I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2264

To authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 to carry out 

the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) program, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2003

Mr. SHAW (for himself, Mr. ROYCE, and Mr. HOUGHTON) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 

A BILL

To authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 

to carry out the Congo Basin Forest Partnership 

(CBFP) program, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Congo Basin Forest 

5 Partnership Act of 2003’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The tropical forests of the Congo Basin, lo9 cated in the Central African countries of Cameroon, 
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1 the Central African Republic, the Democratic Re2 public of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the 

3 Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Sao 

4 Tome/Principe, are second in size only to the trop5 ical forests of the Amazon Basin. 

6 (2) These forests are a crucial economic re7 source for the people of the Central African region. 

8 (3) Congo Basin forests play a critical role in 

9 sustaining the environment—absorbing carbon diox10 ide, cleansing water, and retaining soil. 

11 (4) Congo Basin forests contain the most di12 verse grouping of plants and animals in Africa, in13 cluding rare and endangered species, such as the 

14 lowland gorilla, mountain gorilla, chimpanzee, and 

15 okapi. These plants and animals are invaluable for 

16 many reasons, including their genetic and bio17 chemical information, which could spark advances in 

18 medical, agricultural, and industrial technology. 

19 (5) Logging operations, driven by a growing 

20 global demand for tropical hardwoods, are shrinking 

21 these forests. One estimate has logging taking out 

22 Congo Basin forest area at a rate of twice the size 

23 of the State of Rhode Island every year. 

24 (6) The construction of logging roads and other 

25 developments are putting intense hunting pressure 
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1 on wildlife. At current hunting levels, most species 

2 of apes and other primates, large antelope, and ele3 phants will disappear from the Congo Basin, with 

4 some becoming extinct. 

5 (7) If current deforestation and wildlife deple6 tion rates are not reversed, the six countries of the 

7 Congo Basin most immediately, but also the world, 

8 will pay an immense economic, environmental, and 

9 cultural price. 

10 (8) The United States has an interest in seeing 

11 political stability and economic development advance 

12 in the Congo Basin countries. This interest will be 

13 adversely impacted if current deforestation and wild14 life depletion rates are not reversed. 

15 (9) Poorly managed and nonmanaged logging 

16 and hunting threatens to do to the Congo Basin 

17 what it did to West Africa, which lost much of its 

18 forest and wildlife through over-exploitation. 

19 (10) Purged of wildlife, some Congo Basin for20 ests already are ‘‘empty forests’’. 

21 (11) In an attempt to conserve the forests of 

22 the Congo Basin, the region’s governments convened 

23 the Yaounde (Cameroon) Forest Summit in March 

24 1999. 
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1 (12) In September 2002, Secretary of State 

2 Colin Powell launched the Congo Basin Forest Part3 nership (CBFP) in Johannesburg, South Africa. The 

4 CBFP promotes the conservation and sustainable 

5 use of the region’s forests, for example, by working 

6 to combat poaching, illegal logging, and other 

7 unsustainable practices, and giving local populations 

8 an economic stake in the preservation of the forests, 

9 including through the development of ecotourism. 

10 (13)(A) The United States contribution to the 

11 CBFP will focus on conserving 11 key landscapes in 

12 6 countries—Cameroon, the Central African Repub13 lic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equa14 torial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo—

15 identified at the Yaounde Forest Summit as being of 

16 the greatest biological importance to the region. 

17 (B) The United States will fund field-based ac18 tivities within these 25,000,000 acres that aim to 

19 support a network of 27 national parks and pro20 tected areas and well-managed forestry concessions. 

21 (C) In this way, the work will build on existing 

22 United States efforts, including those of the Central 

23 African Regional Program for the Environment 

24 (CARPE) of the United States Agency for Inter-
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1 national Development, which will implement the 

2 CBFP. 

3 (14) The CBFP has broad international finan4 cial support, including from non-African govern5 ments, the European Commission, the International 

6 Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and nu7 merous nongovernment organizations. 

8 (15) A dramatic step toward conserving Congo 

9 Basin forests has recently been taken by Gabon. In 

10 September 2002, President Omar Bongo announced 

11 the creation of 13 national parks, representing over 

12 10 percent of Gabon’s surface area. Previously, 

13 Gabon had no national park system. 

14 (16) With the CBFP and other initiatives, 

15 there exists unprecedented momentum for the con16 servation of Congo Basin forests. 

17 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro19 priated to the President to carry out the Congo Basin For20 est Partnership (CBFP) program $18,600,000 for each 

21 of the fiscal years 2004 and 2005. Of the amounts appro22 priated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations 

23 under the preceding sentence for a fiscal year, 

24 $16,000,000 is authorized to be made available to the 

25 Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment 
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1 (CARPE) of the United States Agency for International 

2 Development. 

3 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursuant 

4 to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) 

5 are authorized to remain available until expended.

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