28 November 2014: Recognizing that actions outside protected areas can impact conservation efforts within them, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the EU are partnering with the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to support research on forests surrounding Virunga National Park.

The project, titled ‘Forests and Climate Change in the Congo,’ explores local knowledge and practices with regard to trees, forests and agroforestry in order to identify drivers of change and loss. Main findings from the research reveal losses of arable land due to large scale livestock grazing, reduced crop diversity, increased pests and soil erosion. The study also notes that tress and agroforestry are currently poorly integrated into agricultural practices.

Research and capacity building carried out through the project have, however, identified a number of potentially valuable tree species and locally adapted approaches to agroforestry. The expectation is that supporting livelihoods outside protected areas will reduce pressures on Virunga National Park, which is vulnerable to encroachment and illegal extraction. The project takes a gender-differentiated approach to the identification of valuable tree species and, as such, is able to reflect both the needs of men and women. CIFOR and ICRAF are part of the CGIAR Consortium. [CIFOR Press Release]