UNLOCKING SYSTEM-LEVEL CHANGE IN THE CONGO BASIN - November 2022 - PART OF THE

Congo RtP_ENGLISH_digital UNLOCKING SYSTEM-LEVEL CHANGE IN THE CONGO BASIN November 2022 PART OF THE REALISING THE PLEDGE SERIES BUILDING ON ‘REALISING THE PLEDGE’, A BRIEFING BY THE RAINFOREST FOUNDATIONS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE UNITED STATES AND NORWAY ON HOW THE US$1.7 BILLION FOREST TENURE COMMITMENT AT COP26 CAN REACH CRITICAL FRONTLINE FOREST DEFENDERS, THIS BRIEF LOOKS AT MAJOR OPPORTUNI. [...] Land use planning processes in Cameroon and Gabon, or the new Forest Code in the Republic of Congo open new legal avenues to test these approaches. [...] NEEDED INVESTMENTS Realising these opportunities requires a step-change in the level of investment in indigenous and grassroots organisations to: Scale-up participatory mapping of community lands as a first step to identifying and legally securing these areas, harnessing simple geo-spatial technologies that are breaking down costs barriers. [...] Invest in the creation of producer associations, sustainable value chains and fair access to markets as the basis for a vibrant forest economy that is compatible with community based conservation. [...] Strengthen community-based monitoring of paradigmatic threats to tropical forests that could have wider impact in the countries such as the planned expansion of oil, gas and logging activities in DRC and the Republic of Congo and agribusiness, mining and infrastructure development in Cameroon and other countries.