Context
The forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are one of the world's largest remaining carbon reservoirs, not to mention a habitat for countless plants and animals.
However, illegal deforestation (the main goal of which is to burn timber as a source of energy), unecological agricultural practices and poaching are causing a sharp decline in the diversity of species in the country. Meanwhile, the population does not sufficiently benefit from the advantages associated with an intact natural ecosystem in terms of health, ecology, and economics.
Ecological forest management provides opportunities for people to earn a living without further damage to the country's forests. Protection has improved for the biodiversity of forests.
Objective
Together with governmental and non-governmental institutions, the project is working to preserve the biodiversity of forests on the periphery of the Kahuzi-Biega and Lomami National Parks.
Approach
To that end, it is supporting governmental and non-governmental institutions develop new initiatives and projects in nature conservation and sustainable forest management. It is also encouraging communities in the regions to develop ideas on how they might generate economic value from their forests in ecological ways – through improved value chains, for example. This is benefiting indigenous communities in particular.
In addition, the project's efforts to better protect the forests of the Maniema province (PIREDD Maniema) are being cofinanced by the national REDD+ fund (FONAREDD). Besides including a One Health component designed to promote the healthy coexistence of humans and wild animals, the project is also supporting a network of local communities seeking to preserve their forests (RECOF). All the project's activities are following an approach based on human rights and the need to take gender-specific challenges into account.