News
UNVEILING OUR 2023 ANNUAL REVIEW: A YEAR OF GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT
We are pleased to publish our 2023 Annual Review. In this latest edition, we reflect on RFUK’s 35 years of promoting a simple yet powerful idea – that we need to entrust the protection of tropical forests to the Indigenous and local communities who depend on them. This year’s review highlights our three-pillar approach to … Read more
Promoting Sustainable Community Forest Enterprises in Équateur Province, DRC
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of a briefing summarising our approach to establishing collective forest enterprises in Équateur Province, DRC. Published with support from Partnerships for Forests, USAID and NICFI, ‘Guidelines for Establishing Collective Forest Enterprises: The Case of Équateur Province in DRC‘ is a comprehensive guide outlining key strategies for promoting sustainable, community-led … Read more
We need rapid response support for Indigenous peoples in the face of growing extreme weather events
Drought in Bangladesh. Image by Muhammad Amdad Hossain via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). This post is a commentary by RFUK Executive Director Joe Eisen that originally appeared in Mongabay on 27 March 2024. In recent weeks, Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) has seen Indigenous peoples and local communities we work with in the Peruvian Amazon and … Read more
Community Forests in Action series: Bountiful harvest in Ilinga, Lukolela
SUCCESS STORY Ilinga village, Lukolela territory in DRC’s Equateur province, secured their customary land by establishing a Community Forest in 2018 and becoming the first community in the country to develop an inclusive and sustainable ‘simple management plan’ for their forest the following year. Based on this plan, community members are working on ways of … Read more
URGENT APPEAL for Peru’s Asháninka amid unprecedented flooding of their territory
Today we are launching an urgent appeal for the Indigenous Asháninka and other local communities of the Ene River, which burst its banks over the weekend following unprecedented rains, leaving hundreds of families in desperate need of food, water and shelter. Satellite analysis shows that more 5,000 hectares has been flooded, leaving around 300 families reeling in the aftermath; they’ve lost everything they worked so hard to build – their homes, their belongings, … Read more
Direct funding of Indigenous peoples can protect global rainforests and the climate
by Joe Eisen, Suzanne Pelletier, Tørris Jæger. This article was first published on 24 January 2024 in Mongabay. Last week, Indigenous leaders from around the world joined business leaders and politicians for the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. While much of the discussion on climate change and nature loss at Davos focused on … Read more
Thriving Indigenous-led cacao initiative in Peru is a win for both people and forests
In the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, the roaring success of the cooperative, Kemito Ene, stands as a shining example of how to uphold Indigenous culture and protect forests through sustainable agroforestry practices. Founded 12 years ago, Kemito Ene emerged as a symbol of resilience for the Asháninka people in the Ene River basin. Representing … Read more
Forest Observatories Revolutionise Climate Action in the Amazon
As decision-makers discuss climate change from air-conditioned rooms at COP28, Indigenous peoples are taking climate action in their own hands. In Peru, for centuries, Indigenous communities have managed their traditional lands sustainably, linking their cultural identity to the health of their ecosystems. But they have also defended these lands from encroachment, illegal deforestation and countless … Read more
Blue Carbon and the New Scramble for Africa’s Forests
Blue Carbon LLC, a private company based in Dubai, is finalising deals with at least six African countries to acquire huge swathes of their forests to harvest carbon credits. Although the deals are shrouded in secrecy, it appears that at least 25 million hectares of forests – an area larger than the UK – may … Read more
‘Leave it in the ground!’ Congolese civil society send a strong message to halt auction of oil and gas licensing rights in DRC as COP28 climate summit begins
Kinshasa, 30 November 2023 As the DRC government delegation prepares for crucial COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) starting later this week, Congolese civil society and Indigenous organisations have sent to them and to the broader international community a strong message: it is time for the country to move away from oil … Read more