News
Helping remote villages gain control of their forest
Last year, we launched our Community Forests project in western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), supporting local villages to formally take control of their traditional rainforest home in order to manage the land collectively and sustainably. The first phase of this project has focused on informing these remote communities about relevant laws and guiding them through the … Read more
DRC government reinstates illegal logging concessions, breaching its own moratorium
Photo: Minister Ambatobe (center) attends the COP23 climate summit. Photo: Nounou Ngoie/Radio Okapi The Congolese Minister of Environment, Amy Ambatobe, has reinstated 6,500 km² of logging concessions that were cancelled in August 2016 by the then Environment Minister Robert Bopolo following instructions from then Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo. The revelations are brought to light in … Read more
International workshops show how community mapping can support sustainable forest management
In November and December 2017, the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) brought together participants from three Central African countries to train them on how to use innovative mapping tools in order to support community forestry. The workshops were attended by participants from Gabon, the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic (CAR). The workshop series … Read more
Failing Forests: The World Bank’s flagship REDD+ programme ten years on
More than a dozen environmental NGOs have today written to the World Bank to call for the suspension of its flagship programme to reduce emissions from tropical deforestation and degradation (REDD+) on its tenth anniversary, expressing concern that the programme has not yet prevented a single gram of forest carbon from entering the atmosphere. The Forest … Read more
RFUK calls for zero tolerance to human rights abuses in Africa’s national parks
Protected areas are having a devastating impact on the rights and livelihoods of forest communities in Africa’s Republic of Congo, a report published today by the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK), reveals. The extensive report, entitled The Human Cost of Conservation in Republic of Congo: Conkouati-Douli and Nouabalé-Ndoki National Parks and their Impact on the Rights and … Read more
Aid-funded conservation guards accused of extrajudicial killing
The Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) and three leading Congolese human rights organisations have today written to international conservation organisations and government aid agencies calling for an investigation into a new case of extrajudicial killing of a man by ‘eco-guards’ in Republic of Congo. The 32-year old man, called Freddy Ndadé, was arrested near the border … Read more
Joint Statement on the proposal to lift DRC’s logging moratorium
STATEMENT ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO HAS STARTED A PROCESS TO LIFT ITS MORATORIUM ON THE ALLOCATION OF NEW LOGGING CONCESSIONS. Rainforest Foundation UK, Rainforest Foundation Norway, Global Witness, Greenpeace, Réseau des Ressources Naturelles, (RRN). Bonn, 12 November, 2017: We are alarmed that, as it speaks at COP23 on … Read more
How to involve women in forest management: Interview with a community organiser in DRC
“Women, and indigenous women in particular, need to be included in decision-making on ecosystem use at all levels, as essential players in preserving our planet.” – UN Women Ruth Badubaye has been working with rainforest communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for several years. Formerly a GIS (geographic information systems) technician with Congolese … Read more
First provincial Roundtable on community forestry takes place in DRC
Around 90 participants travelled to Mbandaka in north western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in September to take part in the first ever provincial Roundtable on Community Forestry. The event was organised by Congolese NGO, Centre d’Appui à la Gestion Durable des Forêts Tropicales (CAGDFT) with support from the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) and the UK Department … Read more
Community based monitoring in Cameroon helps bring illegal loggers to justice
Loggers in Cameroon are now under increased scrutiny, as alerts from local forest monitors have started making their way to law enforcement agencies. Several of these alerts – sent through a real-time monitoring system called ForestLink, developed by the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) in partnership with local organisation FODER (Forêts et Développement Rural) – have contributed … Read more