Theodore Trefon (PhD, Boston University) studies the politics of state–society relations and natural resource governance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the Belgian Royal Museum for Central Africa. He has devoted his career to the Congo as a researcher, author, project manager and consultant. Having lectured on development at the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) and Boston University Brussels, he continues to teach and learn about environmental governance at Kinshasa's ERAIFT (École Régionale Post-universitaire d'Aménagement et de Gestion Intégrés des Forêts et Territoires Tropicaux). Trefon coordinated European Union-funded forest conservation projects while working at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) from 1994 to 2006. He has advised international development agencies, governments, think tanks, NGOs and private consultancy firms. Contributing editor to the Review of African Political Economy and founding director of the Belgian Reference Centre for Expertise on Central Africa, his expertise derives from desk study, analysis, participatory observation and extensive fieldwork. His previous book, Congo Masquerade: The Political Culture of Aid Inefficiency and Reform Failure (2011), also appeared in the African Arguments series.

An unusual, fascinating and important book … While there is often a tendency to sensationalize the country, the author takes a more balanced approach, demonstrating deep insight, engagement and knowledge.'

• 1. Introduction: Potential in a Land of Plenty2. Forests of Wealth and Mystery3. Food and Agriculture4. Water: An Uncertain Ebb and Flow5. Oil: Plenty for Some, Nothing for Most6. Mining: Rise, Decline and Renaissance7. Conclusion: Uncertainty and Predation in a Land of Plenty