Development of a monitoring methodology and baseline study in community forestry Democratic Republic of the Congo

Context of the service

In 2014, the DRC adopted a decree promoting social forestry and the establishment of Local Community Forest Concessions (CFCL). The Forest Code provides that a local community may, at its request, obtain as a forest concession some or all of the protected forests among the forests lawfully owned by custom.

Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) has been working in the DRC since 2008 by supporting local communities in mapping their land and then in reflecting on their management methods. In 2019, taking advantage of the favorable context created by the new Congolese legislation, RFN wanted to promote community forestry in order to combine the sustainable management of forest resources, the securing of community rights and local development.

The objective of the service was to design and implement a methodology to assess the environmental situation, socio-economic conditions and local governance modes in 5 CFCLs of Walikale (North Kivu Province) and Penzele (Equateur Province).

Services provided

- Design of a methodology to assess the environmental situation, socio-economic conditions and local governance modes (including the involvement of women, indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups) in Local Community Forest Concessions (LCCs);

- Carrying out a baseline study in 5 CFCLs in Walikale territory, North Kivu, and in 1 CFCL in Penzele, Equateur;

- Training of Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) national partners on the methodology used, ensuring a good appropriation of the data collection tools and monitoring indicators used;

- Formulation of recommendations for the definition of simple management plans of CFCLs by communities to improve responses to indicators;

- Coordination of the drafting of 2 baseline study reports (1 for Walikake, 1 for Penzele).

Summary of the service

Community Forestry Study for Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN): Development of a monitoring methodology and conduct of two baseline studies on socio-economic, environmental conditions and local governance in Local Community Forest Concessions CFCL) in North Kivu and Equateur; Training of national RFN partners on the methodology used; Formulation of recommendations for the definition of simple management plans for CFCL.