French
A Step in the Right Direction: Publication of ICCN’s Guidelines for Grievance Mechanisms in DRC
In Kinshasa recently, an important step was taken towards securing the rights of the millions of people who live in the vicinity of national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After a lengthy process involving consultation with local communities and civil society, ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature – Congolese Institute … Read more
Map story: Credits Where They Are Not Due
New research by RFUK on the leading REDD+ and forest offsetting schemes finds major flaws in their promise to fight climate change.
Carbon Offsetting and REDD+ Deconstructed
Paying poorer countries to protect their forests seems like a good idea for both the climate and sustainable development. However, the reality of reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+) is often far more complex and difficult to navigate. This briefing unpacks some of the key issues with market-based REDD+, the alternatives that can unlock … Read more
New cost-free reporting tool is a breakthrough for community monitoring
A new system in Kenya allows community members to send real-time alerts of violations of women’s rights free of charge, further breaking down technology and financial barriers to citizen-led monitoring. Since 2022, RFUK has worked in Kenya with the Kenya Land Alliance and TMG Think Tank for Sustainability to develop a digital reporting and monitoring … Read more
A Make Or Break Moment: Fossil Fuel Expansion In The Amazon And Congo Basins Is An Existential Threat To Climate And Communities
Financial system decisions now pivotal to ending fossil fuel expansion in the world’s largest tropical rainforests Recent reports spotlight plans for fossil fuel expansion in some of the world’s most important ecosystems, and follow financial flows from major banks Banks, financial institutions, and their regulatory bodies have a key role to play in reducing threats … Read more
Allegations of Rights Abuses in WWF-managed Ntokou Pikounda National Park
Worrying reports of forced displacement and human rights abuses have emerged from the Republic of Congo’s youngest national park. Rainforest Foundation UK’s local partner Centre d’Actions pour le Développement (CAD) just published an investigation around Ntokou Pikounda National Park, finding that neighbouring indigenous and local communities have suffered and continue to suffer serious harm … Read more
NGOs Urge International Community to Act on Impending Natural Resource Grab in DRC
Fifteen Congolese and International NGOs have warned of an imminent sell-off of timber, oil and carbon rights in the run-up to elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo later this year. In a letter to the Inter-Donor Group on Environment and Climate (GIBEC) ahead of its planned meeting with DRC President Tshisekedi this week, we call … Read more
#IWD 2023: Rural women at the heart of participatory forest resource management
A guest Blog from our ForestLink partners: In Cameroon, the forestry sector plays an important role in the national economy, and provides a range of essential social and environmental functions for many local and indigenous communities. As a result, the sector also faces several tensions related to the proper management of its resources, including the socio-economic precariousness … Read more
Press Release: Gabon’s rainforest carbon credits set a precedent that could worsen climate change
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE As world leaders including Emmanuel Macron gather in Libreville for the ‘One Forest Summit’ [1], convened jointly by the governments of Gabon and France, a new investigation by the Rainforest Foundation UK has found that the recent issue by Gabon of more than 90 million carbon credits [2] for supposedly saving … Read more
30×30: the good, the bad and what needs to happen next
After years of intense international negotiations and delays, the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) has now been adopted but the final agreement is a mixed bag – while it contains some hard-fought guarantees for Indigenous Peoples and other local communities, core concerns about the “30×30” plan remain. Ultimately, governments have missed a huge opportunity for a … Read more