Renco has signed an agreement with the Congolese authorities for reforesting an area of about 42,000 hectares in the Pool region (north of Brazzaville).
Renco plans to invest some 80 million euros.
Renco Spa has been operating in the Republic of the Congo since 1999 through its Congolese subsidiary Renco Green. This project is part of the national reforestation plan (PRONAR: Programme Nationale d’Afforestation et de Reboisement) conducted by the Ministry of Forests and it provides for the reforestation of the relevant area with acacia trees, but also includes protection work for the isolated forest areas already present. The 42,000-hectare area has been granted through a 30-year lease. The programme is initially expected to employ 250 people on site, plus hundreds more indirectly. Within the area, the local communities (for which social programmes are also being drafted) will be able to carry on with their agricultural activities, which are necessary for the livelihood of the people living in proximity of the project area. The initiative will enable the capture of approximately 30 million tonnes of carbon, to be achieved in accordance with the “Verified Carbon Standard” (VCS) mechanism developed under the Kyoto Protocol. The project also features the creation of a large nursery that, when fully operational, will provide seven hundred thousand plants per month for reforestation.
