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A prominent US family has been cashing in on DRC carbon credits while local communities decry unmet promises

September 10, 2025

The article investigates how American investors, particularly the Blattner family, have controlled large tracts of land in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Isangi territory since 2004, first through logging concessions and later through carbon offsetting projects. Around 30 villages, including Yafunga with 8,000 residents, signed away their land rights in exchange for promised development benefits such as schools, healthcare facilities, and roads, but most of these promises remained unfulfilled. Despite generating millions from carbon credit sales through their Isangi REDD+ project, the Blattners provided minimal compensation to displaced communities, and in January 2024, DRC's Ministry for Environment terminated several of their conservation concessions due to procedural violations.

Who is affected

  • The 8,000 residents of Yafunga village and people from at least 30 other villages in Isangi territory who have been barred from using their ancestral lands
  • Indigenous communities who were forced to relocate with little compensation
  • Local farmers like Emmanuel Litete who can no longer work their land due to restrictions
  • School children who attend the limited educational facilities provided by the companies
  • Communities in four territories (Isangi, Opala, Ikela, and Yohuma) affected by the newer Tshopo Lomami REDD+ project

What action is being taken

  • DRC's Ministry for Environment and Sustainable Development has terminated eight conservation concessions, including three belonging to the Blattners' Isangi REDD+ project
  • The Blattners are implementing a new larger carbon offset project called Tshopo Lomami REDD+
  • Local communities are signing new agreements for the Tshopo Lomami REDD+ project
  • Verra is currently reviewing the Tshopo Lomami REDD+ project for approval
  • The Blattners built seven more classrooms in 2022 next to the previously constructed dilapidated school building

Why it matters

  • The case demonstrates how foreign investors can profit from carbon offsetting at the expense of indigenous communities
  • Over 565,000 hectares of land (more than twice the size of Luxembourg) has been controlled by a single American family
  • The carbon credits generated from the Isangi REDD+ project sold 1.3 million tons of carbon dioxide, potentially earning the Blattners around seven million US dollars
  • Local communities received minimal benefits ($300 per village per year, which reportedly stopped seven years ago) while losing access to land essential for their subsistence farming and livelihoods
  • The projects appear to violate both Verra's regulations and DRC national laws regarding proper informed consent from affected communities

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices