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Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the world’s largest rainforest nations with some 152 million hectares of forest – almost 70% of the country’s land area. This is equal to 7.6% of the world’s total tropical forest area. The DRC lost the second-largest area of tropical primary forest of any country (after Brazil) in 2018. The main driver of this deforestation is small-scale, non-mechanized forest clearing for agriculture. At the current rate of tree cover loss, the DRC’s primary forests could be completely razed by 2100.

REDD+ actors and activities

The DRC has engaged in the REDD+ process since 2009, and the national process has passed several milestones. The country’s National REDD+ Framework Strategy was adopted in 2012, aiming to stabilize forest cover to 63.5% from 2030, and maintain it thereafter. The National REDD+ Investment Plan 2015-2020, adopted in 2015, brings a programming framework for all sectors related to forests, and served as the basis for the Letter of Intent signed between DRC and the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) in 2016. With the accompanying capitalisation of the DRC’s REDD+ National Fund (FONAREDD), this marked the start of the REDD+ investment phase.

Other multilateral investment programmes are currently being implemented in the DRC, including the Forest Investment Programme and the Mai Ndombe jurisdictional REDD+ project, which aims to achieve the reduction of 29 million tonnes of CO2 through results-based payments.

EU REDD Facility actions in Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the DRC, the EU REDD Facility focuses on strengthening the engagement of stakeholders in the REDD process, as well as national and local dialogue on climate finance. The Facility provides tools to support inclusive and informed coordination and implementation of the REDD+ investment plan, as well as its connection with FLEGT. For more information about our work, see the Actions below:

Jim Djontu, European Forest Institute

Strengthening civil society participation in REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The EU REDD Facility supported the Renovated REDD+ Climate Working Group (GTCRR) to strengthen civil society engagement in REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It helped develop a guide on civil society consultations, which was used by the Congolese civil society to reach consensus on their contributions to the forest policy reform process.
Jim Djontu, EU REDD Facility, presenting the findings of the legal study on civil society participation in REDD+ processes at the general assembly of the GTCRR in Kinshasa, June 2023.European Forest Institute

How to enhance DRC’s legal framework for greater civil society participation in REDD+

Learn how the legal framework for civil society participation in REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) can be strengthened.

Creating incentives for logging companies to engage in REDD+ in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Law enforcement and forest governance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are weak and present significant risks to the successful implementation of REDD+. To address this challenge, the EU REDD Facility has helped design a compliance standard for monitoring the activities of logging companies and design tailored support to companies willing to engage. Innovative incentives are needed to encourage logging companies to comply with forestry laws and to address illegal logging.

About the EU REDD Facility

The EU REDD Facility supports countries in improving land-use governance as part of their efforts to slow, halt and reverse deforestation. It also supports the overall EU effort to reduce its contribution to deforestation in developing countries. The Facility focuses on countries that are engaged in REDD+, an international mechanism that incentivises developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their forest and land-use sectors. The Facility is hosted by the European Forest Institute and was established in 2010.

Disclaimer

This website has been produced with the assistance of the European Union and the Governments Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. The contents of this site are the sole responsibility of the European Forest Institute’s EU REDD Facility and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of funding organisations.