The untold story of the importance of the DRC’s people and forests in the fight against climate change

The Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest and largest carbon sink, spanning over 202 million hectares - yet few people recognise just how important it is in the fight against climate change.?

For this reason Everland worked with former US Diplomat and World Bank official Oliver Griffith to produce a first-hand, deep dive, account of life on the ground in the significant deforestation project underway in the Congo Basin. The account, a piece titled “How forestry conservation is sustaining both the climate and livelihoods in the Congo”, was published in Business Green earlier this week. It can also be viewed via our REDD+ Impacts site, here.?

On a 3 week excursion with Everland, Griffith visited nine of the most remote villages within the Mai Ndombe, DRC, project which is part of the UN-backed REDD+, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, scheme. Speaking directly with community members, community leaders, civil society and regional and national government officials Griffith witnessed first-hand a science based climate change solution that is working today.?

In his account he describes how there is little debate anymore that tropical forests must be protected. Deforestation and forest degradation are some of the leading causes of global warming, responsible for about 15% of greenhouse gas emissions.??

The REDD+ model described in the account works as a replicable and scalable product that can raise substantial funding from corporations which buy Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) also known as carbon credits. It depends on detailed, science-based carbon accounting under the internationally recognized Verified Carbon Standard, and the buy-in via Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of local communities.

However, as Griffith notes, the DRC is at a crossroads. It is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa and has exceptional natural resources but it regularly finishes near the bottom in the UN’s global human development index, and two thirds of Congolese live in poverty.?

There is significant economic pressure to exploit natural resources by:

• Those in poverty who depend on the income to survive;
• The government who stand to gain significant tax revenues; and,
• International firms gathering resources within their supply chains.

The reality, as Griffith recounts, is that the resources depended on by those in the forest…are found in the forest, therefore sustainable economic solutions must also be found there. They must be practical, scalable, and easy to implement, and they will only be successful if they can protect the forests while meeting the economic needs of those who might cut them down.?

Read the full original article here: How forestry conservation is sustaining both the climate and livelihoods in the Congo | BusinessGreen Opinion?

The article can also be found in different languages via the following links:

• English [link]
• French [link]
• Spanish [link]
• German [link]