OBJECTIVES
Our Forest Programme aims to promote the sustainable management of the Congolese forests involving all stakeholders: forest administration, private sector, academic institutions, civil society, local communities and indigenous peoples.
OUR APPROACH
The program operates in a complementary approach, both at national level and in field sites. For example, field site works help develop national legislation adapted to the local reality. All SFM works is developed and carried out in a concerted way with the main forest sector stakeholders.The main goal of the forest and carbon programme over the next few years is to finalize the coherent management framework with all sectors (REDD, agriculture, rural development, decentralization and land use, etc.), accepted by all stakeholders, and effectively put into practice in an official pilot site.
Over the period 2013-2016, WWF’s approach encompasses six linked strategies:
- Forest legislation and policy: Support the implementation of forest laws and regulations, capacity building in forestry technical standards, corporate social responsibility and FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade)
- Forest management technical training: Lack of capacity being one of the major challenges in the DRC forest sector, the program aims to build the technical capacity of young professionals and forest administration officials
- GFTN (Global Forest Trade network): Support the pilot sites integrated within the Ministry of Environment strategy and the logging companies interested to evolve toward certified responsible forest management.
- Civil society: Support the national and local NGOs in order to develop strategic partnerships, technical capacity, operational capacity and advocacy.
- Indigenous people and local communities: Around forest concessions, activities are oriented towards empowering local communities and indigenous people trough: participative zoning of customary territories, raising awareness about community rights, and sustainable socio economic development.
- REDD - Zero Net Deforestation – Payment for Environmental Services – Reforestation: The pilot sites where WWF is working with the private sector, forest administration and other stakeholders are probably the best areas to set up a Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system and Payments for Environmental Services (PES), etc. based on clear and accepted land use/tenure plans.
