RFUK is pleased to announce the release of our latest immersive interactive map story titled ‘A Journey Up the Congo River’. This powerful digital storytelling experience follows RFUK Executive Director, Joe Eisen, and Forest Campaigner, Vittoria Moretti, as they travel along the mighty Congo River, witnessing firsthand the severe climate change impacts affecting riverine communities in the region. 

Through a combination of captivating visuals, maps and written narratives, the map story will transport you to the heart of the Congo Basin, the world's second-largest rainforest and a vital carbon sink.  

As Joe, Vittoria, and our local partner GASHE journeyed along the river, they encountered the devastating aftermath of the region's worst rains in 60 years, with hundreds of villages and fishing camps submerged and entire communities displaced. This catastrophic flooding underscores the disproportionate impact of climate change on those least responsible for the crisis and the urgent need for support and adaptation measures. 

Yet the mission also shows how projects that are supposed to address the climate change pose a new threat to communities, with several dubious carbon trading companies looking to acquire their carbon-rich forest lands to generate carbon credits to sell on international offset markets.   

The map story also highlights the resilience and ingenuity of local communities, such as Ilinga, one of the first villages in the DRC to establish a community forest in 2018. Through sustainable management practices and deployment of RFUK's ForestLink real-time forest monitoring system, these communities are driving their own development while protecting their forests from illegal deforestation. 

‘This interactive map story offers a powerful glimpse into the realities faced by riverine communities in the Congo Basin, highlighting both the immense challenges posed by climate change and the incredible potential of community-led forest conservation efforts’, said Joe Eisen, RFUK Executive Director. 

We invite you to explore this map story to gain a deeper understanding of the complex issues facing the Congo Basin and the vital role that local communities play in safeguarding this globally significant rainforest. 

Click here for more information about RFUK's community forest work and our work in the Congo Basin.