Fatshimetrie, October 29, 2024 – A national workshop of capital importance opened yesterday in Kinshasa, highlighting the need to make local community forest concessions (CFCL) a real lever for sustainable development in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The reflections, debates and recommendations formulated during these meetings aim to improve the governance of CFCL and make them real drivers of positive change in rural areas of the country.
During the opening of this workshop, Mr. Frédéric Djengo Bosulu, Director General of Forests at the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, stressed the importance of placing local communities and Indigenous Pygmy Peoples at the heart of this dynamic of forest resource management. He stressed the crucial role that community forestry plays in the economic development and ecological preservation of the country, offering local populations sustainable livelihoods and helping to strengthen their resilience in the face of environmental challenges.
Community forestry embodies an innovative vision where forests become spaces for economic and social development, while promoting environmental protection and biodiversity conservation. This model is based on the idea that local stakeholders must be at the center of the management of their resources to ensure sustainable and equitable development. In the DRC, more than 200 forest concessions of local communities cover nearly 4.5 million hectares of forest, demonstrating the scale of this approach and its potential impact on populations and the environment.
The workshop brings together a diversity of participants, including representatives of the administration, civil society, technical and financial partners, researchers, academics and private sector stakeholders involved in community forestry in the DRC. These exchanges make it possible to respond to the challenges of governance, economic development and sustainable empowerment of community forests, while highlighting the successes and obstacles encountered by communities in their forest management.
The economic sustainability of CFCLs represents a unique opportunity to capitalize on the experience gained in community forestry in the DRC. Efforts in this area have made it possible to establish a solid legislative and policy framework, promoting the expansion of these concessions and opening up new development prospects for local communities. German Cooperation, through GIZ, welcomed the progress made and the commitment of the Congolese State to community forestry, which marks a significant step forward in the sustainable management of the country’s forest resources..
In conclusion, this national workshop represents a crucial step in promoting community forestry in the DRC and in building a more sustainable future for local communities and the environment. By drawing on the knowledge, shared experiences and recommendations made during these meetings, it is possible to strengthen the management of local community forest concessions and position them as essential levers for the country’s economic and social development.