African Wildlife Foundation

Absorbing 1.5 percent of the world's total annual carbon emissions, the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo — one of the six countries that make up the Congo Basin — are a vital lifeline for indigenous and local populations, as well as a crucial habitat for threatened wildlife species. Maintaining the integrity of these forests is vital not only for the future of Africa, but also for the future of the world. African Wildlife Foundation works in two landscapes in DRC — Maringa Lopori Wamba in north-central DRC and Bili-Uele further north — partnering with wildlife authorities and local groups to provide income-generating alternatives to activities that degrade forests and threaten wildlife. AWF also intervenes in the Central Zone of Bili-Mbomu, training local communities on sustainable agriculture techniques and helping them set up their fields to improve their yield so that forests are not converted into farmland. In addition to improving production, AWF introduced the processing of cassava into flour. The sustainable agriculture and fishing techniques have been a positive follow-up to the participatory mapping initiated in nine clusters of the landscape to develop a land-use plan. By zoning portions of the land for particular uses, AWF has oriented the community to adopt farming methods that restore the environment. For instance, farmers are encouraged to practice agriculture closer to the roads. Additionally, AWF has introduced sedentary agriculture that allows farmers to stay in one place and rotate crops so that the abandoned spaces can regenerate.