Community Forests and Land Rights
GUEST BLOG: The People of the Congo Basin Peat Swamp Forest
On a tributary of the River Congo, there is a row of houses with thatch roofs under fruit and palm trees with dug-out canoes tied to the river bank. Everything in this village comes from the forest – the food, the wood for construction, palm fronds for thatch, the tree trunks that are hollowed out … Read more
Banging the Drum for Indigenous-Led Forest Protection at New York Climate Week
This week, Rainforest Foundation UK will be banging the drum for Indigenous-led forest protection at New York Climate Week, the annual gathering where global leaders, innovators and activists to share real, innovative and scalable solutions to the climate crisis. Together with our local rainforest partners and sister organisations in the US and Norway, we will … 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
Statement in Support of the Central Asháninka del Río Ene in their quest for Justice for Asháninka Defenders
Statement in Support of the Central Asháninka del Río Ene in their quest for Justice for Asháninka Defenders Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) expresses its deep concern at the circumstances surrounding the recent preliminary detention order against Indigenous leader Angel Pedro Valerio, president of the Central Asháninka del Río Ene (CARE). Given the importance of the … 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
Two logging permits suspended in Cameroon following ForestLink alerts sent by local communities
Further evidence of the vital role of community-based forest monitoring has emerged from the Yoko district of Mbam-et-Kim, Cameroon, after two logging companies had their permits suspended following alerts of infractions sent by community monitors. L’association Écosystèmes et Développement (EcoDev), a partner organisation of the Rainforest Foundation UK who have been implementing ForestLink since 2019, … Read more
Two landmark community forests awarded in the buffer zone of the Lomami National Park in DRC
In exciting news, two forest communities in the Maniema Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo have finally won the legal right to manage their ancestral lands, by setting them up as ‘Community Forests.’ These important legal titles give communities formal recognition and collective rights to the forests that they have traditionally lived in, and … Read more
Community Forests Bring Tangible Change: Reflections of Local Leaders from the DR Congo
Local representatives from the provinces of Equateur, Maniema, North Kivu, South Kivu and Mai Ndombe have all spoken on how securing their lands with community forests has brought palpable change for their communities. To sustain and build on the progress made, they also request continued support, and that promises of increased climate and biodiversity … Read more