Équateur Province

Équateur Province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of the most forested and biodiverse regions in the country.

Home to over half of the Congo Basin rainforest, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s rainforests are a vital lifeline for around 40 million people. Yet, the rainforests in the area are threatened by large-scale logging, poorly run conservation initiatives, and a growing global demand for natural resources.

That’s why we partnered with Go Conscious Earth to support Indigenous peoples and local communities in protecting, managing and reclaiming their rainforest.

With support from Go Conscious Earth, over a million acres have become community-owned.

Go Conscious Earth have secured a temporary agreement to protect a whopping one million acre tract of land surrounding his and neighbouring villages. As of 2018, much of that land has now become community owned.

Thanks to their hard work, four communities in the DRC’s Bikoro Territory, have legal rights to their ancestral forests. It’s all part of a growing movement to return land and forests to the people who live in and protect it.

These communities are now leading the way in land use planning, sustainable livelihoods, and forest protection, all driven by local organisers, women, and Indigenous leaders.

Because when rainforest communities have the power, rainforests stand.