Community Forests and Land Rights
Securing Customary Rights is Key to Sustainable Community Forestry
The laws in the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic provide limited protection to indigenous peoples and local communities regarding access to land and forest resources. Often, logging concessions overlap their territories, restricting access to lands and resources. However, the development of community forests is gaining momentum in the region. These can help … Read more
Community Forests change lives: How a Congolese community won rights to their forest
Ilinga received its official community forest title in September 2018 In September 2018, the community of Ilinga received its official community forest title. The community, whose traditional name means “Unity”, is one of eight in Equateur province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), supported by local NGO GASHE[1], as part of Rainforest Foundation UK’s DFID-funded … Read more
Women’s Participation in Community Forestry in the DRC
Based on a literature review and field research with communities in Equateur province, this study provides an overview of gender inequalities in the context of community forestry in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It also puts forward recommendations for improving women’s participation in community forestry activities.
Final Evaluation ILLUCBF Project – Democratic Republic of the Congo
This is the evaluation of the ‘Improving Livelihoods and Land Use in Congo Basin Forests’ (ILLUCBF) project, which was undertaken from June to August 2019 by a team of three independent external evaluators, based on the terms of reference provided by Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK).
Community Forests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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.
Allocation of Community Forests in the Central African Republic
A process to test the legal framework on community forests is currently underway in CAR. For more than two years, local and indigenous communities have been supported by civil society in applying for the allocation of the pilot community forests. The process developed by those involved has been documented to provide a basis for a … Read more
Making Community Forestry Successful in DRC: Anthropological Perspectives on Community-based Forest Management
In 2014, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) adopted ground-breaking legislation that enables forest communities to obtain “local community forest concessions” (CFCLs) of up to 50,000 hectares of their customarily owned lands, in perpetuity….
Area of community forests in DRC passes one million hectares, as RFUK helps DR Congo’s government with new tools
Human rights and environmental charity, the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK), and its local partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are formally handing over to the country’s government an online ‘database‘, providing accurate maps and essential information on all community forests. RFUK’s local partners, APEM, CAGDFT, GASHE, PREPPYG and Réseau CREF have helped develop … Read more
Making Community Forests Work for Local and Indigenous Communities in the Central African Republic
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.
Voice of the communities: Why we need community forests in the Central African Republic
In a historic development, three communities in the Central African Republic (CAR) were recently given the legal right to protect almost 15,000 hectares of their local rainforest, in the country’s very first community forests [1]. The customary territories of the villages of Moalé, Lokombé and Moloukou had been allocated by the government some years ago … Read more