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Climate Change Adaptation by Indigenous People in the Republic of Congo

1 November 2013

As part of a regional study on indigenous peoples and climate change adaptation in Africa, the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) coordinated desk and field research for the Republic of Congo, in collaboration with Congolese NGO Forum pour la Gouvernance et les Droits de l’Homme (FGDH) and local indigenous peoples’ organisations. The study recommends ways forward … Read more

Ndima: Mapping our Future – A story of the Congo Basin people’s fight to save the rainforest

23 January 2013

Maps of the Congo Basin often make it appear empty of human settlement, giving rise to the erroneous belief that these lands are an unoccupied ‘wilderness’ available for others to use. But a technique called ‘participatory mapping’, a tool which combines the traditional knowledge of forest dwellers with sophisticated modern technology, is a means of … Read more

The story of REDD: a real solution to deforestation?

5 July 2012

REDD, or reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, is one of the most controversial issues in the climate change debate. The basic concept is simple: governments, companies or forest owners in the South should be rewarded for keeping their forests instead of cutting them down. The devil, as always, is in the details. ‘The … Read more

Is REDD-readiness Taking Us in the Right Direction? Case Studies from the Accra Caucus

1 November 2011

The Accra Caucus on Forests and Climate Change is a network of around 100 southern and northern civil society and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations from 38 countries. Despite the diversity of experience, there seems to be one common aspect: the REDD+ readiness process is focused much more strongly on attracting carbon income than on protecting the … Read more

Realising Rights, Protecting Forests: An Alternative Vision for Reducing Deforestation

1 June 2010

This report is intended primarily for opinion-formers and decision-makers with a role in making and influencing national policy and legislation on REDD. The case studies show that respecting the rights and realities of indigenous peoples and forest-dependent communities is the only way to ensure that the forests remain standing.

Community Forest Tenure Mapping in Central Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo Case Study

1 December 2009

This paper examines the mapping and zoning initiatives that are underway in the DRC and the few attempts that are being made to document and understand the nuances of community rights to lands and resources.

The Situation of the Forest Peoples of the Central African Republic

1 January 2009

This study is the product of several field missions to meet indigenous forest peoples in different areas of south-western CAR, including Bagandou, Bimbo, Mongoumba, Mbata and Bilolo in the prefectures of Lobaye, Ombella Mpoko and Sangha-Mbaéré.

Resource rights and timber concessions: Integrating local peoples’ land-use practices in forest management in the Congo Basin

1 February 2007

This paper presents an overview of land-use practices in the Congo Basin, as described in the literature, and then considers these in relation to forest management planning

Concessions to poverty: The environmental, social and economic impacts of industrial logging concessions in Africa’s rainforests

1 February 2007

This study is focused on the situation in DRC, but draws lessons from other cases across West and Central Africa. Evidence for the economic benefits of industrial tropical logging is very scant. Rather, the evidence suggests that the industrial timber concession model is inherently anti-poor.

The rights of the Pygmy People in the Republic of Congo: International Legal Context

1 January 2006

This report sets forth the broad contours of the international human rights regime as it concerns indigenous peoples, and thus the Republic of Congo-Brazzaville’s responsibilities under international law, in the context of the current initiative to develop legislative protection for the Congolese Baka “Pygmy” peoples.