Amid a surge in demand for forest land in the Congo Basin for carbon offset projects, RFUK has launched a new set of guidelines to help impacted local communities to better understand these projects and how to exercise their rights in relation to them.

Carbon offset projects are often marketed as a win-win solution to climate change and deforestation - a way of compensating for emissions in the global north while also channelling much needed finance for forests and communities. In recent years there has been a surge in demand for forest land in the Congo Basin from companies looking to establish offset projects.

However, with this have come growing concerns about greenwashing, meagre benefits and communities being kept in the dark about what is happening on their lands and what is being sold in their name. Many struggle to understand the complicated standards and technical jargon associated with offset projects, while weak governance, inadequate laws and insecure land rights in many forest areas add to the challenges.

In response to this, RFUK and our local partners have published a new set of guidelines so that Indigenous Peoples and other local communities can better understand and navigate this landscape, so they can safeguard their rights and engage more effectively with carbon traders who approach them.

The guidelines are available in French, Lingala and Swahili. Further tools and awareness-raising resources on this topic will be available soon.