Protecting the ecological and biocultural integrity of the Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is home to Earth’s second largest rainforest and Africa’s second-longest river: the Congo. Containing a dazzling array of species, including iconic animals such as elephants, gorillas and bonobos, it also acts as a huge carbon sink and is a major source of the continent’s rainfall. It supports the livelihoods of 40 million people, including many indigenous forest peoples. Despite this, lack of secure land tenure for forest peoples, combined with government economic ambition, leaves much of this incredible landscape and the life it supports vulnerable to destruction for industrial-scale activities such as logging and agribusiness.
OUR PROGRAMME:
Conservation work in the area faces huge challenges, but we believe that empowering communities and indigenous peoples to defend their territories and rights is essential for biodiversity, ecosystems and human wellbeing in the long term. Our programme supports work in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Cameroon to: resist destructive developments that threaten forests and rivers; empower forest peoples to defend their territories; and protect and revive ecosystems through regenerative approaches to development. Across the programme we provide core support and funding for capacity building.
Resist
Empowering civil society to resist and reduce threats to ecosystems and biodiversity from destructive developments.
Rights
Secure the rights of forest peoples to remain on their territories and defend them from threats.
Revive
Support communities and indigenous peoples to revive ecosystems and biodiversity through regenerative approaches to development.
* Images (L to R): Ollivier Girard/CIFOR; Chris Scarffe; Mbou mon Tour
Partner Profile: CFLEDD
Néné Mainzana, President of CFLEDD, Coalition of Women Leaders for the Environment and Sustainable Development, has now seen CFLEDD become the go to organisation for women’s rights in environmental and sustainable development circles in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But it wasn’t easy to get to this point:
“We started out very small, with very little funding, but even so we met resistance from some people, who said things like ‘Don’t listen to those women. They’re not capable of doing big projects like that. Don’t give money to those women – they don’t know how to manage it’ and so on.”
“Anybody who needs information or wants to be involved in questions of women’s rights now comes to us. There was a gap for an organisation that could fight for the rights of women within the context of the environment and natural resources, because women simply haven’t had a place at the table. We are now filling that gap.”
Synchronicity Earth is proud and committed to continue supporting conservation pioneers like Néné and CFLEDD.
Spotlight on Species: Bonobo (Pan paniscus)
The, Bonobo, Pan paniscus, is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Bonobo is thought to be the closest living relative to humans genetically. Much of the Bonobo’s habitat has been cleared for agriculture, and although not traditionally targeted by hunters (eating bonobos is a taboo in many local cultures), the Bonobo is currently at risk from the bushmeat trade, because of increased demand in recent years.
Population estimates from the four known Bonobo strongholds, based around protected areas, suggest a minimum population of 15,000 – 20,000 individuals. Despite legal protection, illegal hunting and forest clearance are still occurring. Various organisations, including our partner Mbou Mon Tour, are working with local communities and the DRC government to protect bonobos and their habitat.
Synchronicity Earth’s Congo Basin Programme is based on eight years of research and engagement in the conservation sector in the region. With further funding, we can build on the success of our programmatic approach: our goal is to deepen our impact by supporting more of our partners to strengthen their organisational capacities, thereby helping to address the growing threats to one of our planet’s most biologically and culturally diverse regions.
Congo Basin News
Snapshots from a global biodiversity conference
The world's largest and most important global gathering on biodiversity convened in Montreal, Canada, in December 2022. (...)
Five success stories from 2022
With the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s new agreement dominating conservation headlines, it can be easy to (...)
Making history: Conservation in the Congo Basin with Bihini Won wa Musiti Jean
When Bihini Won wa Musiti Jean began working in forest conservation in the Congo Basin back in 1982, in Central and W (...)
My World Conservation Congress was in Kinshasa
Cliquez ici pour lire cet article en français. Merline Touko Tchoko, Cameroonian communications expert and Synchronici (...)
Flying the nest…
It is with sadness, but also pride and our full support that we wish Katy Scholfield well in her new role at Arcus Found (...)
Guardians of nature in the Congo Basin
Sophie Grange-Chamfray, Knowledge & Learning Manager at Synchronicity Earth, dives into the importance of local com (...)
Whose land is it anyway?
CFLEDD (Coalition of Women Leaders for the Environment and Sustainable Development) is a growing movement of women in th (...)
Human rights advocate killed in DRC palm oil conflict
Synchronicity Earth is deeply saddened to report the death of Joël Imbangola Lunea, a human rights advocate in the Demo (...)
Rubber plantation halts deforestation on the edge of one of Africa’s largest rainforests
The world’s largest rubber processor has called for a ‘cease and desist’ on deforestation in a rubber plantation a (...)
Joining forces to fund conservation where it’s most needed
Pooled funding - where several donors and foundations contribute funds to a central pot - can reduce the burden on small (...)
Embracing biological and cultural diversity: An interview with Dr Jerome Lewis
Dr Jerome Lewis is a Reader in Social Anthropology at University College London. He has undergraduate and doctoral degre (...)
The Congo River, lifeblood of a country: An Interview with Ange Asanzi
Ange Asanzi joined International Rivers in 2014, initially to provide support for their river campaigns in Africa. In (...)
Cameroonian Environmental Activist arrested
Cameroonian environmental activist Nasako Besingi was arrested on Monday morning (25th September) in Mundemba, southwest (...)
A new Congo Basin Programme
This Autumn Synchronicity Earth launches its new Congo Basin Programme! The programme is the result of several years’ (...)
Where we work and why: Congo Basin
Synchronicity Earth partners with six groups (1) working in the Congo Basin, the majority in the Democratic Republic (...)