Congo Basin
Image: Zana Briski
Congo Basin Programme
Our research shows that philanthropic funding for mainland African forests is much lower than it is for forest protection in Latin America and Southeast Asia; the current funding response has been insufficient to address needs.
We have been working in the region since 2012 and have now developed a programme designed to encourage a more coordinated response to the threats. We have identified numerous strong local partners, as well as several excellent international organisations and will continue to build on this through our rigorous research, consultation with our partners and site visits.
We are sharing our research and programme with multiple donors to leverage pooled funding to enable a ‘win-win’ for both donor and grantee. For the (often overstretched) grantee, it means less time spent fundraising and completing paperwork; and done well it also means more opportunity to collaborate and learn from other grantees. For the donor, it offers an opportunity to learn about and fund grantees in areas previously inaccessible given lack of capacity to research the region, identify good partners or conduct due diligence.
Current partners in our Congo Basin Programme
JVE Côte d’Ivoire
JVE Côte d’Ivoire (Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement Côte d’Ivoire), based in Bingerville, focuses on sustainable development, involving youth in agroecology, climate change, and social justice initiatives.
ANAPAC RDC
ANAPAC RDC aims to strengthen and secure the territories of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for the Monitoring of Reforms and Public Action (CORAP)
CORAP aims to positively promote and contribute to the social wellbeing of Congolese people.
Dignité Pygmée (DIPY)
Dignité Pygmée (DIPY) is a non-profit advocacy group which promotes the equality of native Indigenous Peoples in the DRC.
Okapi Conservation Project
The Okapi Conservation Project (OCP) works to conserve the rainforest and wildlife of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve through conservation education, local community outreach, and sustainable agriculture.
African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization (AMMCO)
African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization (AMMCO) is working to make Central Africa's coastal and aquatic environments safe for marine wildlife.
Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA)
Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is a broad alliance of civil society actors working to promote food sovereignty and agroecology in Africa.
Coalition des Femmes Leaders pour l’Environnement et le Développement Durable (CFLEDD)
The Coalition of Female Leaders for the Environment and Sustainable Development (CFLEDD) was established in 2011 as a platform to promote the effective participation of women in the sustainable management of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Green Development Advocates
Green Development Advocates (GDA) is a Cameroonian organisation which works with forest communities and indigenous peoples to support sustainable development activities in forests in Southwest Cameroon.
Struggle to Economize Future Environment
Struggle to Economize Future Environment (SEFE) is a grassroots NGO which mobilises communities in Southwest Cameroon to protect forests and farmland from a proposed large-scale palm oil plantation by Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC, a subsidiary of US company Herakles Farm) that threatens forests, rivers and communities’ lands. The proposed plantation is on land […]
Reseau CREF
Réseau CREF (Network for the Conservation and Restoration of Forest Ecosystems) is a coalition of around 30 local organisations based in North Kivu, Eastern DRC.
Mbou Mon Tour
Mbou Mon Tour is a group of communities working in Mai Ndombe, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to protect forests and savannah, which are home to bonobos and other tiny primates, as well as to carry out environmentally friendly development projects to reduce poverty and malnutrition.
International Rivers Africa Programme
International Rivers’ Africa Programme works across the continent to protect river systems and advance the rights of local communities affected by infrastructure development.
Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN)
GRAIN is an international NGO that began in the 1980s as a coalition of likeminded people doing research, advocacy and lobbying around loss of diversity on farms. Its work evolved to focus on linking up with, supporting and connecting local partners and movements championing diverse food systems and challenging monocultures and land grabs in the Global South.
Association Okani
Field Advisory Legality Group
Dynamique des Groupes des Peuples Autochtones
Dynamique des Groupes des Peuples Autochtones (DGPA) is a network of around 45 organisations, including indigenous forest peoples’ groups, working to secure the rights of indigenous peoples, as well as improve recognition of the role that they can play in protecting forests and associated biodiversity.
Well Grounded
Well Grounded works across the Congo Basin for civil society organisations (CSOs) to provide organisation and strategy development support so that organisations can have real and sustainable impacts on forest governance and community rights.
Rainforest Foundation UK
Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) works with local civil society groups to challenge destructive models of development and support local communities to manage their customary forests.
Forest Peoples Programme
Read our Congo Basin Insight
