News
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
Celebrating the Ashaninka: a look into our sustainable livelihoods project
Last month marked the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022, globally recognising the contributions, achievements and vast knowledge of the indigenous populations of the world. To celebrate, we wanted to share what some of the communities we work with have been doing to secure sustainable livelihoods and protect their globally vital rainforest homes. … Read more
In Cameroon, the critically important Ebo forest is under threat from a road building project
A 200,000 hectare intact forest in Cameroon is under threat from a road-building project, which could lead to devastating impacts on critically endangered wildlife and more than 40 communities who call Ebo home. While the road-building project is purported to bring development opportunities to the villages affected, closer inspection of the plan shows that this … Read more
Trial begins of timber company accused of shooting and maiming locals
The Congo Sunflower Forestry Development company is currently on trial, accused of orchestrating a series of reprisals and physical violence against the villagers of Tokoma in the Tshuapa province of DRC, after they seized some of the company’s equipment from a site illegally being operated on their lands. According to Mr. Iyoko Elungu, an inhabitant of … Read more
Calls for President Felix Tshisekedi to cancel plans for oil drilling in DRC’s tropical rainforests
RFUK together with Rainforest Rescue, Greenpeace Africa, 350.org and other African civil society groups have launched a petition calling on President Felix Tschisekedi to cancel the upcoming July 28-29 auction of oil exploration rights to some of DRC’s most sensitive tropical forests. The planned auction of 16 oil blocks across the country is a deeply … Read more
Gabon’s Massaha community sacred forest being logged despite government assurances for it to become a community protected area
Massaha community’s sacred forest being logged despite government assurances for it to become Gabon’s first-ever community protected area. Logging has resumed in northeastern Gabon in the local community of Massaha’s ancestral forest of unique bio-cultural diversity, despite a commitment by the Forest Ministry to suspend all timber operations in the area and to support the … Read more
New alerts map shows vital role of forest communities in tackling illegal logging
RFUK and its local partners in Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Peru have launched a webmap that includes thousands of illegal alerts sent by local community monitors using the ForestLink system. While satellite forest monitoring has transformed our ability to detect forest loss, ForestLink … Read more
“The 30×30 conservation pledge isn’t backed by science” – warn human rights groups
A push to place 30% of the planet under ‘protected’ status by 2030, while making for catchy media headlines and political slogans, is not supported by the science, a group of international NGOs have warned. This warning comes as delegates of governments and conservation organisations meet in Kenya this week to discuss the draft post-2020 … Read more
Increased funding for forest communities can transform global climate and biodiversity efforts — but reimagining how is critical
Ongoing challenges have prevented funding from going directly to indigenous peoples and local communities in tropical forests who are key to combating the climate crisis. In a new briefing, the Rainforest Foundations of the UK, US and Norway come together to outline key steps to ensuring climate and biodiversity funding gets to the frontlines. Mounting scientific … Read more
NGOs call on Congolese General Prosecutor to investigate the role of several former ministers in illegal logging operations
A group of Congolese and international NGOs have written to DRC’s General Prosecutor calling on him to investigate reports of widespread illegal logging, which implicate as many as six former ministers. On 1 April, the Environment ministry finally released a long-suppressed audit of the country’s logging industry by the Congolese General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF), which found … Read more