Africa's green treasure

Seen from space, the Congo Basin’s multiple shades of green run delicately across the heart of the African continent. Covering an area of more than 4 million km² spanning six countries, the Congo Basin is home to the world’s second largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon, and second largest river by water volume.

Life thrives in this warm and humid environment, which hosts some of the most critically endangered species on the planet, such as the world's largest population of western lowland gorillas.

Known as the planet’s second lung, the Congo Basin is not only a biodiversity hotspot, but also one of the world’s most valuable carbon sinks – where total carbon absorption is higher than total emissions.

In the Republic of the Congo alone, lowland tropical forests cover over 60 percent of the territory, making it one of the richest and most biologically important forest ecosystems on the planet.

Moisture and solar heating lead to interesting patterns in one of the cloudiest places on Earth, the Congo River Basin. Photo taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station. ©NASA

While forests are a lifeline for many Congolese, slash-and-burn subsistence farming and a heavy reliance on fuelwood drive deforestation – over 80 percent of the population relies on fuelwood for cooking and heating needs.

To tackle the drivers of deforestation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of the Congo are in the midst of implementing a Green Climate Fund (GCF) project with financing worth USD 46.6 million.

Approved by the GCF Board in March 2021, the PREFOREST CONGO project focuses on shifting subsistence farmers away from slash-and-burn practices for crops and fuelwood towards agroforestry approaches that combine the management of trees with crops for better production, a better environment, and more sustainable livelihoods.

The initiative helps poor smallholder farmers secure access to land, establishes fuelwood plantations and productive agroforestry systems, improves farmers’ access to markets, facilitates financing for sustainable agroforestry value chains, and restores degraded forests.

How do forests in the Congo Basin help fight climate change?

The vast forests of the Congo Basin act as powerful carbon sinks that absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere – a process that reduces the overall concentration of greenhouse gases and helps mitigate climate change.

By storing large amounts of carbon in trees and soil, these forests play a crucial role in regulating the global carbon cycle and reducing net CO₂ emissions.

The Congo Basin is also vital to regulating climate beyond the green canopies of the forest, generating rainfall as far away as the Sahel and the Ethiopian highlands, supporting a further 300 million rural Africans.

This bai (natural, swampy forest clearing) in Bomassa, Nouabale Ndoki, Republic of Congo, is used by animals from late afternoon to early morning. ©Brent Stirton/Getty Images for FAO, CIFOR, CIRAD, WCS

How can farmers access fuelwood in a sustainable way?

One of the ways the PREFOREST CONGO project aims to protect forests and improve vulnerable farmers’ livelihoods is by establishing 14 500 hectares of agroforestry systems, including fuelwood plantations.

Increasing farmers’ access to sustainable wood energy has the potential to significantly reduce deforestation and forest degradation.

These plantations also deliver multiple benefits, from producing crops to restoring degraded lands. 

How can improving agricultural practices protect forests?

Compared with traditional methods of subsistence farming, where slash-and-burn agricultural practices are used to clear land for crops and for fuelwood, climate-resilient agroforestry practices increase soil fertility and agricultural productivity.

By combining tree planting with crops and increasing the forest’s biodiversity, agroforestry systems increase carbon sequestration while supporting local livelihoods.

Farmers involved in the PREFOREST CONGO project receive training and support on how to effectively integrate nitrogen-fixing trees, such as Acacia species, into their farming practices. This helps farmers improve soil health and enhance crop yields, and at the same time, encourages sustainable land management practices.

The more farmers adopt sustainable forest management practices and agroforestry systems, the less pressure is put on forests. In other words, reducing the need for slash-and-burn agriculture for crops and fuelwood helps maintain forest cover, protects biodiversity, and improves ecosystem resilience.

Over 40 000 smallholder farmers are set to benefit from the initiative over the next five years, and 16.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions will be avoided over 20 years.

The PREFOREST CONGO project is an example of how partnerships turn investment into climate action that benefits people and nature.