DR Congo
RÉSEAU CREF
A strong NGO network in North Kivu, Réseau CREF has supported communities to manage their lands long before there were laws to protect these efforts, and often against powerful interests such as mining and conservation. They advocate for a society where the free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of local communities and indigenous peoples is … Read more
GASHE
GASHE (Groupe d’action pour sauver l’homme et son environnement) is a leading Congolese NGO based in Equateur Province, DRC. The charity aims to protect the environment and its resources whilst encouraging human development of those who live there, such as forest and indigenous communities. Since the beginning of our partnership in 2012, we have gone … Read more
CAGDFT
Founded in 2011 and located in Kinshasa, DRC, CAGDFT (Centre D’Appui à la Gestion Durable des Fôrets Tropicales) have played a central role building the legal framework for Community Forests in DRC – one of the most progressive in Central Africa. RFUK has worked with CAGDFT in this field since 2014, bringing together government, donors, … Read more
CADEM
CADEM (Centre d’accompagnement de la population pour le développement de Maï Ndombe) are located in Nioki, Bandundu Province in DRC. CADEM’s goal is to promote grassroots sustainable initiatives to enable the Mai Ndombe population to better their living conditions and to defend their common interests. We have worked with CADEM since 2003. News Sorry there … 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
Leading forest scientists call for a freeze on new logging in the Congo, urge governments to act
Press Release Kinshasa, 28 October 2021 – Leading African and international scientists join today the growing call for the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to cancel its plans to lift a 20-year ban on new industrial logging concessions. Over 25 scientists sent a letter to international donors warning of social and environmental impacts of an … Read more
Roads to Ruin: The Emerging Impacts of Infrastructure Development in Congo Basin forests
A report by RFUK reveals the growing extent, and impact, of transport and energy infrastructure development in the Congo Basin – which is on its way to becoming a major driver of deforestation in the world’s second largest rainforest. The eight case studies featured in this report show that, while certain projects may bring some … Read more
44 Congolese and international NGOs join call to stop lifting of the DRC logging moratorium
The DRC government has announced imminent plans to lift a near 20-year ban on new logging concessions operations in its Congo Basin rainforest – one of the last intact rainforests in the world. With less than six weeks to go before the crucial climate negotiations at COP26, Environmental and Human Rights NGOs are calling on … Read more
Community finally receives official documents to manage their traditional lands
This Thursday, September 2, the Bamasobha community of Lubero (North- Kivu), comprised of indigenous and Bantu groups, was officially handed the decree legally recognising their hard-won CFCL (local communities’ forest concession). This decree guarantees perpetual rights over Bamasobha’s customary lands, and thus opens the way to the management stage of the CFCL, an area rich … Read more