RÉSEAU CREF
RFUK and partners launch new phase of community forest monitoring in the DRC
RFUK and our partners have officially launched a new phase of community-led forest monitoring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking the start of an ambitious new three-year programme to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ ability to protect their forests. The launch took place during a ten-day workshop in Kinshasa, bringing together … Read more
Coalition warns of plan to open tens of millions of hectares of DRC’s forests to timber industry
Kinshasa, 6 July 2026 – A coalition of more than 70 environmental and human rights organisations are calling on the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to maintain the national moratorium on the allocation of new industrial logging concessions. Through an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister [1], the coalition urges … Read more
Community Forest Success in North Kivu, Against All the Odds
In the forests of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a region that has endured years of insecurity and uncertainty, an incredible story of community resilience is unfolding. On 2 June 2026, the Masombea community in Lubero Territory, North Kivu, officially secured legal recognition of its community forest (Concession Forestière des Communautés Locales, … Read more
Protecting those who protect the forest: RFUK publishes new guidance to support community defenders in the Congo Basin
Deep in the forests of the Congo Basin, documenting illegal logging, or other illegal extractive activities, can come at a cost. Community observers, many of them volunteers, set out to monitor forest activity to protect their lands, defend their rights and ensure that forest laws are respected, knowing they may face intimidation, threats or even … Read more
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.
Against the odds: two forest communities in conflict-affected North Kivu approve sustainable management plans
This story is the last of 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 In the heart of the Bapere sector of Lubero Territory, North Kivu, a region often overshadowed by insecurity and conflict, two … 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.
Petrol Non-Merci ! Civil society organisations push presidential candidates on their environmental commitments in the run up to DRC presidential elections
Kinshasa Last week, Congolese civil society organisations knocked at the door of several candidates running for the upcoming DRC presidential elections to ask them to prioritize pressing environmental issues in their electoral campaigns and manifestos. Activists from Extinction Rebellion Movement of the University of Goma (XR), in partnership with North Kivu-based civil society network Reseau … 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