The Congo Basin has the second largest and most intact area of contiguous rainforest in the world. It is the last of the world’s three great rainforests that still remains a net carbon store (absorbing more carbon than it emits). Yet its lands and waters are drastically under-protected.

Unsustainable logging and mining and slash-and-burn agriculture have taken a massive toll on the landscape. Water resources face exploitation, and armed conflict has plagued the area for decades. Habitat loss and poaching have pushed several species to the edge of extinction, including large mammals like elephants and gorillas.

Rainforest Trust has been working with partners and Indigenous and local communities in the Congo Basin for over a decade to preserve biodiversity and build climate resilience. With partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo, our projects support community-led conservation that establishes new protected areas, secures land tenure and management rights, improves livelihoods, and creates a lasting impact.

Header photo: Eastern Lowland Gorilla, by Tanongsak Fongphrae

Community Forests Protect Biodiversity

Two projects will establish at least 10 new Community Forests across 830,000 acres of critical rainforest in the Congo Basin. Community Forests provide localized protection that does not rely on changing political landscapes. The designation prohibits large-scale industrial activities, but permits artisanal use of the forest for the benefit of its customary owners; and long-term management plans prioritize sustainability.

Conservation Can Save the Congo

At the eastern edge of the Congo Basin, the Albertine Rift stretches 920 miles and hosts the widest variety of wildlife on the continent. Rainforests, rivers, and lakes spread across volcanic mountains, and peat swamps store vast amounts of carbon. More than half of continental Africa’s bird species and nearly 40% of its mammal species live here.

Since 2014, Rainforest Trust has helped protect over 6.5 million acres in this region. Our projects encompass a variety of protected area types, from nature reserves to community-managed forests. Since 2016, Rainforest Trust’s donors have supported eight Community Forest projects in the eastern Congo, totaling 5.7 million acres.

We must preserve the rainforests of the Congo Basin. For wildlife, people, and the planet, the stakes could not be higher.