Bila-Isia Inogwabini - Costs and benefits of alleviating the biodiversity crisis in developing economies: Is the toll paid by local communities justifiable?
(Catholic University of Congo (School of Management) & Scientific Director Science Panel for the Congo Basin)
The world has entered into a global era of multiple crises including, among the most vexing, climate change, biodiversity collapse and global socio-economic and political unpredictability. Efforts are required from different social groups to alleviate the effects of these crises and, in some cases, to cope with their effects. This presentation addresses the crisis of biodiversity collapse from an economic perspective. Taking some examples from the Congo Basin, the presentation discusses the effects of efforts by local communities and the benefits they gain (or are likely to gain). The presentation argues that while everyone and every society will need to contribute, the economic burden borne by local communities in the Congo Basin far outweighs benefits they gain and will like obtain in the long run. Different mechanisms being put in place in the Congo Basin to alleviate the global ecological crisis offer new ways for the elites to capture funding and increase their socio-economic status. The presentation argues that this is likely to remain the trend throughout the Congo Basin, if the governance of natural resources does not become more democratic, transparent, and more equitable.
