Logs in the port area at Kinshasa, ready for export. Twenty-one million hectares of rainforest are currently allocated to the logging industry. Most of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's timber is exported to Europe, with France and Belgium currently the largest importers. Expansion of logging into remaining areas of intact forests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will destroy globally critical carbon reserves and impact biodiversity. Beyond environmental impacts, logging in the region exacerbates poverty and leads to social conflicts. The DRC’s rainforests are critical for its inhabitants, who depend upon the rainforests to provide essential food, medicine, and other non-timber products, along with energy and building materials.