Challenges and opportunities in the adoption of community forestry in RoC

In the Republic of Congo, the statutory forest regime giving the State absolute control of forest resources has not succeeded in achieving sustainable forest management, even less so in reducing poverty or improving livelihoods for IPLCs. The precarious nature of existing land tenure systems has left communities increasingly marginalised from traditional economic activities and from the decision-making process regarding the use of natural resources. They face the growing threat of dispossession. In the absence of a land tenure system establishing clear collective ownership rights, community forestry now appears to be the most efficient option to  secure customary land tenure in Congo.

However, despite the opportunities that community forestry offers for IPLCs to secure customary land rights and improve their livelihoods, a number or constraints and challenges persist in relation to land tenure insecurity and overlapping.

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