[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 12, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H3009-H3015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       AFRICAN ELEPHANT CONSERVATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2001

  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 643) to reauthorize the African Elephant Conservation Act, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 643

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``African Elephant 
     Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2001''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF AFRICAN ELEPHANT CONSERVATION ACT.

       Section 2306 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16 
     U.S.C. 4245) is amended by striking ``1997'' and all that 
     follows through ``2002'' and inserting ``2001, 2002, 2003, 
     2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007''.

     SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.

       Section 2306 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16 
     U.S.C. 4245) is further amended--
       (1) by striking ``There are authorized'' and inserting 
     ``(a) In General.--There is authorized''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(b) Administrative Expenses.--Of amounts available each 
     fiscal year to carry out this Act, the Secretary may expend 
     not more than 3 percent or $80,000, whichever is greater, to 
     pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry out this 
     Act.''.

     SEC. 4. COOPERATION.

       Part I of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 
     4211 et seq.) is further amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 2104. ADVISORY GROUP.

       ``(a) In General.--To assist in carrying out this Act, the 
     Secretary may convene an advisory group consisting of 
     individuals representing public and private organizations 
     actively involved in the conservation of African elephants.
       ``(b) Public Participation.--
       ``(1) Meetings.--The Advisory Group shall--
       ``(A) ensure that each meeting of the advisory group is 
     open to the public; and
       ``(B) provide, at each meeting, an opportunity for 
     interested persons to present oral or written statements 
     concerning items on the agenda.
       ``(2) Notice.--The Secretary shall provide to the public 
     timely notice of each meeting of the advisory group.
       ``(3) Minutes.--Minutes of each meeting of the advisory 
     group shall be kept by the Secretary and shall be made 
     available to the public.
       ``(c) Exemption From Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The 
     Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not 
     apply to the advisory group.''.

     SEC. 5. PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY.

       Section 2101 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16 
     U.S.C. 4211) is amended by redesignating subsection (e) as 
     subsection (f), and by inserting after subsection (d) the 
     following:
       ``(e) Project Sustainability.--To the maximum extent 
     practical, in determining whether to approve project 
     proposals under this section, the Secretary shall give 
     consideration to projects that will enhance sustainable 
     conservation programs to ensure effective long-term 
     conservation of African elephants.''.

     SEC. 6. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

       (a) Conforming and Clerical Amendments.--The African 
     Elephant Conservation Act is amended as follows:
       (1) Section 2101(a) (16 U.S.C. 4211(a)) is amended by 
     striking ``African Elephant Conservation''.
       (2) Section 2102 (16 U.S.C. 4212) is amended by striking 
     the section heading and all that follows through ``(d) 
     Acceptance and Use of Donations.--'' and inserting the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 2102. ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF DONATIONS.''.

       (3) Section 2304 (16 U.S.C. 4243) is repealed.
       (4) Section 2305(4) (16 U.S.C. 4244(4)) is amended by 
     striking ``the African Elephant Conservation Fund established 
     by section 2102'' and inserting ``the account established by 
     division A, section 101(e), title I of Public Law 105-277 
     under the heading `multinational species conservation fund' 
     ''.

[[Page H3010]]

       (b) Technical Correction.--Title I of section 101(e) of 
     division A of Public Law 105-277 (112 Stat. 2681-237) is 
     amended under the heading ``multinational species 
     conservation fund'' by striking ``Rhinoceros and Tiger 
     Conservation Act, subchapter I'' and inserting ``Rhinoceros 
     and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, part I''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. 
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill H.R. 643, as amended in committee, is a 
bipartisan, non-controversial bill that will reauthorize one of the 
most successful wildlife conservation laws ever enacted by the 
Congress.
  Since 1988, the African Elephant Conservation Act has stopped the 
slaughter of this flagship species, and it has kindled hope that 
African elephants can be saved from extinction in the wild.
  With only a limited appropriation of $11 million, the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service has generated an additional $51.7 million in private 
funds. These resources have funded 115 conservation projects in 22 
range states throughout Africa. These projects are making a real 
difference in the world, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 
The service says this is not a hand-out policy, it is a helping-hands 
policy, which does significant progress toward encouraging the local 
people to develop an economy that will be based on tourism to see these 
magnificent creatures.
  At the subcommittee hearings on this legislation, every witness 
testified in strong support of extending this essential conservation 
program. I was particularly impressed by the comments of Jim Rapp of 
Salisbury, Maryland, who is the manager of the Salisbury Zoo. In his 
statement on behalf of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, Jim 
noted that without ongoing funding, we are likely to face something 
that he called an ``empty forest syndrome.'' I found that phrase to be 
a deep, hollow loneliness, wrapped in despair. But this legislation 
goes a long way in preventing that type of lonely-forest syndrome.
  In summary, H.R. 643 will extend the act at existing authorization 
levels for 5 years, will allow the Secretary of the Interior to 
establish an advisory panel to assist in this program, will cap 
administrative expenses at 3 percent, or $80,000 per year, and will 
emphasize the issuance of grants for long-term sustainable elephant 
conservation.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to strongly condemn what is 
occurring within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In their quest 
to obtain a highly priced mineral, colombo tantalite, which is used in 
cell phones and computers, rebel miners are killing thousands of highly 
endangered eastern lowland gorillas and elephants. In one park alone, 
7,000 elephants out of a population of 12,000 have been slaughtered for 
the illegal bushmeat trade. This tragic killing of these keystone 
species must be stopped.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to end with this quote from an author, 
Thomas Berry: ``Extinction is a difficult concept to grasp. It is an 
eternal concept. It is an absolute and final act, for which there is no 
remedy.''
  Because of that statement and the efforts of many thousands of people 
across this country and the world, on behalf of the gentleman from 
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) and the staff, I would urge an aye 
vote on this legislation, to prevent the silent forest syndrome from 
happening.
  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record an article entitled, ``Coltan 
Boom, Gorilla Bust.''

                       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 and the Born Free Foundation


                           executive summary

       The lucrative trade in coltan, a formerly obscure mineral, 
     has recently become headline news. Organizations ranging from 
     the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe to the United Nations 
     Security Council 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 falling numbers of gorillas in an African 
     war zone.
       It must be made clear from the outset, however, that there 
     are two controversies relating to coltan from Central Africa. 
     First, there is the broad question of whether or not it is 
     legal to trade with rebel-held territories. This is the 
     subject of a report by a `panel of experts', commissioned by 
     UN Security Council to examine the exploitation of natural 
     resources in war-torn DRC (extracts in Annex A). It is not 
     within the remit of this study to discuss this wider issue. 
     Instead, this report focuses on the second controversy--the 
     exploitation of natural resources, especially coltan, in 
     legally protected areas such as Kahuzi-Biega National Park 
     (KBNP). This park is a UNESCO 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 of other species (Steinhauer-
     Burkart et al, 1995). The KBNP population of Grauer's gorilla 
     was contiguous with those in the adjacent Kasese forests, and 
     together they represented 86 per cent of the 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) and Kenya, during which 
     discussions were held with conservationists, coltan traders, 
     NGOs and government ministers and officials.
       It is clear from the information gathered that only 
     immediate action at the highest level will halt the 
     destruction of this beautiful area, and offer a chance of the 
     recovery of its unique biodiversity. It remains to be seen 
     how many--or how few--of Kahuzi-Biega's 3,600 elephants and 
     8,000 gorillas have survived the massacre in the lowland 
     area, but it is hoped that relict populations could have 
     retreated to, or survived in, the most inaccessible parts, 
     furthest from the mining areas. The only accurate data is 
     from the highland area, which has lost all of its 350 
     elephants and half of its 258 gorillas (ICCN census funded 
     last year by WCS and DFGFI).
       From the new indirect evidence, it appears that the KBNP 
     and Kasese population of Grauer's Gorilla may have been 
     reduced to under 1,000. The other nine populations listed by 
     Hall et al (1998) numbered in the tens or hundreds a decade 
     ago and are also likely to have declined or been 
     exterminated. The population Maiko National Park is thought 
     to have escaped the heavy poaching, but if our worst fears 
     prove founded, the sub-species may have been reduced from 
     about 17,000 to only 2,000-3,000, an 80-90 per cent crash in 
     only three years.
       Moreover, the indications are that the biodiversity of the 
     Kahuzi-Biega region has been seriously, if not irreparably, 
     damaged. If action is taken immediately, however, recovery in 
     the long term may be possible even now. But if further 
     procrastination and bureaucratic delays prevent effective and 
     co-ordinated action, the word from the conservationists on 
     the ground is that it will be too late.
       If this happens despite their well-publicised warnings, the 
     world will have stood by and watched the systematic 
     destruction of one more natural wonder. And the magnificent 
     Grauer's gorilla will become the first great ape to be driven 
     to extinction--a victim of war, human greed and high 
     technology.
       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 in the DRC. As long as the exploitation of 
     natural resources is disorganized, protected areas will bear 
     the burden. Any excuse to pursue non-organized mineral 
     exploitation in any of the countries of the African Great 
     Lakes countries will lead to destruction of protected areas 
     in the whole region.''


                            recommendations

       The simple message from all the conservationists on the 
     ground is that immediate action is required to save KBNP. If 
     the political will to stop the mining, and if resources for 
     ICCN are not forthcoming now, then the chances of Grauer's 
     gorillas surviving and the park recovering are virtually nil. 
     The medium- and long-term plans are, therefore, dependent on 
     the successful implementation of the short-term acts.
       Note.--These recommendations are complementary to those by 
     A. Kanyunyi Basabose and Juichi Yamagiwa, included in a new 
     report by BRD, available at www.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 and 
     reserves, 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 the disputed 
     boundaries of KBNP.
       (ii) Locate funds to enable ICCN to increase manpower and 
     extend the excellent

[[Page H3011]]

     monitoring and protection currently afforded to the 
     mountainous sector to the lowland sector of KBNP. A census of 
     large mammals is a high priority to assess the potential for 
     recovery of the park's ecosystems.
       (iii) Implement DFGFE proposal to establish an endowment to 
     finance a micro-credit scheme similar to the successful one 
     pioneered by DFGFE in Goma, providing the means for local 
     people to set up small businesses and thereby reducing their 
     dependence on illegally acquired resources in KBNP.
       (iv) Identify the best location for a sanctuary to care for 
     orphaned primates, thereby enabling ICCN to confiscate them 
     (modelled on the Uganda Wildlife Authority's Ngamba Island 
     Chimpanzee Sanctuary).
       (v) Assist local NGOs such as the PolePole Foundation, to 
     source funds for conservation education, reforestation and 
     improved farming practices around the park boundary.
     Long-term objectives
       When peace returns to the region, the successful gorilla 
     tourism of the 1970s and 1980s should resume, financing the 
     conservation work and bringing benefits to the surrounding 
     communities. Revenue sharing schemes such as those already 
     operating in South-west Uganda should be introduced and 
     Kahuzi-Biega National Park will have been saved.


                               background

     Coltan and its uses
       Coltan is an abbreviation of columbo-tantalite, an ore 
     containing a mixture of two very similar heavy metals, namely 
     Niobium (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 of 
     Tantalum.
       Tantalite is the name for ore containing more of the 
     element Tantalum, a metal with many useful properties, used 
     in things from electronic components to surgical implants. In 
     nature it is found only as Tantalum Oxide Ta 205. 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's tantalum 
     supply comes from Africa, but demand is high due largely to 
     its use in electronic components, mainly tantalum 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 growth rate 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, and 
     are used in aerospace components, jet engines and gas turbine 
     parts.
     Price of coltan
       Fluctuations in the world market have a significant effect 
     on the level of activity in Africa. Poor deposits may become 
     economical to work if the price is high enough, but will then 
     be abandoned if the price falls again. At its highest last 
     year, the price reached $800 per kilo, but it is now around 
     $100 per kilo (still significantly higher than the 1998 price 
     of around $40 per kilo). This price reflects what the final 
     dealers receive, not what is paid to the peasant miners, 
     which is currently around $12 per kilo.
       Prices paid for the ore by dealers are also related to the 
     percentage of tantalum present, which is determined by 
     spectrographic 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 the 
     civil war, minerals--primarily cassiterite--were Rwanda's 
     only significant export other than coffee and tea. As with 
     agriculture, most mining is undertaken by peasant farmers, 
     who dig relatively small quantities by hand. They take bags 
     of ore to local centres to be weighed and bought. Dealers 
     then drive around the centres buying the accumulated larger 
     volumes. Preliminary purification of the ore takes place at a 
     factory at Gatumba, on the border between the Prefectures of 
     Gisenyi and Gitarama. There it is ground up and passed over 
     magnets to remove any iron 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 wealth belongs to 
     the state, not the individual (although he or she can profit 
     from mining it). There is now a legally constituted formula 
     for calculating compensation should crops, buildings or trees 
     be damaged by mining. Deposits are found in 34 Communes of 
     nine Prefectures across the country, from Cyangugu in the 
     south-west to Umutara and Kibungo in the east (see map and 
     list in Annex G), with most mines being in the Prefectures of 
     Gitarama 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 have been 
     killed recently by rock-falls and landslides that the 
     Ministry of Mines has ordered a halt to mining until the 
     safety issue has been addressed. On the ground, however, 
     mining continues because there is no enforcement of the 
     temporary 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's third 
     National Park, there is a history of illegal gold mining, 
     which also destroys habitat and pollutes streams, but 
     no coltan. Fortunately for the mountain gorillas, there 
     are no valuable mineral deposits in the Volcanoes National 
     Park (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, a co-operative of peasant miners 
     working three coltan mines around Kamonyi, in the Province of 
     Gitarama. This kind co-operation culminated in him driving me 
     to a number of mining sites on Sunday 6th May (see map 
     below). As we drove past Mt Kigali, he pointed out that it 
     has cassiterite deposits but they are not currently being 
     mined. At Mugina he spoke of heavy coltan deposits at the top 
     of a hill, leading the mining co-operative to install a pump 
     to get water up to the mine. Near Taba there are many coltan 
     deposits around the big Protestant church and hospital at 
     Remera. At Shyorongi the mines produce cassiterite, coltan 
     and wolfram. Rutongo has the only cassiterite refining 
     factory in the country. At Kayenzi, the coltan ore has up to 
     61 percent 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, part private) 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 for food. Things are improving now, 
     but it is still not properly regulated or controlled, which 
     is why accidents are so common. I asked about the ecological 
     damage which mining leaves behind, and was told that the new 
     mining law requires licensed miners to restore topsoil after 
     the valuable minerals have been extracted, but this has not 
     yet happened because it has just been introduced.
       Unfortunately, torrential rain prevented close inspection 
     of all but one mine near Mwaka, but the deluge certainly 
     illustrated the danger from rock-falls and land-slips whilst 
     digging in such soft rock. The mine consisted simply of the 
     partially exposed flanks of several small hills. I learned 
     that people have been mining here for more than 40 years, and 
     it took only a few moments conversation for people to run off 
     and fetch a couple of specimens of coltan which I purchased. 
     These were pebble-sized lumps--different from the Kahuzi-
     Biega grit I saw--one weighed about 40gms and the other about 
     240gms. Around Mwaka, mines are worked by a small co-
     operative called CEMAC, a member of COPIMAR.
       After the visit, I discussed the call for a boycott of 
     coltan from Central Africa with Mr. Nsengimana and Francois 
     Nkinziwiki, President of a local NGO called The Dian Fossey 
     Challenge. Whilst understanding the need to halt the 
     destruction of the two World Heritage Sites in DR Congo, they 
     were concerned that any regional boycott would hit thousands 
     of poor Rwandan families very hard. After a decade of civil 
     war, genocide and social disruption, it would be singularly 
     cruel to impose further hardship on people who were simply 
     carrying out a legal occupation that has been going on for 
     decades. Mr. Nkinziwiki put it succinctly, saying, ``To ban 
     the coltan trade in Gitarama would be 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 for 
     cultivation and cattle ranches with only a few patches of 
     forest here and there. There are very few cattle today 
     though, because tens of thousands were appropriated and 
     butchered to feed the refugee camps, allegedly with the help 
     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 some of the forest patches 
     on his land near Masisi and Walikale in the 1980s, but he 
     doubts very much if any survive now.
       Deposits of coltan here are concentrated in South Kivu 
     Province, but not all are in PNKB. Many are in undesignated 
     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 the advantage 
     that little equipment beyond a shovel is required to start 
     mining. The law in Congo requires, however, that even on our 
     own land, you need to pay for a license from the relevant 
     government authority to extract minerals. During the two 
     recent civil wars, however, such laws have been widely 
     ignored and mining rights have been 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 MGL established 
     permanent settlements to mine mainly gold and

[[Page H3012]]

     tin. After independence the mining was carried out by the 
     SOMINKI, and included one centre at Kabunga which was a base 
     for prospecting in the area now included in the Kahuzi-Biega 
     National Park.
     A long-standing controversy
       The extension to the park was designated in 1977, but 
     without a detailed study of the consequences. The boundary as 
     drawn included mines and permanent stone-built houses 
     belonging to SOMINKI. The park authorities at the time asked 
     for a Commission to study the boundary issue and resolve 
     disputes with local community leaders, but this never 
     happened. M. Anicent Mburanumwe Chiri, the Regional Head of 
     ICCN in Eastern DRC, proposes that, as soon as the crisis is 
     over, this long overdue commission should be established. The 
     commission should be composed of representatives from UNESCO, 
     ICCN, NGOs (local and international), local government and 
     community leaders. Its task would be to define once and for 
     all the limits of this World Heritage Site and--if agreement 
     is reached by all parties--to establish zones within the 
     boundary where controlled exploitation is permitted. ``Modern 
     conservation opinion would never condone the creation of a 
     vast national park that no-one knows the exact boundaries of, 
     and which does not take into account the needs or opinions of 
     local communities?''
     Pygmy communities in the PNKB
       During the Belgian colonial period, the authorities' 
     attitude to forest-dwelling pygmies living a traditional way 
     of life was to regard them as a part of the forest eco-system 
     that the parks were created to protect. This was at once an 
     enlightened and racist attitude--enlightened because seeing 
     humans as a part of nature than separate from it is a recent 
     trend, but deeply racist because it carried with it the 
     condescending implication that pygmy people were little more 
     than animals. The future of their culture looks bleak in this 
     region, but the fortunate few who find an education 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 life centered 
     around hunting animals. These soon disappear from around 
     permanent settlements such as mines, through hunting or 
     disturbance by miners, and so there is little incentive for 
     hunter gatherer communities to stay.
     Mining techniques
       The 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 loosen the 
     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 the coltan means, of 
     course, that mining tends to be concentrated along streams 
     and rivers. This exacerbates the erosion 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 desert 
     spoon and a ``le gosse'' (a small tin, originally a condensed 
     milk brand, which has come to mean the tin itself; it 
     contains 78gms of sweetened milk concentrate when sold, but 
     holds about 200gms of coltan grit). When the bags are full 
     they may weigh from 15kg to 50kg according to the strength of 
     the carrier, and a spring balance is usually present at the 
     site to weight them. The bags are sewn shut and transported 
     on the back in a ``makako''--a sort of basket-rucksack made 
     from forest lianas (another significant impact on the eco-
     system when one considers the thousands 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 foot and 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;
       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.


            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. The area 
     monitored has varied from five to 10 per cent of the total 
     6,000 square kilometres. The other 90-95 per cent has been 
     under the control of various armed factions, including 
     branches of the Mai-Mai and the Interahamwe (as detailed in 
     the ICCN/GTZ newsletter `Le Gorille', last year's Digit News 
     by DFGFE, Wildlife Times by BFF and Gorilla Journal by BRD).
       In the three weeks prior to my visit, there were two 
     incidents in which ICCN gorilla monitoring teams encountered 
     Interahamwe within a few kilometres of the park HQ at 
     Tshivanga. They reported well equipped, uniformed patrols of 
     ten men, each with an AK47 and two magazines. They had 
     radios, and even mobile phones--not the image of ragged gangs 
     living in the bush. But if they control some of the coltan 
     trade, they would certainly have the money to purchase such 
     things. The reports beg the question of where the radios are 
     being charged. On each occasion, a tracker was kidnapped by 
     the patrol, was held for three days and escaped. This led the 
     warden to reduce the area of regular patrolling to the bare 
     minimum to monitor the habituated gorillas, and prevents any 
     visitors from seeing the gorillas (in the monthly meeting I 
     learned that least 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 and other 
     products were reported to be being exploited 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 the RCD-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 this report, 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) where cassiterite 
     was mined. At that time, MGL was also mining gold in 
     Kamituga, south of the park, which meant that miners were 
     active in the whole region.When MGL closed down after 
     independence, local people continued to dig for gold, and 
     noticed other minerals but the low price of coltan did not 
     justify mining it. When the price of tantalum rose, it 
     became a desirable commodity and led to the current boom, 
     but it is important to see this in the context 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-block at Tchambusha. Presence of 
     roadblocks does not deter vendors taking goods to mines, but 
     taxes have to be paid to Mai-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, is from Maji-
     Maji (water) which was a password used by them. There are 
     about 12 sub-groups within the general term 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' (chef of hill). This is paid in coltan so its 
     value changes. Multiply this by the 10,000--15,000 or more 
     workers estimated to be in PNKB and the monthly income to 
     those controlling the mining area was of the order 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 four airstrips in 
     Shabunda region: Salambila, Kampene, Namoyo and Lulingu, plus 
     Walikale. Laden planes then flew east, presumably to Kigali.
       Sample for analysis: I asked IC if he could buy a sample of 
     coltan from KBNP. The following morning he met me with about 
     850gms of heavy, dark-grey grit and small stones (particle 
     size from sand to 8mm) which he had been told was from 
     Kakelo, a site near Camp Vuma (see map in IC's report). The 
     sample cost $25, and on return to Kigali I had it analysed 
     with the following results:

     % 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.

[[Page H3013]]

                           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 and bad quality coltan mines to anecdotes 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 an export 
     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 from miners at $12 
     per kilo and showed me a recent price list from a buyer in 
     Kigali, with prices paid in US dollars per pound 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)

       Best quality coltan, with 40 or 45% tantalum is found 
     around Numbi (30km from the main road, halfway between Goma 
     and Bukavu on the west shore of Lake Kivu), but this, he 
     said, is ``private''. It is alleged to be under the control 
     of RPA officers, and is the site at which Rwandan prisoners 
     were reported to have been used as forced labour (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 explain the process of analysis, he produced two 
     small samples, which had been ground to a fine powder, and 
     showed me the 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 to the 
     problems imposed by two civil wars. Despite being responsible 
     for national parks in areas controlled by three political 
     authorities--two rebel groups and the government in 
     Kinshasa--an agreement has been reached which allows 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 1994 
     Rwandan refugee exodus, little was done because the 
     humanitarian crisis made conservation seem a low priority in 
     comparison. When things got worse during the first Congo 
     civil war in 1996, little was done to help the hard pressed 
     warden and rangers. If it were not for the continued, if 
     scaled down, GTZ project, and the courage of the GTZ and ICCN 
     staff in keeping a sense of normality through the most 
     difficult and dangerous times, it is unlikely that that the 
     park would have remained functioning. Great strides were made 
     in the optimistic, but brief, period between the wars. When 
     the second civil war destroyed much of the new 
     infrastructure, it destroyed much of the morale of the park 
     staff too. But there were much cheered by the announcement 
     that UNESCO had come up with an ambitious scheme, largely 
     funded by the UN Foundation, to save the five World Heritage 
     Sites in DRC. Roughly speaking, 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 to those who have not been paid for years, 
     it was significant news. Headline news, in fact, as articles 
     in local and international press attest. Hopes were raised. 
     Things were looking up. Unfortunately, up to this point, only 
     one advance payment of $20,000 per site has been made (and 
     spent) and as the months pass, frustrations mount.
       In late 1999, prompted by Dr Jo Thompson, the Ape Alliance 
     also began working to raise funds to help ICCN, setting up 
     and an ad hoc DRC Parks Emergency Relief Mission with the 
     Belgian NGO Nouvelles Approaches. The idea took off quickly, 
     and starting with a $25,000 grant from IFAW, within days 
     various groups had pledged amounts to a total of $70,000. 
     More has since been raised, but as soon as it comes in, it is 
     spent on equipment ranging from boots to bicycles. More is 
     still being raised, and because Kahuzi-Biega is relatively 
     easy to reach, it has had most of its emergency needs met. 
     For example, with money raised by the Rachel Hunter Gorilla 
     Appeal, the Born Free Foundation last year provided a 
     Landover 101, a one-tonne 4x4 (see above) and made a 
     commitment to fund its fuel and parts, as well as new 
     uniforms and guard housing for the next three years. The 
     German NGO Bergorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe sent medical 
     supplies and with IPPL, covered the cost of publishing `Le 
     Gorille'--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 that although 
     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 
     than two years that the UNESCO money will be there soon 
     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 the 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!''
       Despite the lack of resources, however, and the danger the 
     men face when on patrol in a war zone, the conservation work 
     being done in the limited areas 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. After each warden had 
     presented a summary of his or her work for the month of 
     April, using hand-drawn maps and charts on rolls of brown 
     paper, I asked if this was a typical month. Yes, came the 
     answer. It would have been impressive in any park in any 
     country of the world. But in a war zone? With few resources, 
     and little or no pay? I told them that the quality and 
     quantity of work was almost incredible. And it gave me hope 
     that if the world does wake up and provide some substantive 
     assistance, this well managed, well motivated and courageous 
     team would be the one to do the job.
       One of the innovative acts that the warden implemented last 
     year was to take on about 20 new members of staff--all of 
     them known poachers. They were trained, and provided with 
     uniforms, but as yet they have not been paid what they were 
     promised because the UNESCO money for salaries has not 
     arrived. Kasereka told me, ``They are losing faith. 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-state 
     entity 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 during my stay. Instead, I had 
     a very positive meeting with M. Francis Bedy Makhubu Mabele, 
     Chief du Department de l'Agriculture et du Development Rural 
     (equivalent to the Minister for Agriculture and Rural 
     Development) and his aide, M. Gaby Djanga Lombe. The RCD-Goma 
     is supportive of ICCN, and signed the agreement (Annex D) to 
     permit conservation to continue despite the political and 
     military divisions in the country. M. Bedy Makhubu pointed 
     out that the attack last September, in which ten of his 
     countrymen died whilst working on the boundary of the 
     corridor linking the eastern and western sectors of Kahuzi-
     Biega, indicates what risks conservationists take (see 
     Redmond, 2000). He preferred the term `bandits' rather than 
     terms such as Interanhamwe or Mai-Mai for what the UN 
     Security Council report terms `negative forces'. He described 
     how armed gangs of these `bandits' rob and murder 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 given the 
     obvious dedication of ICCN staff.


                   the rwandan government's position

       Rwanda has long been extremely supportive of great ape 
     conservation. Since the death of Digit on the last day of 
     1977, and the rallying of support of mountain gorillas 
     through the work of Dian Fossey, Rwanda has largely been held 
     up as a shining example to other developing countries. Since 
     1979, the government has been an active partner in first the 
     mountain Gorilla Project and then the International Gorilla 
     conservation Programme (both consortia with FFI, AWF and 
     WWF). Throughout the civil war and genocide, except in the 
     most extreme circumstances the Rwanda 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 
     Fund International.
       It is strange, then, to read of Rwanda being accused of 
     involvement with the demise of Grauer's gorillas in eastern 
     DRC. I put this to the Minister of the Interior, M. Jean de 
     Dieu Ntiruhungwa, and he was firm in his reply, ``The Rwandan 
     Government considers gorilla conservation to be very 
     important, and this applies both in Rwanda and in 
     neighbouring Congo.'' The same point was made by H.E. Mrs 
     Rosemary Museminali, the Rwandan Ambassador in London. 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 or 
     their allies the RCD-Goma. It is occupied by Mai-Mai and 
     Interahamwe--Rwanda's enemies. It is also difficult terrain 
     in which to fight a guerrila 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 
     (see www.un.org/News and extracts in Annex A) there is a 
     debate over whether Rwanda and Uganda should trade at all 
     with eastern DRC while it is in the hands of rebels hostile 
     to the Kinshasa government. Rwanda points out that eastern 
     DRC is closer to the ports of Mombasa, Kenya and Dar es 
     Salaam, Tanzania, than to Kinshasa, and that trade has always 
     flowed eastwards from the region (which is why Swahili is the

[[Page H3014]]

     first language of many in eastern Congo). The latest reports 
     of the UN Security Council debate on this issue can be found 
     at www.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 boycott 
     of coltan from the region in an attempt to protect Congo's 
     bio-diversity. But as we have seen, this would cause intense 
     hardship to Rwanda's legal miners. What is required is for 
     the scientific community to pinpoint the chemical signatures 
     of coltan samples known to originate in KBNP (and other 
     protected areas such as the Okapi Wildlife Reserve and Maiko 
     National Park), and for international buyers to agree to 
     avoid shipments that match them. 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 area can 
     be infiltrated by an undercover agent. The international 
     community should respond by making the expertise and 
     resources available to the relevant authorities--whatever 
     their politics--for the sake of saving these areas of 
     outstanding bio-diversity now. Conservation cannot wait for 
     the outcome of political wrangling. And as the tripartite 
     agreement between the three regions of ICCN has shown (Annex 
     D), it can 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 other 
     endangered species. Even though apes form only a small 
     percentage of species traded, the impact on species with slow 
     reproduction rates is enormous. In some areas, apes may be 
     killed for food, in others, they may be killed or maimed by 
     snares set for other species. Either way, populations of 
     gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos are reported or thought to 
     be declining in most areas, leading to predictions of 
     extinction over most of the range within 10 to 20 years (Ape 
     Alliance campaign details available at www.4apes.com).
       The rise of the commercial bushmeat trade in West and 
     Central Africa prompted the Ape Alliance in 1996 to 
     commission a review by Cambridge zoologist Evan Bowen-Jones 
     (Ape Alliance, 1998). At that time, a survey of Grauer'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 percent were found in the Kahuzi-Biega lowland 
     forests, and those which extend beyond the park boundary 
     westwards to Kasese (see map, page 4). An oft repeated 
     estimate for the number of gorillas in KBNP itself is +/- 
     8,000. This was a higher estimate than earlier surveys 
     indicated, and there was some optimism that this sub-species 
     might be relatively safe. Sadly, the optimism was short 
     lived.
       When the first reports of the exploitation of Kahuzi-Biega 
     mentioned bushmeat, it was thought that the meat was probably 
     destined for local markets. The independent consultant (IC) 
     confirmed that this was the case when hunting first increased 
     in 1998. Reports of ivory, timber and gold coming out of the 
     park left the impression that anything of value was being 
     looted by these armed `bandits'. It is only now that the 
     picture since 1999 has emerged. 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, people were eating tortoises, birds, small antelope 
     and monkeys. He reported that hunters used to go out daily 
     from the mining camps and return with large mammals. Now they 
     go out for up to a week, and even then sometimes return empty 
     handed. No elephant meat was seen during his four weeks of 
     fieldwork, nor were tracks observed. Putting that in the 
     context of the map above, with its scattering of dots 
     representing mining camps and settlements, it seems likely 
     that elephants may be all but extinct and other large mammals 
     have declined dramatically and are heading for local 
     extinction. If these reports are verified, the world 
     population of Grauer's gorilla may have declined by 80-90 per 
     cent, with perhaps as few as 2,000-3,000 survivors in 
     scattered pockets of a few hundred each. The IC report (Annex 
     B) mentions an estimated 200 men setting snares to feed the 
     mining camps. In a park of 6,000 km2, this gives an average 
     hunting ground of only 5km x 6km per hunter (although in 
     reality the distribution would not be even). Clearly, 
     sustained trapping at this intensity will exterminate every 
     terrestrial animal capable of triggering the snares. In 
     addition, the IC mentions poachers and ex-military using 
     fire-arms--these will ensure the arboreal species, such as 
     monkeys and larger birds, do not escape the carnage.
       In the mining camps in KBNP, money is seldom used because 
     coltan has become the currency. Most of the bushmeat is not, 
     therefore, being exported to towns for sale, but is being 
     exchanged directly for coltan to feed the miners. But I did 
     hear a story of a large piece of elephant meat being flown 
     out in a military aircraft for consumption by officers.
     Ivory
       There were also rumors of nearly two tonnes of ivory in a 
     store in Bukavu. In the latest issue of the ICCN PKNB-GTZ 
     Newsletter `Le Gorille, 4' Chantal Shalukoma writes that 
     `about 1,340 kg of ivory exist in the commune Ibanda and 
     about 500 kg at the home of a businessman in Bukavu, who acts 
     as an intermediary between the poachers and foreign buyers. 
     These caches are thought to have come from the massacre of 46 
     elephants in the mountainous region of KBNP.' Hard evidence, 
     however, is harder to come by, although the quantity of ivory 
     on sale in Rwanda is an indication of the increase in illegal 
     trade in that commodity (see Annex E).
     Orphaned apes
       The IC mentioned that he had seen a live baby gorilla being 
     carried out of the forest on someone's back in a baby wrap. 
     It was not a very small one (maybe 1-2 years) and seemed in 
     good health. This was shortly before an expatriate soldier 
     was offered a baby gorilla for sale in Gisenyi, Rwanda on 
     10th April 2001, and could well have been the same one. 
     Unfortunately, the well-meaning soldier lectured the vendors 
     on the error of their ways, and so was not taken to see the 
     orphan and its whereabouts now is not known. Sadly, the 
     whereabouts is known of many orphan 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 held protected 
     species was on the agenda. It was estimated that there may be 
     as many as 50 orphan chimpanzees in the region--Vince Smith 
     spoke of at least 20 in Bukavu and up to 10 in Goma alone. 
     One of the action points for that meeting was to organize a 
     census of such captives, most of which are not receiving 
     adequate care. The problem is then what to do about them. 
     Without a sanctuary to keep them in, the authorities are 
     unable to confiscate them, and so 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 or two 
     confiscations per year, the war in DRC has led to a sharp 
     increase in chimp orphans being smuggled or brought home by 
     soldiers as pets, and the sanctuary is now full. Resources 
     are now being sought for a second island sanctuary 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 to 
     deter 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 a rate 
     opportunity for bringing benefits to hard-pressed 
     communities, Coltan has brought out the world attributes of 
     human nature--decadence, immorality, drug abuse and crime.
       Thousands of families have been deserted by their main 
     wage-earner in the 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.
       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, rather 
     than providing an opportunity to bring lasting benefits to 
     the people of this region by careful exploitation of legally 
     mined deposits. It is the responsibility of those in the 
     developed world, whose demand has created this chaos, to step 
     in with the skills and resources to turn the situation 
     around.
       Coltan mining, with safe mines and environmentally 
     responsible practice, could yet turn out to be a boom to the 
     region. But only a responsible attitude on the part of the 
     buyers will achieve this in a region where guns rule and 
     might is perceived as right. The concept of `Certified 
     Coltan' needs to be introduced immediately to the world 
     market, and mineral dealers must act quickly if they are not 
     to be tainted with the decadence of the DRC Coltan Boom.


                               conclusion

       The future of Kahuzi-Biega National Park hangs in the 
     balance. It is up to the international community to decide 
     which way that balance will tip.
       Although no census has been possible in the occupied 
     lowland section, the warden is now estimating that gorilla 
     numbers in KBNP may have dropped below 1,000, of which 130 
     live in the 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 
     genetically heterogenous species, and the danger of in-
     breeding may threaten their long term survival even with 
     protection from

[[Page H3015]]

     bushmeat hunters. There is a slim possibility that a few of 
     the other scattered, isolated populations of Grauer's gorilla 
     have survived, but if so, numbers are likely to be 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 the world's Grauer's 
     gorillas, and that the other 14 per cent is also likely to 
     have been hit by poaching, 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 with both parts of the park, and 
     the corridor of land that links them, intact. Now is the time 
     of action!


                            Acknowledgements

       The information in this report could not have been gathered 
     without the kind, and often courageous, assistance of many 
     people. I am grateful to all those who gave freely of their 
     time, including (in approximate order of meeting them):
       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 wa Neyo; Stanislas 
     Bakinahe, Anicet Mburanumwe-Chiri and the staff of ICCN;
       In Bukavu: Remy Mitima, Kasereka Bishikwabo, Carlos and 
     Christine Schuler-Deschryver, John Kahekwa, Mbilizi Wenga 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 is indebted 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 Ben Dykes and 
     David Pledger of BFF for help in the rapid production of this 
     report, and to Stanley Johnson and Cindy 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 and 
     conservation 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 Guide Book 
     published by IZCN/GTZ-Project `Integrated Nature Conservation 
     in East-Zaire`.

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in support 
of H.R. 643, legislation which would reauthorize the African Elephant 
Conservation Act. I would certainly like to compliment and commend the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and 
Oceans, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), who also happens 
to be the author of this piece of legislation, a dear friend and a 
colleague, and certainly also would like to commend the chairman of our 
Committee on Resources, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), and our 
ranking Democrat, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), for 
their support in bringing this legislation to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, it was not too long ago when the annihilation of the 
African elephant population was predicted, if not expected, to occur by 
the close of the 20th century. Such was the devastation, that by the 
end of the 1980s the population of African elephants, which once had 
ranged over virtually the entire Sub-Saharan region of the African 
continent, was reduced to small remnant populations suffering from 
widespread poaching and other conflicts with the needs of the growing 
human population.
  In response to this conservation crisis, the Congress of the United 
States passed the African Elephant Conservation Act in 1988, and the 
fate of this flagship species has been improving ever since.
  Grants initiated under the African Elephant Act have been responsive, 
effective, and successful in supporting conservation activities 
throughout Africa. As a result, many range states today have taken 
great strides in reducing poaching, which was at one time approaching 
epidemic proportions. Grants have also supported activities to confront 
and fight the illegal trade in wildlife and to build conservation 
capabilities to the village level, where there is still much more that 
needs to be done.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 643 is a straightforward reauthorization of this 
act. The administration fully supports this legislation, and I commend 
the staff of the Fish and Wildlife Service for their cooperation in 
working with us to improve this legislation. As a result, the few 
refinements that were adopted during consideration by the Subcommittee 
on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans should stimulate greater 
public involvement, help create new partnerships and ensure fair and 
equitable support for local conservation activities.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, great progress has been made in recovering 
African elephants from the precipice of disaster. That is an 
achievement for which we can all be proud. Yet future progress is 
contingent on the United States maintaining its strong leadership and 
support for this very successful and effective international wildlife 
conservation effort.
  Again, I commend my good friend from Maryland for sponsorship of this 
legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 643, legislation 
which would re-authorize the African Elephant Conservation Act. I am 
pleased that today we are also considering H.R. 700 to reauthorize the 
Asia Elephant Conservation Act. These bills are vital to insuring the 
survival of one of the earth's ``flagship'' species.
  Less than two decades ago, the African Elephant population teetered 
on the brink of extinction. Rampant poaching fueled by the black market 
trade of ivory and the encroachment of human development had reduced 
the once abundant population to a small trace of its former prosperity.
  The African Elephant Conservation Act was enacted in 1988 in response 
to this crisis. The grants initiated under the act have dramatically 
reduced poaching by working with local communities to eliminate the 
illegal trade in endangered wildlife and to foster sustainable 
conservation practices.
  At a time when we are confronting the loss of many species, every 
effort must be made in Congress to preserve species of plants, animals 
and their habitats throughout the world. We must continue to strengthen 
endangered species laws and to support the strongest possible measures 
to ensure the survival of the world's elephants and other wildlife 
populations.
  Mr. FALEMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 643, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8, rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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