Publications
Search Publications (72)
COMMUNITY FORESTS IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
11 July 2019
Strengthening forest communities’ rights and enabling them to manage their traditional lands is the most effective means of both protecting rainforests and fighting poverty. In 2014, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) passed Community Forest legislation in what is arguably the most ground-breaking legal development related to Congo Basin rainforests in recent years.
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Making community forests work for local and indigenous communities in the Central African Republic
11 July 2019
As the Central African Republic (CAR) is entering a decisive phase that could lead to the allocation of the country’s first ‘pilot’ community forests, the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) and CAR civil society groups are supporting local communities in their application processes.
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The Green Climate Fund in the Congo Basin Rainforests - Good Money After Bad?
01 July 2019
A new report published today by the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) on the Green Climate Fund finds that one of the world’s largest climate adaptation and mitigation funds for developing countries may actually do more harm to tropical forests and people on the frontline of climate change unless it is reformed.
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Yaoundé Declaration Declaration: Statement concerning community forestry in the Congo Basin region
10 June 2019
Organisations and individuals from Central Africa, along with international partners from Europe, came together in Yaoundé in February 2019 to discuss the lessons from the recent years of community forest development in the Congo Basin, especially in the context of the projects funded through DFID’s ILLUCBF programme.
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SEVERE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES REPORTED IN AND AROUND SALONGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
06 June 2019
An investigation by the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) and Congolese NGO Actions pour la Promotion et la Protection des Peuples et Espèces Menacés (APEM), uncovered a worrying number of human rights abuses allegedly carried out by Salonga National Park’s anti-poaching agents, who receive support and funding from a range of international donors. Allegations include cases of torture, gang rape and extra-judicial killings. The investigation also highlighted a number of wider concerns as to how the park impacts local communities’ rights to land and livelihoods.
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SAFER GROUND: HOW PARTICIPATORY MAPPING CAN MITIGATE THE SOCIAL IMPACTS OF AGRI-BUSINESS IN THE CONGO BASIN
03 June 2019
The expansion of commercial agriculture in the Congo Basin, especially for palm oil, poses great risks to forests and the people who depend on them for their livelihoods and culture. While efforts to make palm oil more ‘sustainable’ focus on avoiding deforestation and biodiversity loss, far less attention has been paid to land rights and social impacts.
International standards for agri-business, such as those created by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), seem to be ill-adapted to the African context. Community mapping in the Congo Basin shows how the social impacts of agri-business are already being felt, while providing an invaluable tool to tackle these threats head-on.
