As we enter the second half of February 2026, no forestry company in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has yet received a logging permit for the current fiscal year. This recurring delay, also observed in 2021 and 2022, highlights the weaknesses of the forest management system and raises concerns about the sustainability of Congolese forest exploitation.
The industrial timber harvesting permit (PCIBO) is not merely an administrative document. According to sector specialists and Congolese civil society, it is a key tool for traceability and environmental control. “The permit allows the State to regulate the timing, location, and species to be harvested, specifying the volume and number of stems,” notes a civil society actor involved in forest monitoring. Allocated volumes are calculated based on forest inventories conducted in each concession to ensure sustainable exploitation.
Yet, the permit issuance process appears to suffer from a certain laxity, both on the part of forestry companies and the competent authorities, namely the Planning and Exploitation Unit (CPE). Some operators reportedly take advantage of the delays to submit their applications late—after September 30 of the year preceding the fiscal period—without the CPE applying any sanctions. This administrative flexibility, far from harmless, delays the actual issuance of permits before January 1, the date on which they are supposed to be valid.
The direct consequence of this delay is serious: it undermines the annual legal timber production. In some cases, operators are forced to harvest before obtaining the permit, exposing the forest to a higher risk of illegal exploitation and the State to the loss of revenue and control over the activity. “The permit is essential not only to limit forestry offenses but also to ensure that local communities and the State benefit from this economic activity,” emphasizes a forestry expert.
Congolese civil society, engaged for years in monitoring the forestry sector, is therefore calling on the new Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment. The message is clear: urgently resolve this situation, hold stakeholders accountable, and restore the legal schedule for issuing PCIBOs. Without immediate action, the DRC risks repeating a cycle of delays and uncontrolled exploitation, to the detriment of its forests and local communities. This delay also highlights a more structural issue: the urgent need to strengthen permit issuance services, enforce strict administrative discipline, and ensure transparency in forest resource management, so that forestry legislation—designed to protect the forest and its stakeholders—does not remain dead letter.
By Kilalopress