Sustainable Management of Forests by Indigenous People - DRCongo

Expected impacts

Like all programs financed by CAFI through the National REDD+ Fund, this programme contributes to reducing both deforestation and forest degradation by strengthening indigenous peoples’ sustainable forest management, improving their living conditions and enhancing social cohesion. It will also contribute to improving food security and strengthening social networks that will support their aspirations.

Objectives

• Strengthen Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ technical capacities to conduct micro projects for sustainable natural resource management; and,
• Improve representation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ technical capacities in local and national institutions and consolidate their expertise through sustainable forest and land management. This will be achieved by: 
  • taking IPs’ concerns into account, both politically and legislatively; 
  • revising the forestry code and forest policy with participation by indigenous peoples and taking their rights into account; and,
  • ensuring that IPs are represented on all land management multi-stakeholder consultation platforms (Conseil Agricole Rural de Gestion, CARGs).

Results as of June 30, 2021

Making the voice heard on the legal framework

• The Network of Indigenous Peoples and Local Population for the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in  the DRC (in French, REPALEF) is functional at the national, provincial and local levels. Representatives of REPALEF participate in meetings on land tenure and land use reforms. 
• An act of commitment by traditional chiefs on the land and forestry reform process has been elaborated and made public. 35 traditional chiefs of the Bikoro territory have been sensitized and informed on the state of the land tenure and land management.
• A law to promote and protect the rights of indigenous Pygmy peoples has been adopted in the National Assembly and declared admissible in the Senate, following the implementation of an advocacy plan and with the support of 15 indigenous and community leaders.

 Microprojects 

• The Special Grant Mechanism that identifies micro-projects and provides grants to  Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) is operational.
• 204 people have been trained for development, implementation and monitoring-evaluation of micro-projects.
• Of the 17 developed and validated micro-projects, six have been implemented (Bikoro, Kalehe and Walikale territories). 7,560 beneficiaries have been identified in a participatory manner. 
• Three local monitoring committees have been set up in the territories of Kiri, Inongo and Oshwe.

Forestry concessions

• A socio-economic study onIndigenous Peoples' forest concession in Mweka has been completed.
• A perpetual title for the forest concession in local Penzua Bolomni communities, in the Pendjwa Sector, Kiri Territory inMaï-Ndombe Province has been obtained, covering an area of 40,500 hectares.

Technical capacity building

• 76 literacy centers are operational and have provided literacy training to 4,750 indigenous people and local adult communities (70% women). 
• 98 people have benefited from the training on para-legal and para-sociological land issues in the territories of Kiri, Yauma, Lusambo and Bikoro.
• 40 provincial experts have been trained on good governance of land tenure and management of indigenous peoples' space in Bikoro.
• 250 people, including 38 women and 125 indigenous peoples, have been  trained on techniques to plant and maintain fruit trees. 
• 1127 people have been  sensitized on forest conservation through the use of ecological agriculture.
• 90 persons from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities have been trained on soil treatment techniques.
• 149 leaders, including 85 from indigenous peoples, were sensitized on community work in villages.

Areas of intervention

The areas of the 11 provinces where IPs live, particularly the PIREDD project territories: Kiri, Oshwe and Inongo (Mai Ndombe Province) Opala, Banalia, Bafwasende, Yahuma (Tshopo), Mambasa (Ituri), Lupatapata, Lusambo, Lubefu, Lubao, Kabinda, Dimbelenge, Mweka, Dekese, Bikoro (Ecuador), Walikale and Kalehe (North Kivu).

Synergies

The programme works in collaboration with CAFI's sectoral programmes - land tenure, land use planning, governance, civil society support and sustainable forest management - to ensure that IP leaders are represented in governance structures and activities. In addition, this programme is supporting ex-Oriental PIREDDs and the Mai Ndombe province to enhance communication with IPs.

The programme targets activities to achieve the milestones related to the objectives on forestry (Milestone 2018 A and B), land (Milestone 2020) and governance (Milestone 2018 B) of the 2016 Letter of Intent signed between the DRC and CAFI. Two independent verifications of these milestones were undertaken (please read the report available here).