News
DRC national logging moratorium must be extended indefinitely following damning audit of the industry logging
Rainforest Foundation UK and Greenpeace Africa have today called on the DRC government and its international partners to extend the national logging moratorium indefinitely, following a damning official report that lays bare the lawlessness and impunity in the country’s timber industry. After several delays, the DRC Environment Ministry last week finally published an audit by General Inspectorate … Read more
Tune-in 10 April to hear Stephen Fry share our appeal
ON SUNDAY 10TH APRIL, STEPHEN FRY TEAMS UP WITH RAINFOREST FOUNDATION UK TO VOICE OUR BBC RADIO 4 CHARITY APPEAL Tune in at 07:54 or 21:25 on the 10th April to hear Stephen tell the story of the Ilinga community in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and how we supported them in their mission to map their … Read more
International Day of Forests 2022
As organisations and governments across the world celebrate the #InternationalDayofForests, we must look at what needs to be done if the COP26 pledges to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030 are to be achieved. First, leaders need to act on the increasing evidence of the vital role of indigenous peoples and other local communities in protecting … Read more
NGOs respond to the proposed weakening of the Post-2020 GBF
RFUK and a group of environmental NGOs have written a letter to the Working Group of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, stating their deep concern over the planned weakening of the standards and principles of the Framework. Under a stated intention of making the proposal clear and concise, all “cross-cutting issues” will be removed from … Read more
New U.S. legislative bill could pave the way for greater protection of human rights in international biodiversity conservation
In a significant development, the chair and ranking minority member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources has introduced a bill that aims to ensure that U.S. international biodiversity funding is not used to contribute to human rights abuses in and around protected areas. This comes off the back of a U.S. … Read more
Massaha’s fight to protect their ancestral forests in Gabon
RFUK, Forest Peoples Programme and Greenpeace Africa have today written to the Gabonese Minister of Water, Forests, Oceans, Environment, Climate Change and Land-use Planning, Lee White, to call for an immediate halt to illegal logging in the village of Massaha’s ancestral forests, and to support its claim to establish a community-managed protected area. The community’s … Read more
Just launched: FORESTLINK.ORG
RFUK’s Real-Time Monitoring project has created a new, dedicated digital hub for their ForestLink technology, with all the latest developments, resources and stories on how communities are protecting their forests with this innovative system. On the new site, you’ll find out how the tech system works, why it uniquely supports grassroots independent forest monitoring, the different ways it’s being deployed across … Read more
A Post-COP Conversation
After a frenetic two weeks for RFUK and our local partners at the climate talks in Glasgow, we reflect on some of the gains, the losses, and the next steps in striving to put tropical forests and their traditional guardians at the heart of the international climate agenda. A declaration by 137 countries promising to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030 … Read more
100,000 citizens and scientists unite against a lifting of the DRC logging moratorium
On the eve of the crucial climate summit in Glasgow, more than 100,000 Congolese and international citizens have signed a petition organised by Rainforest Rescue, Greenpeace Africa and the Rainforest Foundation UK calling on the DRC government and its international partners to maintain the national moratorium on new logging concessions. RFUK and our local and … Read more
Community Forestry in DRC is a solution to tackle both poverty and climate change: that’s why it needs to be in focus at COP26
On 14 October at the 8th annual Multi-actor Roundtable on Community Forestry in Kinshasa, the Congolese government, as well as representatives from donor countries, community leaders and a large contingent of national and international civil society organisations, affirmed that local forest communities and indigenous peoples should be at the centre of climate action. As expressed by Mr. Athanasse Lingodja, a community leader from the province of Maniema, … Read more