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Community Forests in DRC: a solution for a ‘solutions country’
A new Community Forestry briefing from RFUK, Congolese civil society and partners highlights how community forestry can help the DRC realise its ambition to be a true solutions country for climate and biodiversity.
Reflecting on the National Community Forestry Week in Mbandaka
Community Forestry is increasingly recognised as a key driver of sustainable development in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It provides local communities and Indigenous Peoples with secure land tenure, enabling them to invest in their futures and build autonomous, forest-friendly rural economies through responsible investment. From 18-22 August 2025, community forest representatives, supporting NGOs, … Read more
Reviving the fishing industry: boosting fishing and profits through CFCL compliance in DRC’s Equateur province
This story is the fourth in a five-part Forests for the Future impact series on how community forests in the DRC are enabling communities to drive their own development and protect climate critical forests. Bosende is a riverside community in Lusankani territory, Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where 80% of … Read more
From forest to fair: community enterprises lead the way in Équateur, DRC
This is the second story in a five part Forests for the Future impact series on how community forests in the DRC are enabling communities to drive their own development and protect climate-critical forests. As the momentum around community forestry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to grow, the second edition of the … Read more
Map story: climate impacts and community resilience along the Congo River
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 … Read more
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
ANNUAL REVIEW 2023
We are thrilled to share RFUK’s 2023 Annual Review of our main achievements and impact for the world’s tropical forests and the people that call them home.
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
SUCCESS STORY: Economic Empowerment Through Community Cocoa Production in DRC
Today in the villages of Mibenga and Ilebo, nestled along the edge of the Tumba Lediima Nature Reserve in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), community members have been working hard to improve the cocoa production in their Community Forests as a way to boost their income while sustainably managing their forest lands. And … Read more
African Civil Society Decries Corporate Capture of the Africa Climate Summit
African Civil Society Decries Capture of the Africa Climate Summit by Corporate Interests As African leaders gather for the Africa Climate Summit, hundreds of African organisations have expressed concerns about the corporate capture of the event. The inaugural summit – held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4 to 6 September – is billed as a crucial … Read more