Congo Basin

At 500 million acres in size, the Congo Basin spans 6 countries and comprises 70% of Africa’s forests. There is little awareness that it is the world’s 2nd largest tropical rainforest, a fact Cloud Forest Fund hopes to share through storytelling. The Congo Basin rainforests absorb 370 million metric tons of the planet’s carbon emissions every year which is more than the Amazon rainforest. Humans have lived here for over 50,000 years, helping shape a mosaic of wetlands, savanna and dense tropical forest, living in harmony with elephants, gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees. The Congo forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Agriculture, livestock, mining, and palm oil are the main culprits. While conservation agencies rush in, we must look to indigenous communities and their traditional land management systems and support alternatives.

Our Approach:

New models and approaches rooted in the philosophies and management systems of the more than 150 indigenous groups of the Congo are needed. Cloud Forest Fund seeks to work with local organizations and councils to replicate the ‘Learning Grounds’ and ‘Indigenous Knowledge Portal’ models pioneered in the KTK-BELT project in Nepal in the Congo context.

Our Support:

Support to Syr-Ap, a grassroots organization supporting communities in Bateré with land needs to protect pangolins and bonobos.