Congo Basin Forest Fund supports forest monitoring

Located in the southwestern corner of Cameroon, Campo-Ma’an Model Forest is part of the vast Congo Basin forest. Previously, a variety of interventions in the area have had different effects, some of them negative, on the lives of the local residents including women who are the main providers of household income in rural areas. With the inauguration of the Campo-Ma’an Model Forest in 2005—a platform based on a voluntary partnership of all public, private and community actors—was established. This led to collaboration capable of addressing sustainable development and conservation issues within this region. The goal of this paper is to show that, in this ever-changing context, the Model Forest concept is bringing about changes in the vision, structuring and strategies of the different social groups, particularly amongst women.

Download Full-text

Forest monitoring in Congo Basin with combined use of SAR C- & L-band

2012 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium ◽

10.1109/igarss.2012.6352093 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

K. Einzmann ◽

J. Haarpaintner ◽

Y. Larsen

Keyword(s):

Congo Basin ◽

Forest Monitoring ◽

Combined Use ◽

L Band

Download Full-text

How to Achieve Effective Participation of Communities in the Monitoring of REDD+ Projects: A Case Study in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10090794 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 794 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Schmitt ◽

Mukungu

Keyword(s):

Community Participation ◽

Democratic Republic ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

National Level ◽

Congo Basin ◽

Forest Monitoring ◽

Advanced Country ◽

Republic Of Congo ◽

Effective Community

Developing countries that implement the Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) mechanism under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are required to ensure the effective participation of all stakeholders including indigenous peoples and local communities. Community-based monitoring (CBM) of REDD+ projects could contribute to meeting REDD+ monitoring, reporting, and verification requirements and to ensuring effective community participation. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the most advanced country in REDD+ implementation in the Congo Basin region, but the role of forest communities in REDD+ monitoring has not been adequately defined. Based on a Delphi survey, this study aimed to explore the factors that are crucial in achieving effective community participation in the monitoring of REDD+ projects. Out of 65 experts with in-depth knowledge of REDD+ and CBM in the DRC and elsewhere, 35 agreed to participate in the study. In three rounds, 19 feedbacks were received from the first round, 17 from the second and 14 from the third. Data were analyzed in a qualitative (MAXQDA) and quantitative (Microsoft Excel) manner. There was consensus among experts that, per definition, effective participation of communities in the monitoring of REDD+ projects must be a process characterized by a free and prior informed consent (FPIC), recognition of traditional knowledge and community rights, and involvement of communities in all steps of the monitoring process. In practice, the latter point poses several challenges as it requires capacity building, careful selection of indicators, adequate local institutional arrangements and a benefit-sharing system. Ideally, local CBM systems should be nested within the national forest monitoring system, but this will require more strategic efforts at the national level in the DRC, including a framework concept for the role of communities and CBM in REDD+ that can be further adapted to particular circumstances on the ground.

Download Full-text

Supporting local adaptive capacity to climate change in the Congo basin forest of Cameroon

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management ◽

10.1108/17568691311327587 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 181-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Mekou Youssoufa Bele ◽

Denis Jean Sonwa ◽

Anne Marie Tiani

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Adaptive Capacity ◽

Congo Basin ◽

Congo Basin Forest

Download Full-text

Financing and current capacity for REDD+ readiness and monitoring, measurement, reporting and verification in the Congo Basin

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2012.0310 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 368 (1625) ◽

pp. 20120310 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Danae Maniatis ◽

Jérôme Gaugris ◽

Danilo Mollicone ◽

Joel Scriven ◽

Alexis Corblin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Political Engagement ◽

Congo Basin ◽

Forest Monitoring ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Key Stakeholders ◽

Internet Searches ◽

Key Barrier ◽

Monitoring And Measurement ◽

Reporting And Verification

This paper provides the first critical analysis of the financing and current capacity for REDD+ readiness in the Congo Basin, with a particular focus on the REDD+ component of national forest monitoring and measurement, reporting and verification (M&MRV). We focus on three areas of analysis: (i) general financing for REDD+ readiness especially M&MRV; (ii) capacity and information for REDD+ implementation and M&MRV; (iii) prospects and challenges for REDD+ and M&MRV readiness in terms of financing and capacity. For the first area of analysis, a REDD+ and M&MRV readiness financing database was created based on the information from the REDD+ voluntary database and Internet searches. For the second area of analysis, a qualitative approach to data collection was adopted (semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, surveys and observations). All 10 countries were visited between 2010 and 2012. We find that: (i) a significant amount of REDD+ financing flows into the Congo Basin (±US$550 million or almost half of the REDD+ financing for the African continent); (ii) across countries, there is an important disequilibrium in terms of REDD+ and M&MRV readiness financing, political engagement, comprehension and capacity, which also appears to be a key barrier to countries receiving equal resources; (iii) most financing appears to go to smaller scale (subnational) REDD+ projects; (iv) four distinct country groups in terms of REDD+ readiness and M&MRV status are identified; and (v) the Congo Basin has a distinct opportunity to have a specific REDD+ financing window for large-scale and more targeted national REDD+ programmes through a specific fund for the region.

Download Full-text