17.969 || % W = -0.0096 || || Ta = Tantalite || Nb = Niobium || Sn = Tin || Ti – Titan || W = Wolfram || || Therefore your sample had 6% tantalite and 51% tin. ||___________________________________________________________|

The “Negotiator”

One of the most useful sources of information was a dealer in Bukavu who described himself as a “negotiateur”.Whilst under the impression that I was interested in buying a considerable quantity of coltan while the price is low,he provided much information, from current price lists and locations of good and bad quality coltan mines toanecdotes about the trade. For example

He explained that there are two systems of trading. One can either buy a license for $40,000 per year and pay anexport tax of $4 per kilo of coltan as an official “comptoire”. Or one can export without these expensive details as,for example, he had just done with six tonnes of coltan he has just taken to Kigali. He mentioned buying fromminers at $12 per kilo and showed me a recent price list from a buyer in Kigali, with prices paid in US dollars perpound weight, varying according to the percentage of Tantalum thus:

10% Tantalum = $ 20 per lb ($ 44 per kilo)16% “ = $ 50 per lb ($110 per kilo)18% “ = $ 60 per lb ($132 per kilo)20% “ = $ 75 per lb ($165 per kilo)

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Best quality coltan, with 40 or 45% tantalum is found around Numbi (30km from the main road, halfway betweenGoma and Bukavu on the west shore of Lake Kivu), but this, he said, is “private”. It is alleged to be under thecontrol of RPA officers, and is the site at which Rwandan prisoners were reported to have been used as forcedlabour (see UN Report). He warned against buying coltan from Nkumwa, which was very low quality.The cost of analysis by spectrometer was $5 - $10, and there are machines in Bukavu as well as Kigali. To explainthe process of analysis, he produced two small samples, which had been ground to a fine powder, and showed methe resulting print-outs showing about 16 per cent tantalum.

After taking so much of his time, I thanked him for his advice and left without buying any coltan.

The Position of ICCN

The Institut Congolaise pour le Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) has proved extraordinarily capable of adapting tothe problems imposed by two civil wars. Despite being responsible for national parks in areas controlled by threepolitical authorities – two rebel groups and the government in Kinshasa – an agreement has been reached whichallows it to function (see Annex D). This is despite it having been starved of resources for many years.

When the pillage of Kahuzi-Biega was first brought to the attention of the international community during the 1994Rwandan refugee exodus, little was done because the humanitarian crisis made conservation seem a low priority incomparison. When things got worse during the first Congo civil war in 1996, little was done to help the hardpressed warden and rangers. If it were not for the continued, if scaled down, GTZ project, and the courage of theGTZ and ICCN staff in keeping a sense of normality through the most difficult and dangerous times, it is unlikelythat that the park would have remained functioning. Great strides were made in the optimistic, but brief, periodbetween the wars. When the second civil war destroyed much of the new infrastructure, it destroyed much of themorale of the park staff too. But they were much cheered by the announcement that UNESCO had come up with anambitious scheme, largely funded by the UN Foundation, to save the five World Heritage Sites in DRC. Roughlyspeaking, it provided just over $4 million over four years to the five sites – i.e. about $200,000 per site per year.Much of this was to be spent on salaries, giving the rangers something like $20 per month. Not a fortune, but tothose who have not been paid for years, it was significant news. Headline news, in fact, as articles in local andinternational press attest. Hopes were raised. Things were looking up. Unfortunately, up to this point, only oneadvance payment of $20,000 per site has been made (and spent) and as the months pass, frustrations mount.

Chief Warden Kasereka Bishikwabo inspectsnew guard quarters built with support from

Born Free Foundation's Rachel Hunter GorillaAppeal

Ape Alliance - Action for Apes: Jean-MarieMutabazi, leader of a Rwandan artist's co-operative backed by DFGFE, adds the finishingtouches to artwork on the Landrover101 4x4 truck bought by BFF for Kahuzi-BiegaNational Park in March 2000.

In late 1999, prompted by Dr Jo Thompson, the Ape Alliance also began working to raise funds to help ICCN,setting up an ad hoc DRC Parks Emergency Relief Mission with the Belgian NGO Nouvelles Approches. The ideatook off quickly, and starting with a $25,000 grant from IFAW, within days various groups had pledged amounts toa total of $70,000. More has since been raised, but as soon as it comes in, it is spent on equipment ranging fromboots to bicycles. More is still being being raised, and because Kahuzi-Biega is relatively easy to reach, it has hadmost of its emergency needs met. For example, with money raised by the Rachel Hunter Gorilla Appeal, the BornFree Foundation last year provided a Landrover 101, a one-tonne 4x4 truck (see above) and made a commitment to

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fund its fuel and parts, as well as new uniforms and guard housing for the next three years. The German NGOBergorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe sent medical supplies and with IPPL, covered the cost of publishing ‘LeGorille’ – an influential local newsletter. This raised morale, but apart from small payments from the GTZ budget,the question of salaries has yet to be resolved. Some ICCN staff have not been paid for 70 months! At the moment,any mention of UNESCO is currently met with a negative response. Chief Warden Kasereka explained thatalthough the $4 million scheme was designed to solve ICCN’s problems, it has actually created a greater problem:disillusionment. Explaining to staff every month for more thantwo yearsthat the UNESCO money will be theresoon has not been easy when, month after month, it fails to materialise. GTZ Project manager Carlos Schuler-Deschryver summed it up, “It is as if UNESCO heard there was a crisis in Congo, and set off immediately to help,but they decided to walk instead of taking as plane, and they only set off when they had finished their cup of coffee!By the time they get here, there will be nothing left to save!”

Mbilizi Wenga, Assistant Warden, showsdots representing mines and squaresshowing major settlements in Kahuzi-BiegaNational Park to his colleagues in theirmonthly meeting

Despite the lack of resources, however, and the danger the men face when on patrol in a war zone, the conservationwork being done in the limited area is first rate. On 2nd May 2001, I happened to arrive at Tshivanga (the park HQ)in time to sit through what seemed like a cross between a scientific seminar and a management workshop. Aftereach warden had presented a summary of his or her work for the month of April, using hand-drawn maps and chartson rolls of brown paper, I asked if this was a typical month. Yes, came the answer. It would have been impressivein any park in any country of the world. But in a war zone? With few resources, and little or no pay? I told themthat the quality and quantity of work was almost incredible. And it gave me hope that if the worlddoeswake upand provide some substantive assistance, this well managed, well motivated and courageous team would be the oneto do the job.

One of the innovative acts that the warden implemented last year was to take on about 20 new members of staff – allof them known poachers. They were trained, and provided with uniforms, but as yet they have not been paid whatthey were promised because the UNESCO money for salaries has not arrived. Kasereka told me, “They are losingfaith. If we don’t pay them soon, we will lose them and they’ll return to poaching.”

The Position of RCD-Goma

The RCD-Goma is not just a group of armed rebels, it is a political body described in UN parlance as a “non-stateentity with aspirations of statehood”. The President, M. Adolphe Onusumba, is a known to Vital Katembo,DFGFE’s Mount Tshiaberimu Project Manager, but was in Lusaka for peace talks and so could not be seen duringmy stay. Instead, I had a very positive meeting with M. Francis Bedy Makhubu Mabele, Chef du Department del’Agriculture et du Development Rural (equivalent to the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development) and hisaide, M. Gaby Djanga Lombe. The RCD-Goma is supportive of ICCN, and signed the agreement (Annex D) topermit conservation to continue despite the political and military divisions in the country. M. Bedy Makhubupointed out that the attack last September, in which ten of his countrymen died whilst working on the boundary ofthe corridor linking the eastern and western sectors of Kahuzi-Biega, indicates what risks conservationists take (seeRedmond, 2000). He preferred the term ‘bandits’ rather than terms such as Interahamwe or Mai-Mai for what theUN Security Council report terms ‘negative forces’. He described how armed gangs of these ‘bandits’ rob andmurder people, and how the RCD is unable to prevent it through lack of resources.

If the international community would provide the means, he felt sure that the situation could be turned around giventhe obvious dedication of ICCN staff.

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The Rwandan Government’s Position

Rwanda has long been extremely supportive of great ape conservation. Since the death of Digit on the last day of1977, and the rallying of support for mountain gorillas through the work of Dian Fossey, Rwanda has largely beenheld up as a shining example to other developing countries. Since 1979, the government has been an active partnerin first the Mountain Gorilla Project and then the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (both consortiawith FFI, AWF and WWF). Throughout the civil war and genocide, except in the most extreme circumstances theRwandan parks authority, ORTPN, has continued to protect the Parc des Volcans with its own rangers, and co-operate with the anti-poaching patrols of the Karisoke Research Centre, funded by the Dian Fossey Gorilla FundInternational.

It is strange, then, to read of Rwanda being accused of involvement with the demise of Grauer’s gorillas in easternDRC. I put this to the Minister of the Interior, M. Jean de Dieu Ntiruhungwa, and he was firm in his reply, “TheRwandan Government considers gorilla conservation to be very important, and this applies both in Rwanda and inneighbouring Congo.” The same point was made by H.E. Mrs Rosemary Museminali, the Rwandan Ambassador inLondon. How, then, do the allegations stand up to scrutiny?

The area of KBNP in which coltan mining is destroying wildlife and habitat is not in the hands of Rwanda’s army ortheir allies the RCD-Goma. It is occupied by Mai-Mai and Interahamwe – Rwanda’s enemies. It is also difficultterrain in which to fight a guerrilla war, and would require a major military campaign if it were to be taken by force– with the consequent further destruction (human and wildlife) that this would entail. Is Rwanda exonerated then?

As detailed in the controversial UN Security Council report (seewww.un.org/Newsand extracts in Annex A) thereis a debate over whether Rwanda and Uganda should trade at all with eastern DRC while it is in the hands of rebelshostile to the Kinshasa government. Rwanda points out that eastern DRC is closer to the ports of Mombasa, Kenyaand Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, than to Kinshasa, and that trade has always flowed eastwards from the region (whichis why Swahili is the first language of many in eastern Congo). The latest reports of the UN Security Counclildebate on this issue can be found atwww.un.org/News/Press/docs/2001/sc7057.doc.htm.

Whatever the outcome of this wider trade debate, however, the fact remains that there are calls for a specific boycottof coltan from the region in an attempt to protect Congo’s bio-diversity. But as we have seen, this would causeintense hardship to Rwanda’s legal miners. What is required is for the scientific community to pinpoint thechemical signatures of coltan samples known to originate in KBNP (and other protected areas such as the OkapiWildlife Reserve and Maiko National Park), and for international buyers to agree to avoid shipments that matchthem. This is not as far-fetched as it may seem to the distant observer.

Geological collections and published data are likely to hold some of the results, and as ICCN has shown – the areacan be infiltrated by an undercover agent. The international community should respond by making the expertiseand resources available to the relevant authorities – whatever their politics – for the sake of saving these areas ofoutstanding bio-diversitynow. Conservation cannot wait for the outcome of political wrangling. And as thetripartite agreement between the three regions of ICCN has shown (Annex D), itcan be done.

Bushmeat, Orphaned Apes and Ivory

The trade in bushmeat is widely acknowledged to pose the most serious threat to Africa’s great apes and many otherendangered species. Even though apes form only a small percentage of species traded, the impact on species withslow reproduction rates is enormous. In some areas, apes may be killed for food, in others, they may be killed ormaimed by snares set for other species. Either way, populations of gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos are reportedor thought to be declining in most areas, leading to predictions of extinction over most of their range within 10 to 20years (Ape Alliance campaign details available atwww.4apes.com).

The rise of the commercial bushmeat trade in West and Central Africa prompted the Ape Alliance in 1996 tocommission a review by Cambridge zoologist Evan Bowen-Jones (Ape Alliance, 1998). At that time, a survey ofGrauer’s gorilla populations gave an estimate of 8,660 – 25,499 gorillas (mean 16,902) in 11 populations (Hall et al,1998). Of these, 86 per cent were found in the Kahuzi-Biega lowland forests, and those which extend beyond thepark boundary westwards to Kasese (see map, page 4). An oft repeated estimate for the number of gorillas inKBNP itself is +/- 8,000. This was a higher estimate than earlier surveys indicated, and there was some optimismthat this sub-species might be relatively safe. Sadly, the optimism was short lived.

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When the first reports of the exploitation of Kahuzi-Biega mentioned bushmeat, it was thought that the meat wasprobably destined for local markets. The independent consultant (IC) confirmed that this was the case whenhunting first increased in 1998. Reports of ivory, timber and gold coming out of the park left the impression thatanything of value was being looted by these armed ‘bandits’. It is only now that the picture since 1999 hasemerged. Most of the miners in the park were eating large mammal meat for a year or more, including elephants,gorillas, chimpanzees, buffaloes and antelopes. By the time the IC did his undercover work this March, peoplewere eating tortoises, birds, small antelope and monkeys. He reported that hunters used to go out daily from themining camps and return with large mammals. Now they go out for up to a week, and even then sometimes returnempty handed. No elephant meat was seen during his four weeks of fieldwork, nor were tracks observed. Puttingthat in the context of the map below, with its scattering of dots representing mining camps and settlements, it seemslikely that elephants may be all but extinct and other large mammals have declined dramatically and are heading forlocal extinction. If these reports are verified, the world population of Grauer’s gorilla may have declined by 80-90per cent, with perhaps as few as 2,000-3,000 survivors in scattered pockets of a few hundred each.

In the mining camps in KBNP, money is seldom used because coltan has become the currency. Most of thebushmeat is not, therefore, being exported to towns for sale, but is being exchanged directly for coltan to feed theminers. But I did hear a story of a large piece of elephant meat being flown out in a military aircraft forconsumption by officers.

IvoryThere were also rumours of nearly two tonnes of ivory in a store in Bukavu. In the latest issue of the ICCN PNKB-GTZ Newsletter ‘Le Gorille, 4’ Chantal Shalukoma writes that ‘about 1,340 kg of ivory exist in the communeIbanda and about 500 kg at the home of a businessman in Bukavu, who acts as an intermediary between thepoachers and foreign buyers. These caches are thought to have come from the massacre of 46 elephants in themountainous region of KBNP.’ Hard evidence, however, is harder to come by, although the quantity of ivory onsale in Rwanda is an indication of the increase in illegal trade in that commodity (see Annex E).

Orphaned apesThe IC mentioned that he had seen a live baby gorilla being carried out of the forest on someone’s back in a babywrap. It was not a very small one (maybe 1-2 years) and seemed in good health. This was shortly before anexpatriate soldier was offered a baby gorilla for sale in Gisenyi, Rwanda on 10th April 2001, and could well havebeen the same one. Unfortunately, the well-meaning soldier lectured the vendors on the error of their ways, and sowas not taken to see the orphan and its whereabouts now is not known. Sadly, the whereabouts is known of manyorphan chimpanzees, who seem better able to survive the traumas of capture and ill-treatment.

At the quarterly meeting of ICCN Conservators on 22nd and 23rd November 2000, the subject of illegally heldprotected species was on the agenda. It was estimated that there may be as many as 50 orphan chimpanzees in theregion – Vince Smith spoke of at least 20 in Bukavu and up to 10 in Goma alone. One of the action points for thatmeeting was to organise a census of such captives, most of which are not receiving adequate care. The problem isthen what to do about them. Without a sanctuary to keep them in, the authorities are unable to confiscate them, andso there is an urgent need for an animal welfare NGO to step in to help here.

The lesson of Uganda’s Ngamba Island sanctuary should be considered, however. Built to cope with just one ortwo confiscations per year, the war in DRC has led to a sharp increase in chimp orphans being smuggled or broughthome by soldiers as pets, and the sanctuary is now full. Resources are now being sought for a second islandsanctuary to cope with the anticipated rush of new confiscations by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

If a similar ICCN approved sanctuary is built near Lake Kivu, it must also become an education centre designed todeter people from killing chimpanzees, and so help to cure the problem of which these sad orphans are a symptom.

Socio-economic Consequences of the Coltan Boom

The destructive nature of the coltan-rush is not just to be measured in its environmental impact. Instead of being arare opportunity for bringing benefits to hard-pressed communities, Coltan has brought out the worst attributes ofhuman nature – decadence, immorality, drug abuse and crime.

• Thousands of families have been deserted by their main wage-earner in his desire to ‘get-rich-quick’.• Agricultural production is therefore down as many fields remain un-tilled.• Prostitution has increased; the IC reported that in the camps, sex was available for a spoonful of coltan.• As a consequence, an increase in sexually transmitted diseases has been reported, especially AIDS.

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• Drug abuse and crime has reportedly risen as more ‘fast money’ has been circulating.• Education has been badly affected; in Le Gorille 4, Bakongo Mudahama reports that school attendance has

dropped by 30 per cent as students have deserted their studies for ‘la chasse du Coltan’.• Many lives have been lost in mining accidents; Bakongo (ibid) reports 90 miners killed in collapsed coltan

mines in Mumba and Luwowo.• Almost all of the major profits of this valuable resource accrue to foreigners, not to local people.

It is a double tragedy that the sudden increase in coltan prices has led to social and ecological destruction, ratherthan providing an opportunity to bring lasting benefits to the people of this region by careful exploitation of legallymined deposits. It is the responsibility of those in the developed world, whose demand has created this chaos, tostep in with the skills and resources to turn the situation around.

Coltan mining, with safe mines and environmentally responsible practices, could yet turn out to be a boon to theregion. But only a responsible attitude on the part of the buyers will achieve this in a region where guns rule andmight is perceived as right. The concept of ‘Certified Coltan’ needs to be introduced immediately to the worldmarket, and mineral dealers must act quickly if they are not to be tainted with the decadence of the DRC ColtanBoom.

A 240gm lump of coltan from Mwaka mine, nearGitarama, Rwanda - chemically quite distinctfrom Kahuzi-Biega coltan

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Conclusion

The future of Kahuzi-Biega National Park hangs in the balance. It is up to the internationalcommunity to decide which way that balance will tip.

Although no census has been possible in the occupied lowland sector, the warden is nowestimating that gorilla numbers in KBNP may have dropped below 1,000, of which 130 live inthe better protected mountain sector.

The habituated groups are in this sector, and may end up as the only survivors in the short term.But 130 is considered by geneticists as too small for a founder population of a geneticallyheterogenous species, and the danger of in-breeding may threaten their long term survival evenwith protection from bushmeat hunters. There is a slim possibility that a few of the otherscattered, isolated populations of Grauer’s gorilla have survived, but if so, numbers are likely tobe small and declining and they may face the same fate as those in KBNP.

Given that the forests in and adjacent to KBNP were estimated to contain 86 per cent of theworld’s Grauer’s gorillas, and that the other 14 per cent is also likely to have been hit bypoaching, the evidence indicates a possible 80-90 per cent reduction in only three years.

If this park and its magnificent gorillas are to be given one last chance, it must be withboth partsof the park, and the corridor of land that links them, intact. Now is the time for action!

Acknowledgements

The information in this report could not have been gathered without the kind, and often courageous, assistance ofmany people. I am grateful to all those who gave freely of their time, including (in approximate order of meetingthem):In Kigali: Vince Smith, Jean de Dieu Ntiruhungwa, Francois Nkinziwike, Viateur Nsengimana;In Goma: Vital Katembo, Tuver-Wundi, Dieudonne Ntambabazi, Claude Sikubwabo, Henry Girhuza, Kasuku waNeyo; Stanislas Bakinahe, Anicet Mburanumwe-Chiri and the staff of ICCN;In Bukavu: Remy Mitima, Kasereka Bishikwabo, Carlos and Christine Schuler-Deschryver, John Kahekwa, MbiliziWenga and the staff of GTZ and ICCN.For security reasons, some cannot be named here, but named and anonymous, they should know that the world isindebted to them for their continued commitment to conservation in the face of threats to their personal safety.

In England, I am grateful to Greg Cummings, Jillian Miller, Judith Egerton and Celia Davis of DFGFE, to BenDykes and David Pledger of BFF for help in the rapid production of this report, and to Stanley Johnson andCindy Milburn of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for their support and advice.

References

Ape Alliance, 1998 The African Bushmeat Trade – A Recipe for Extinction. Ape Alliance, Cambridge, UK.

Hall, Jefferson, Kristin Saltonstall, Bila-Isia Inogwabini and Ilambu Omari, 1998 Distribution, abundance andconservation status of Grauer’s gorilla.Oryx 32 (2): 122-130.

ICCN/PNKB-GTZ Le Gorille, Issues No. 2 (1.6.2000), No. 3 (6.12.2000) and No. 4 (1.6.2001).

Redmond, Ian, 2000 Horror in DRC. Wildlife Times, Winter 2000, Born Free Foundation,www.bornfree.org.uk

Steinhauer-Burkatt, Bernd, Michael Muhlenberg and Jolanta Stowik, 1995 Kahuzi-Biega National Park. A GuideBook published by IZCN/GTZ-Project ‘Integrated Nature Conservation in East-Zaire’.

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Coltan Boom, Gorilla Bust, Annex A

Extracts of the Panel of Experts Report to the UN Security Council relevant to conservation, and theRwandan Government’s response.

Report of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealthof the Democratic Republic of the Congo

61. Impact on wildlif e. Wildlife has also suffered a great deal from the conflict. Numerous accounts andstatistics from regional conservation organizations show that, in the area controlled by the Ugandan troopsand Sudanese rebels, nearly 4,000 out of 12,000 elephants were killed in the Garamba Park in north-easternDemocratic Republic of the Congo between 1995 and 1999. The situation in other parks andreserves is equally grave, including Kahuzi-Biega Park, the Okapi Reserve and Virunga Park. The number ofokapis, gorillas and elephants has dwindled to small populations. In the Kahuzi-Biega Park, a zonecontrolled by the Rwandans and RCD-Goma and rich in coltan, only 2 out of 350 elephant families remainedin 2000. There is serious concern among conservationists that the rest fled of their own accord or were killed, as twotons of elephant tusks were traced in the Bukavu area late in 2000. Already by April 2000, about three tons of tuskswere temporarily seized by RCD-ML in Isiro. After strong pressure from Uganda, the cargo was released andtransferred to Kampala.

62. The Panel has indications that, in most cases, poaching of elephants in violation of international law(Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)) was wellorganized. Either soldiers hunted directly with the consent of the commander or they provided equipmentand protection to local villagers to execute the task with the objective of collecting elephant tusks. Forexample, in August 2000, UPDF Colonel Mugeni and a crew of his soldiers were discovered with 800 kg ofelephant tusks in their car near Garamba Park. The Government of Uganda received detailed notificationof this incident. Eyewitnesses reported to the Panel several incidents that involved Rwandan soldiers in thetrading of elephant and buffalo meat. In the Bukavu and Goma areas, there appears to be a pattern: highcommanders take the tusks, soldiers negotiate the wholesale price with some locals, and the locals sellthe meat in the market place as retailers.

Sanctions221. The Security Council should immediately declare a temporary embargo on the import or export of coltan,niobium, pyrochlore, cassiterite, timber, gold and diamonds from or to Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda until thosecountries’ involvement in the exploitation of the natural resources of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is madeclear and declared so by the Security Council. All countries should abstain from facilitating the import or export ofthese resources. Any country breaking this embargo should face sanctions; Governments should take the measuresnecessary to ensure that companies registered in their territory and individuals breaking the embargo are punished.

222. The Security Council should decide that all Member States without delay should freeze the financial assets ofthe rebel movements and their leaders. Member States should take the necessary measures to ensure that their publicand private financial institutions stop doing business with banks named in this report that are located in Burundi,Rwanda and Uganda.

224. The Panel recommends that the Security Council declare an immediate embargo on supply of weaponsand all military materiel to the rebel groups operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and considerextending this embargo to the States that support or assist those groups.

233. The Panel recommends that the United Nations Forum on Forests unify the different schemes and proceduresfor timber certification. The certification scheme should be based on the broad framework of principles, criteria andindicators promoted by the International Panel on Forests and the International Forum on Forests. New criteria on“conflict timber” should be considered. The Forum on Forests should become or designate one single accreditingbody for timber certification. The composition of such a body should reflect the diversity of actors and interests aswell as the specificity of regions. Such a unified mechanism would prevent some “loose codification” and purelycommercial certifying bodies from delivering or attempting to deliver certificates. The Panel urges the SecurityCouncil to declare timber and non-timber forest products coming from warring areas, “conflict timber and non-timber forest products”. Countries importing non-certified timber should put in place minimum guidelines andsanctions for companies that import timber and non-timber forest products from countries at war or experiencingcivil war related to the allocation or distribution of natural resources.

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234. The Panel proposes, following the declaration on the control of illegal logging made by the Group of Eight in1998, and the ongoing discussions on “conflict timber products”, that a mandate be given to the United NationsForum on Forests:(a) To compile information in collaboration with various non-governmental organizations on illegal logging and“conflict timber products” in the world;(b) To publish annually a list of countries involved in illegal and “conflict timber products” trade;(c) To submit an annual report to the General Assembly of the United Nations.

237. UNESCO, in collaboration with UNEP, the secretariat of CITES and non-governmental organizations workingin the Democratic Republic of the Congo should assess the extent of damage to wildlife in Garamba Park, Kahuzi-Biega Park, the Okapi Reserve and Virunga Park, and propose sanctions to be taken against those Governmentswhose soldiers were involved in the mass killing of endangered species.

Framework for reconstruction238. The Security Council would give mandate and means to a United Nations commission created to help theGovernment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo manage the transition in the formerly occupied regions. TheCommission will help design and put in place the legal and administrative framework and create an enablingenvironment for economic activities. The Commission will also help put in place the necessary conditions for theenhancement of State authority and security over its territory.=================================================================================

The Government of Rwanda’s response does not detail conservation implications of the trade, but a flavour of theirdisagreement is shown below:

REACTION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF RWANDA TO THE REPORT OF THE PANEL OFEXPERTS ON THE ILLEGAL EXPLOITATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND OTHER

FORMS OF WEALTH OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

This is a type of report the reader should read backwards. One should start with the wild recommendationsin order to follow the absurdity of the report’s contents. It is quite clear that the recommendations of the"Experts" were pre-set wishes on which they based their methodological framework.

It is indeed not surprising that their first attempt at producing a report was found inadequate and they had tobe made to review it. Unfortunately, the second attempt is still very unprofessional and full of hearsay andinnuendos. It is indeed not very helpful to the Security Council to depend on experts who have absolutelyno knowledge of the region they are doing research on; because what you end up with are unsubstantiatednewspaper stories indeed street talk and revisionist propaganda.

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Coltan Boom, Gorilla Bust, Annex BRapport de Mission Effectuee en Sous-Station d’Itebero, presented by IC, an independent consultantcommissioned by ICCN, 19th April 2001.

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Coltan Boom, Gorilla Bust, Annex CLetters to Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre from:(i) Kasereka Bishikwabo, Chief Warden, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, ICCN Bukavu.(ii) Anicet Mburanumwe-Chiri, Regional Co-ordinator ICCN, Goma.

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Coltan Boom, Gorilla Bust, Annex DConclusions et Consensus de le Reunion Tripartite sur la Coordination des Activites ICCN dans les Sites Patrimoine

Mondiale en RDC.

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Coltan Boom, Gorilla Bust, Annex E

Evidence of Ivory Traffic in Rwanda, January 2000

Ian RedmondIndependent Wildlife Consultant

P.O.Box 308, Bristol, BS99 7LQ, UKEmail: ele@globalnet.co.uk

1. Reports from Bukavu and Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Between 29th and 31st January 2000, I carried out a reconnaissance mission to Bukavu to discuss ways in which theApe Alliance (an international coalition of conservation and animal welfare NGOs concerned with great apes) canhelp stop the slaughter of eastern lowland gorillas and other species in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

Discussions were held with many people, but because of security concerns in this troubled region, the identity ofthese sources of information must be witheld. Conservation activities are currently possible in only five per cent ofthe total park area of 6,000km2. These activities, by unarmed and poorly equipped guards, have succeeded inprotecting two of the five habituated gorilla groups, but the rest, along with about half the gorillas in themountainous sector of the park, have been killed. The rest of the park is controlled by various armed factionsinvolved in local or regional conflict, and so park patrols are not possible. These armed factions are, however,widely reported to have been actively poaching large mammals for bushmeat - both for personal consumption andcommercial trade - and plundering other resources from the park, such as gold, cassiterite (tin ore) and ivory, to fundtheir military activities. Even gorillas are said to have been poached by Rwandan military personnel, althougheating gorilla meat is not a part of Rwandan culture. This report will focus on ivory and elephant hair bracelets.

It is said that these resources - including ivory - are being smuggled into or through Rwanda. Whether or not thesereports are true, it is important for the relevant Rwandan authorities to investigate them and take appropriate actionbefore the rumours reach the world's attention.

2. Meeting with Mr Gideon Kayinamura, Secretary General of the Rwandan Ministry of Commerce,Industry and Tourism, Kigali, 31.1.2000.

In a meeting, kindly granted at short notice, Mr Kayinamura listened with concern to my account of the rumourscirculating in Bukavu, but wisely pointed out that any action to counter the alleged trade in ivory or other illegalproducts must be based on hard evidence, not hearsay. My brief visit has not enabled a full investigation, but Ipromised to report any evidence that came to light. This is the reason for this somewhat limited report.

3. Ivory carvings, bangles and elephant-hair bracelets on sale in tourist kiosks and stalls in Kigali, 31stJanuary 2000.

Following my encouraging discussion with Mr Kayinamura, I crossed the road to the souvenir stall opposite hisoffice. On display, among the drums and wooden carvings, were a number of elephant products; others wereoffered as soon as I showed an interest in those on display. They included (all sizes estimated only):Description Quantity Price

Ivory bangles, about 7-8 cm in diameter, 5mm thick. 4 1,500 FRw eachCarved portions of tusk, about 20cm long, 5-6cm diameter 3 15,000 FRw eachCarved tusk tips, about 15cm long, 4-5cm basal diameter 3 10,000 FRw eachElephant hair bracelets, adjustable diameter approx.10 1,000 FRw each

I would estimate that total weight of ivory to be in the region of 4-5 kilogramme.

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Declining the sales pitch, I crossed over the roundabout to the kiosk directly opposite the offices of ORTPN. In itwas a more extensive array of souvenirs, including:

Description Quantity Price

Carved tusk sections and tips, ranging from 13-30cm long,and 4-8cm in basal diameter 40 According to sizeSmall bangles, 4mm thick and 5-6cm diameter approx.25 Not givenSolid ivory animals, from a 12cm high Kangaroo toan 18cm long elephant and buffalo 5 Not given

I would estimate the total weight of ivory to be about 35 kilogrammes

The next stall along was the first in a row of open stalls, with masks, chairs, sisal baskets, wood and soapstonecarvings, all displayed on the ground: the first included:

Description Quantity Price

Carved heads and tusk sections 17 Not givenBangles, 2cm thick and approx.8cm diameter 4 Not given

The other stalls had fewer items each, but included:

12cm diameter tusk root, hollow, 18cm tall, wooden base 1 Not givenElephant bone, carved, approx.10cm x 35cm x 2cm thick 1 Not givenSolid, carved chimpanzees, approx.10cm high, one holdinggroin, one holding penis, one wearing cowboy hat... 3 15,000 FRw eachVarious carvings, some apparently quite old, approx.10 Not givenBundles of elephant-hair bracelets (genuine, not plastic) approx.25 1,000 FRw each

Finally, in the foyer of the Hotel des Milles Collines, a stallwas displaying a bundle of the smaller ivory bangles approx.24 Not given

The total weight of ivory on the above stalls is estimated at about 20 kilo.

4. How many elephants died to provide Kigali with carvings and bangles?

The total weight of ivory seen amounts to (rough estimate only) about 60 kilos after carving. The original tuskweight would have been perhaps 50 per cent more - say about 100 kilos. If this amount is on display, one canpredict that at least the same amount is in the trader's stores. How many elephants does this estimated 200 kilos ofivory represent?

The tusk shape and colour indicates clearly that this ivory comes from forest elephants, long classified as a sub-speciesLoxodonta africana cyclotis,but about to be re-classified as a separate speciesLoxodonta cyclotis. Forestelephant tusks tend to be straighter, of yellowish-brown ivory, and sometimes with a dark exterior (several such darktusks were seen). The ivory is harder and more dense than that of savannah elephants. Only the 12cm diameterroot of a tusk came from a sizeable male tusker - the rest appeared to be from females (who have more slender,parallel sided tusks) or from immature animals of either sex. The number of small bangles also indicates that theroots of many slender tusks have been cut up to produce them, whereas larger bangles (from male tusk roots) wererelatively uncommon.

It is impossible to be precise, but some of the tusk tips are so slender that they could only have come from youngelephants of 3-5 years with tusks of 0.5 - 1 kilogramme each. Few could have exceeded 5-6 kilos, and so if weassume a tusk weight of say 4 kilos, the ivory in Kigali would represent approximately 28 elephants (assuming anaverage of 1.8 tusks per elephant to allow for single tuskers).

All populations of forest elephant are listed on Appendix 1 of CITES, which bans international commercial trade inlisted species or their derivative products - in this case, both ivory and elephant hair bracelets.

In addition, most of the stalls also displayed carved hippopotamus teeth. The hippo was put on Appendix 2 ofCITES in 1994, and so any tourist wishing to take a hippo tooth carving home would need an export permit from

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Rwanda and an import permit from their home country; these permits can only be granted if the CITESManagement Authority issure that the trade is not detrimental to the species or population concerned.

5. Where did the ivory originate?

Rwanda has few resident elephants left. Before the civil war and genocide, a few forest elephants survived inNyungwe Forest, but these have likely been killed by now; one or two dozen periodically enter the Parc desVolcans from the Congo side of the Virungas (and indeed a herd of about 30 recently visited the Uganda side,before returning to Congo). And some of the 25 savannah elephants that were relocated into Akagera in 1975, mayhave survived with their offspring. This does not seem a likely basis for even a small ivory carving industry -particularly one involving mainly forest elephant tusks.

The inevitable conclusion is that these tusks are most likely from young and/or female forest elephants killed in theDemocratic Republic of Congo.

6. What action should Rwanda take?

Whether these elephants are being poached by Rwandan soldiers, Interahamwe or commercial poachers, steps mustbe taken to clamp down on the smuggling and discourage further poaching. Rwanda has an excellent record forprotection of endangered species, and elephants are protected by national law. Rwanda is also a signatory to theConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, the next Conference of the Parties of which is tobe held at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, from 10th to the 20th April 2000.

At that Conference, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa are seeking - in the face of strong internationalopposition - to further expand the international trade in ivory. Rwanda has long sided with the majority of the 37African and 13 Asian elephant range states who do not wish to see a return to widespread slaughter of elephants andmurdering of park rangers by armed gangs of ivory poachers.

One way to earn the support and respect of the many countries who strive to protect their elephants, and to gaintremendous international positive publicity, would be for Rwanda to follow the example of Kenya and publicly burnits confiscated ivory. If this act were to follow a very public crack-down on the illegal ivory merchants on thestreets of Kigali, it would also send a strong message to whomever is killing elephants in Congo that there is nomarket in, or trade route through, the elefriendly Republic of Rwanda.

I can guarantee that Rwanda would receive considerable support in maximising the effect of such a cleardemonstration of its commitment to conservation from a broad cross section of conservation and animal welfareorganisations worldwide.

Ian Redmond,Co-ordinator,The African Ele-Fund;Chairman,The Ape Alliance;Kigali, 31st January 2000.

Acknowledgements:I would like to thank the following organisations for their support of this research:Born Free Foundation,Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund,Discovery Initiatives,International Fund for Animal Welfare.

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Update on ivory on sale in Rwanda, May 2001.

During several periods spent in Rwanda during the past 18 months, I have noticed many people wearing ivorybangles. It seems to be fashionable to do so, and when the wearer is asked from where it comes, the answer isusually “from Congo”. Both Rwanda and DRC are signatories to CITES, the Convention on International Trade inEndangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and their populations of elephants are listed on Appendix I, whichbans international trade. Rwanda does not have a domestic ivory trade, and so it is most likely that the ivory on saleis from Congo, making it illegally imported. Moreover its sale in an international airport is inviting people to breakthe law buy buying it and carrying it across international borders.

On 5th October 2000, I photographed ivory on sale in the central display in Kigali airport.

The items included:

35 bangles,36 pairs of earrings,10 necklaces,approximately 100 rings,2 combs,1 cigarette holder,3 hair clips,15 small elephants,1 carved head and neck,2 toothpick holders (probably hippo tusk, but this also requires an export permit being on Appendix II of CITES)2 chess sets, with ivory and malachite squares.

Time did not permit me to check on the stalls in Kigali during this investigation into the coltan trade, but as I leftKigali airport on 7th May 2001, I was pleased to note that the central display unit had been removed, and no ivorywas visible in the main foyer. Unfortunately, once upstairs in the departure lounge, I found ivory jewellery on salein the small shop there, including:

6 ivory bangles,4 elasticated bracelets with chunks of ivory, some stained, some white,1 necklace with large ivory beads,10 necklaces with small ivory beads,about 10 pairs of earrings,and about 30 elephant hair bracelets at $10 each (just as illegal to take across international borders as ivory).

There were a number of white rings, but these proved to be bone on closer examination.

Also, there were two large and 3 small beaded walking sticks decorated with tufts of golden and blue monkey fur;all non-human primates are listed on either CITES Appendix I or II, and so any tourist carrying one of these home islikely to have it confiscated by any vigilant customs officer.

Ivory bangles and elephant hairbracelets on sale in KigaliAirport Departure Lounge,7th May 2001

In a country with such a strong conservation record, it is sad to think that this display of dead wildlife is the lastthing which visitors see when they leave Rwanda.