Community Forestry: an opportunity to reduce poverty and ensure sustainable management of forests in DR Congo

Community Forestry: an opportunity to reduce poverty and ensure sustainable management of forests in DR Congo

DR Congo - 18 November, 2013

Community forestry can be an opportunity to improve the socioeconomic conditions of local communities and ensure sustainable forest management, if it is based on the principles of good governance, according to Professor Alphonse Maindo, director of Tropenbos International DR Congo program. This was his end message in the presentation "Governance of community forests”, presented during the workshop on community forestry held in Kisangani, 1-2 October, 2013.

The workshop organized by the National Department of Environmental Conservation and Tourism had as objective to sensitize the political and administrative authorities and civil society organizations on the developments implementing the community forestry process in DR Congo.

In his presentation, Maindo, demonstrated that community forestry is an ancient practice that requires modern management. Communities have always managed collectively their forests; the new element in this process is the modern forest management that underpins good governance.

During the workshop besides the issue of governance, other themes were discussed related to forest regulations, integration of minority and marginalized groups (indigenous people and women ) in forest management, land use (participatory mapping) and the roles of different actors in the process.

The following observations were made during the discussions among the participants:

  • The delay for promulgating texts which govern the allocation and management of concessions to local communities is blocking the implementation of community forestry in DR Congo;
  • The competing claims of rights for lands for agricultural, mining and forestry activities and the lack of participatory mapping to define the rights and usages of communities on customary territories are the basis of conflicts that tear up communities and can act as a brake for the implementation of community forestry;
  • The customary rules do not encourage the involvement of women in forest management, despite the impact of these activities on forest;
  • Low capacity and lack of leadership in local communities for the management of their forests.

The following are the recommendations for the implementation of community forestry in DR Congo that the participants made:

  1. Promulgation of regulatory text which govern the allocation and management of concessions of local communities;
  2. Implementation of participatory mapping to define land uses, Capacity building and support for local communities to manage their forests;
  3. Integration of women and indigenous people in the management of community assets.