• Environment Minister announced plans to suspend all exploitation of Padouk redwood, a species prized in luxury furniture.

• The ban will cover cutting, transport, and sales nationwide, backed by new digital oversight and tighter controls.

• The move comes ahead of COP30 as Kinshasa seeks to align forest governance with global standards and curb illicit logging.
  

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) plans to suspend the exploitation of redwood, known locally as bois rouge. Environment Minister Marie Niange disclosed this at the Council of Ministers meeting on September 12. The measure, to be enacted by ministerial decree, will ban cutting, transport, and marketing of the wood across the country until further notice.

Niange said the suspension will be supported by stricter monitoring through the Programme de contrôle de la production et de la commercialisation des bois (PCPCB) and the rapid rollout of the Système intégré de gestion forestière (SIMEF), a digital one-stop shop for forest management.

The government hopes the decision will reassure international partners of its commitment to sustainable resource use. With COP30 approaching, Kinshasa aims to prove it can bring its forest governance in line with global standards while ensuring exploitation benefits the Congolese population.

Redwood is especially sought after in China for luxury furniture, according to environmental outlet Mongabay. Despite rules requiring special authorizations, illicit exploitation has been documented in recent years. Between 2013 and 2018, redwood was heavily logged in Haut-Katanga, prompting authorities to ban its exploitation there in 2018 and to secure its listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

A broader problem persists. A 2015 World Bank study estimated artisanal logging output in the DRC at 3 to 4 million cubic meters annually. Yet, figures from the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) show only 300,000 m³ came from industrial concessions, meaning over 90% of timber originates in the artisanal sector — often outside any legal framework.

Ronsard Luabeya