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.