Congo (Democratic Republic of)

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the second largest swath of rainforests in the world—152 million hectares, accounting for most of the remaining rainforest in the Congo Basin. Although rates of deforestation in the DRC are low compared to tropical forests in the Amazon and Southeast Asia, almost half a million hectares are lost each year. DRC’s direct drivers of deforestation include slash-and-burn agriculture, fuelwood production, bush fires, and small-scale and industrial logging.

Democratic Republic of Congo's FCPF Carbon Fund Program

Program name: Mai-Ndombe Emission Reductions Program

Program location:

Mai-Ndombe Province

Program area: 12.3 million ha

ERPA terms: Up to $55 million for reductions 11 MtCO2e

The Democratic Republic of Congo has selected Mai-Ndombe Province, a hot spot of deforestation in the country, to pilot results-based payments for REDD+ at scale. The direct drivers of deforestation and degradation in the province mirror those at the national level and include slash-and-burn agriculture, fuelwood production, uncontrolled bush fires, artisanal logging, and industrial logging. Existing REDD+ investments underlying the ER program combine different sources of funding, such as the Forest Investment Program, the Central African Forest Initiative, and the Global Environment Facility. The ER program is helping the country to secure long-term public and private finance to provide alternatives to deforestation and reward efforts to mitigate climate change, reduce poverty, and manage natural resources sustainably.