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Community Forests in DRC: A Proven Solution for a ‘Solutions Country’
As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) delegation heads to COP30 in Belém – the so-called “Rainforest COP” – RFUK and a coalition of 21 Congolese civil society and Indigenous organisations is urging policymakers to recognise the country’s community forestry model as a cornerstone of climate and biodiversity action. Holding 60% of the world’s second-largest rainforest and its … Read more
National meeting lays foundation for shared and inclusive governance of the Green Corridor
Between 7-9 October 2025, Congolese civil society hosted the first nationwide gathering on the Green Corridor Kivu-Kinshasa (CVKK), the world’s largest ‘community’ reserve created in January 2025. The three-day meeting was organised by the Congolese civil society coalition Reseau pour l’Environnement et les Droits Humains (R-EDH), in partnership with the Virunga Foundation and the Institut … Read more
Tropical Forest Forever Facility Briefing Note
This briefing note presents key reflections from a group of international environmental, human rights and Indigenous solidarity organisations on the development of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF). Based on concept 2.0, it aims to highlight critical issues that must be addressed for the TFFF to achieve its goals. While not a comprehensive review due … Read more
Civil Society Calls for Urgent Ban on Oil Exploration in Congo’s Conkouati-Douli National Park
As global attention turns to the Republic of Congo for the upcoming First Global Congress of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities of Forest Basins, Congolese and international civil society organisations have issued a statement demanding an immediate ban on oil and mining activities in the Conkouati-Douli National Park. The coalition has denounced the Congolese government’s … Read more
DRC government opens 52 oil blocks in the Cuvette Centrale peatlands, undermining green commitments
In a move that has sparked outrage among environmental and human rights campaigners, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has approved the opening of 52 new oil blocks in the Cuvette Centrale peatlands – the world’s largest terrestrial carbon sink and a critical ecosystem for biodiversity. The decision, announced during the Council of Ministers meeting … Read more
BRIEFING: SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS
To find out more about RFUK’s Sustainable Conversation and Human Rights campaign, this briefing explains why conventional conservation models need to change, what needs to be done to effect this change and how RFUK and our local and Indigenous partners work on this issue.
New RFUK report highlights the continuing lack of protected area accountability in the Congo Basin
Following the latest round of negotiations over the future of biodiversity conservation efforts at COP16, a new report by RFUK urges for accountability and redress for the past and ongoing harms caused by fortress conservation programmes across the Congo Basin. ‘Righting Wrongs‘ highlights the pressing need for effective, independent and sufficiently-resourced Grievance and Redress Mechanisms, … Read more
The African Commission sets a significant precedent for Indigenous Peoples’ land rights in the conservation of DRC’s forests
Forest Peoples Programmes (FPP), Amnesty International (AI), Indigenous Peoples’ Law and Policy Programme (IPLP) and Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) welcome the landmark decision the African Commission of Human and Peoples Rights made last week in favour of the Batwa people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Following a decades long legal battle, the Commission found … Read more
Making the case for community-led forest protection at the Congo Basin Forest Partnership meeting
Last week in Kinshasa, APEM, CAD and other RFUK partners participated in the 20th meeting of the parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, the foremost gathering of actors concerned with the protection and management of the world’s second largest rainforest. The event, which brought together more than 500 delegates from governments, international organisations, research institutions, … 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