Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism

The Restoration Initiative: Restoration and Sustainable Management of Ecosystems in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

©@FAO/ Benjamin DeRidder

Project's full title	The Restoration Initiative: Restoration and Sustainable Management of Ecosystems in South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Introduction	The Restoration Initiative (TRI) is a joint effort by FAO, UNEP and IUCN to support Forest and Land Restoration (FLR) in ten countries worldwide. The initiative is implemented in Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Pakistan, São Tomé and Príncipe and the United Republic of Tanzania, aiming to reverse land degradation and enhance ecosystem resilience.
Country	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Start date	01/01/2018
End date	31/08/2024
Status	Completed
Recipient / Target Areas	Democratic Republic of the Congo
Budget	USD 3 600 000
Project Code	GCP/DRC/054/GFF
Objective / Goal	The objective of the project is to contribute to the restoration of the natural ecosystem through reforestation and the sustainable management of natural resources by local communities in South‐Kivu using forest and landscape restoration (FLR). Through the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM), the project aims to restore degraded lands in the Kabaré and Ngweshe chiefdoms, where population pressures and poor land management have significantly impacted forest cover. By restoring these landscapes, the project aims to improve biodiversity, enhance ecosystem services such as water regulation, and support sustainable livelihoods for local communities. The project also seeks to strengthen institutional capacities at the provincial level, ensuring that the FLR strategy is effectively implemented and monitored over the long term. Through these efforts, the project contributes to national and global restoration targets, aligning with broader environmental and development goals. The interventions focus on reducing the degradation of forest, agricultural and pastoral land to prevent further erosion and loss of soil fertility, restore ecosystem functioning and sustainably increase productivity.
Partners	In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, main partners are: The Congolese Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) General Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development Louvain-Coopération Evangelical University in Africa (UEA) Catholic University of Bukavu (UCB) Association pour la Sauvegarde de l’Environnement au Congo (ASEC), Association Paysanne pour l'Environnement et la Solidarité (APES), Association Coopérative des Cultivateurs de Bétail (ACCB) Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles de Lwiro (CRSN-Lwiro) INERA-Mulungu PNKB-ICCN CONGRESS Chiefdom of Ngweshe Chiefdom of Kabare Provincial Ministry in charge of the environment World Resources Institute (WRI) Leading organization: FAO
Beneficiaries	The chiefdoms of Kabaré and Ngweshe (South-Kivu)
Activities	The design of this TRI child project was a participative exercise. It is based on two multi-sectoral workshops, consultations with decentralised government authorities and non-government institutions, and focus groups with rural communities. These consultations were undertaken between November 2016 and May 2017. Based on the information collected, four components were developed to address the barriers identified: Policy development to promote FLR at the provincial level; FLR and sustainable livelihoods based on natural resources in the mountain region of South-Kivu Province demonstrated at the chiefdom level; Institutional and funding capacity to upscale FLR at the Provincial and National levels; and Knowledge sharing on FLR, partnership, and monitoring and evaluation of FLR interventions.
Impact	This project achieved the following key results: 3 145 ha of land under improved management. 2 163 ha of degraded land put under restoration. Provincial Strategy on FLR adopted for Province of South-Kivu. Establishment of the independent observatory for the mountain forest landscapes at the University of Bukavu. Support provided to 92 Dimitra Clubs to strengthen cohesion and synergies to support restoration and sustainable land management. Financial support to 65 micro-projects targeting restoration actions. Training provided to 150 associations on good practices for resource mobilization and project development skills. Development of a university curriculum focused on FLR. 57 086 direct beneficiaries reached.
Contact	FAO FLRM focal point Benjamin DeRidder Christophe Besacier FAO DRC focal point Floribert Mbolela National focal point William Wilondja Bahomet National coordinator Nzale Sumaili The Restoration Initiative website
More on this topic	This project is part of the GEF 6 funding cycle.
Related publications	The Restoration Initiative: 2023 Year in Review 30/11/2024 In its fifth year of implementation, this annual publication showcases The Restoration Initiative's achievements at the programme level, such as enhanced partnerships, dedicated support across countries to ensure high-quality FLR outcomes, and a platform to share and exchange knowledge with the global restoration community. The Restoration Initiative: 2022 Year in Review 23/05/2023 In its fourth year, The Restoration Initiative (TRI) achieved significant successes despite ongoing COVID-19 challenges. With lifted travel restrictions, TRI partners collaborated effectively to meet cross-programmatic goals and learn from one another. 2022 offered a renewed focus on locally led restoration, community engagement, and fresh perspectives. The Restoration Initiative: 2021 Year in Review 30/09/2022 In its third year of implementation, progress remained encouraging despite ongoing COVID-19 challenges. As restrictions eased, participants returned to the field, leveraging 2020’s analyses, policy recommendations, and restoration plans to accelerate actions. TRI's global partners also launched an initiative to close the investment gap for young enterprises using nature-based solutions and continued to advance knowledge and capacity-building in forest landscape restoration. The Restoration Initiative: 2020 Year in Review 02/11/2021 The 2020 review offers a snapshot of progress and key stories from the second year of The Restoration Initiative (TRI). Supported by the Global Environment Facility and led by IUCN in partnership with FAO and UNEP, TRI helps ten Asian and African countries achieve restoration goals. TRI advanced initiatives like an online course on forest landscape restoration with Yale, a new tool for assessing biodiversity threats, and a mentorship program for restoration-based business proposals. The Restoration Initiative Year in Review 2019 02/07/2020 The Restoration Initiative Year in Review 2019 details progress and stories from the first year of implementing the Restoration Initiative (TRI) programme. Supported by the Global Environment Facility, this pioneering programme, led by IUCN in partnership with FAO and UNEP, aids ten Asian and African countries in achieving shared restoration goals.