News
Press Release: NGOs warn about lifting DRC logging ban
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LOOMING CLIMATE CATASTROPHE IF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY STAYS SILENT ON PLAN TO OPEN UP THE WORLD’S SECOND-LARGEST RAINFOREST TO INDUSTRIAL LOGGING, WARN NGOS In a letter to international climate funders, a group of leading environmental and human rights organisations warn of an impending climate and biodiversity catastrophe following a plan to lift a … Read more
First international counter-conference on conservation will denounce “world’s biggest land grab”
The world’s first major international congress on decolonizing conservation, “Our Land, Our Nature”, will take place in Marseille, France, on September 2, 2021, immediately before the IUCN World Conservation Congress in the same city. At this congress indigenous representatives and speakers from around 18 countries will share evidence and first-hand testimonies of conservation atrocities and … Read more
Lifting DRC’s logging moratorium would be a disaster, warn NGOs
13 July 2021, Kinshasa – Greenpeace Africa, the Rainforest Foundation UK and the Rainforest Foundation Norway are alarmed over a plan announced by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Environment Minister Eve Bazaiba to lift a ban on new industrial logging concessions in the world’s second largest tropical forest. The national moratorium, which has stood since 2002 … Read more
Upcoming: a decolonized alternative to the World Conservation Congress
This September, as world leaders and conservation NGOs gather for the World Conservation Congress, Indigenous Peoples on the frontlines of deforestation will again be kept out of the decision-making process as these leaders push for more protected areas and “nature-based solutions” – both of which are at high risk for creating human rights violations and … Read more
Just launched: “Forests for the Future” a 5-year community forestry project in DRC
With the support of USAID and Norad, the Rainforest Foundation UK and a consortium of Congolese organisations are launching “Forests for the Future,” a 5-year project supporting community forests and sustainable livelihoods in DRC. Kinshasa, July 7, 2021 – Senior representatives of the government (from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development), the United States … Read more
Payment for non-performance: Gabon receives $17 million in REDD payments despite increasing deforestation
The Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) has just awarded an initial payment of $17 million to Gabon, hailing its achievement in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in 2016-17 from the baseline levels of the previous decade. However this claim is contradicted by data from the FAO and Global Forest Watch which shows primary … Read more
NBS: New Era or False Dawn? – Webinar Q&A
How could a local community be helpful in preserving the flora especially of endangered species? Numerous research demonstrates how indigenous peoples and local communities are the best stewards of tropical forests. Their participation is crucial to preserving biodiversity. See for example:5 Maps Show How Important Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Are to the Environment – … Read more
New RFUK Research Shows Link Between ‘Sustainable Forest Management’ and Deforestation in DRC
A new study published by RFUK establishes a clear link between selective logging and deforestation in the world’s second largest tropical forest. Despite being synonymous with high-level corruption, illegal practices and poor relations with local communities, selective logging of timber from tropical rainforests has long been promoted in the Congo Basin as a form of … Read more
Upcoming: Webinar Series debating Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change
Rainforest Foundation UK and World Resources Institute are hosting a two-part webinar series and debate exploring the political ecology of Nature-Based Solutions Webinar series Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change: Reconciling the Good, the Bad and the Ugly May 10 and May 17, 2021 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM EDT / 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM … Read more