Indigenous Peoples
Land use planning with the Ashaninka in the Peruvian Amazon
Part of our work with the Asháninka communities in the Ene River basin has focused on improving control over their ancestral territories through the development of participatory land use plans. These plans support their rights to access and use their forests by zoning their territory, defining different area uses (e.g. urban expansion, fisheries, tourism, … Read more
Realising the Pledge: Unlocking System-level Change in the Congo Basin
Building on ‘Realising the Pledge,’ a briefing by the Rainforest Foundations of the United Kingdom, the United States and Norway on how the US$1.7 billion Forest Tenure commitment at COP26 can reach critical frontline forest defenders, this Brief looks at major opportunities to unlock system-level change in key tropical forest regions such as the Congo … Read more
Leading scientists back Congolese civil society call to increase forest community land rights to combat climate change
Ahead of crucial upcoming climate talks in Egypt this November, a gathering of international scientists has backed a Congolese civil society call to scale up recognition of indigenous peoples and other local communities’ rights as a key strategy in the fight against climate change. This month, RFUK’s community forest partners joined leading scientists from around … Read more
Realising the Pledge: How Increased Funding for Forest Communities Can Transform Global Climate and Biodiversity Efforts
A briefing from the Rainforest Foundations of the United Kingdom, the United States and Norway for climate funders and policy makers on what it will take to realise the US$1.7 billion pledge on indigenous peoples and other local communities and to mainstream support to these groups in climate and biodiversity funding more broadly.
First-ever Baka chief officially recognised in southern Cameroon—his majesty Martin Abila of the village Assok
For the first time in Southern Cameroon, an Indigenous Baka village has been officially recognised and their chief formally installed by the Cameroonian state. This marks a significant milestone in a country where Indigenous Peoples face extreme social, political and economic marginalisation. The installation of his Majesty Martin Abila as official chief of the village … Read more
Civil Society in the Congo Basin Sets Out Vision for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption
Civil society organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo (RoC) are calling for much greater inclusion of forest communities and forest governance reforms in their governments’ plans to address the climate crisis. In the run up to this year’s crucial climate summit in Glasgow this November, countries around the … Read more
Mapping the Future: Towards Meaningful Participation of Forest Peoples in Land-use Planning in DRC and Cameroon
This RFUK report charts way to better inclusion of forest communities in Congo Basin land use planning processes.
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
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).