A Decade of REDD+ in a Changing Political Environment in the Democratic Republic of Congo

CIFOR infobriefs provide concise, accurate, peer-reviewed information on current topics in forest research No. 318, December 2020 DOI: 10.17528/cifor/007893 | cifor.org A decade of REDD+ in a changing political environment in the Democratic Republic of Congo Félicien Kengoum, Pham Thu Thuy and Denis Jean Sonwa Key messages • The REDD+ policy process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the past decade has diverged from the initial government planning due to political changes at the international and national levels. • While participation is perceived by government and international actors as one of the biggest achievements of REDD+ in the DRC, non-state actors – particularly civil society organizations and Indigenous groups – are skeptical about inclusiveness within the decision-making process. Social inequalities and local power relations may hinder the implementation of participation instruments and the involvement of local and Indigenous communities, impeding their ability to achieve reduced deforestation and poverty alleviation. • The political economy and the lack of data on deforestation and forest degradation – and on the recently discovered large swamp in the DRC – make it challenging to monitor, report and verify a reduction in forest emissions within a multilevel setting. The experience of REDD+ tested at scale in the DRC through the Mai-Ndombe jurisdictional project highlights the cost challenges of generating timely and accurate data. • Supporting REDD+ finance in the DRC is difficult since the country relies entirely on international funding to fight climate change. A benefits-sharing mechanism remains unclear. Consequently, there is a lack of flexibility in addressing unanticipated costs that may result from the implementation of the process. This jeopardizes the success of the process and raises uncertainty about the expected results. • Emerging issues, such as community forestry and the discovery of large swamp areas, make the DRC more attractive for the REDD+ program. The first issue offers a workaround to the problem of securing communal rights, while the second issue provides additional opportunities for REDD+ activities. Introduction et al. 2020) due to commercial agricultural production (40%), food agriculture (20%) and firewood (20%) (MEDD 2015). The Forests play a key role in the global efforts to fight climate deforestation rate is among the highest in the Congo Basin change (IPCC 2019). Reducing forest cover loss could lower region. The carbon sequestration potential of DRC forests global CO2 emissions by as much as 5.8 billion tons each year, for 2019 was estimated at 1,326 Mt CO2e (MEDD 2018). This making countries with high levels of forest cover particularly was before large areas of swamp – mostly covered by oil, relevant. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is 2,345,409 gas, timber and oil palm development concessions – were km² in size and shares more than 10,000 km of border with discovered in the country (Dargie et al. 2017; Miles et al. 2017). nine neighboring countries (see Figure 1). According to This makes the DRC a key candidate for international efforts the latest figures of the World Bank (2020), the DRC had a to fight climate change through the mechanism of reducing population of 86,790,567 inhabitants in 2019. The poverty emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in rate in the DRC is 72% (World Bank 2018). Poor people mainly developing countries (REDD+), including forest conservation, dwell in rural areas and rely on the exploitation of land and sustainable forest management, and the enhancement of natural resources to sustain livelihoods (Mpoyi et al. 2013). forest carbon stocks. The consensus is that forest cover, as reported in the country’s nationally determined contributions on climate change, The DRC has been involved in REDD+ since 2009. The national amounts to 152 million ha (MEDD 2015). The DRC has the REDD+ framework strategy aims to stabilize – from 2030 largest and most well-conserved forests in the Congo Basin. onwards – and maintain forest cover on 63.5% of the DRC’s However, the deforestation rate in the DRC for the period territory, thus reducing projected forest emissions by 56% 2000–2015 is estimated at 0.2% to 0.3% per year (Kengoum in the period 2013–2030, while increasing gross domestic 2 No.No. 318 20 December 2020 National Development Framework Governance Land use Land tenure planning National REDD+ Agriculture framework Energy Strategy Forestry Demography Figure 2. The seven pillars of the REDD+ framework strategy in the DRC. Source: DRC, 2012 Figure 1. DRC in the Congo Basin. the REDD+ Investment Plan was validated; the intended nationally determined contributions were submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change product and alleviating poverty through seven strategic (UNFCCC), and the Paris Agreement was signed by the pillars, as presented in Figure 2. However, from 2009 to DRC government. REDD+ did not develop according to the 2020, the country underwent various political changes and original plan, as outlined in Figure 3, and it was only in 2017 administrative decentralization, and there has been limited that the country engaged in participatory discussions on analysis on how REDD+ has evolved over time in this context. the REDD+ national benefit-sharing mechanism – on which This infobrief analyzes REDD+ policies and progress in the there was still no national agreement in 2020. After a decade DRC from 2009 to 2020, discussing opportunities, challenges of efforts, only 20% of the initial budget of USD 1 billion has and policy recommendations to promote effective, efficient been raised through the CAFI, as highlighted by the national and equitable outcomes for REDD+ activities. This analysis is REDD+ coordinator in a recent interview granted to CIFOR based on the results of research project conducted by the (Ngeunga 2020). These delays have raised a lot of concerns Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) from 2017 among actors both in the national and international REDD+ to 2020 within the framework of the Global Comparative community, who regularly presented the DRC as a REDD+ Study on REDD+ project (GCS-REDD+). The resulting report role model in the Congo Basin. Analysts even concluded and publications (Kengoum 2020; Kengoum et al. 2020; Thuy that the DRC had lost this position as its REDD+ projects do et al. In press) are based on literature review, stakeholder not show a capacity to achieve the expected reduction in interviews with 45 organizations and nine experts on REDD+, emissions (Seyller et al. 2016). Brockhaus, cited by Vander as well as data collected in the field. Useful information was Velde and Furnival (2014) and later Streck (2019), concluded also gained from a knowledge-sharing event on REDD+ and that – contrary to expectations – REDD+ is not a quick, easy a capacity-building forum with journalists – both held in and cheap mechanism. Many factors have contributed to Kinshasa in October 2019 – as well as a webinar (71 attendees) delaying the full implementation of tasks needed to complete in November 2020. each stage of the process (Kabengele 2017). The question is then how policymakers can adapt to this fast-changing environment in order to ensure that current achievements are Evolution of REDD+: An unachieved maintained, and REDD+ objectives are met in forthcoming decade phases. Understanding what factors facilitate and hinder the development and implementation of REDD+ will also be key The DRC planned REDD+ through a four-phase process to mitigating the problem. over the period 2009–2016 (see Figure 3). The country signed the official decree to engage in REDD+ in 2009. In 2012, it signed the Ministerial Homologation Decree for REDD+ successes and challenges in REDD+ projects and programs, then created the National REDD+ Fund (FONAREDD) and ultimately became the first the DRC in the Congo Basin to have its National REDD+ Framework REDD+ in the DRC is well embedded in existing climate- Strategy validated in the same year (Mpoyi et al. 2013). In change agreements that the country has signed. The DRC 2015, the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) was launched; has signed 29 international conventions on the environment, 3 No. 318 December 2020 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Phase 0 Phase 1 Initialization Phase 2 Readiness Phase 3 Investment Implementation Figure 3. REDD+ as planned in DRC. Source: Kengoum et al., 2020 2008-2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018-2019 • 2009 Decree on REDD in the DRC • 2015 Launch of the CAFI initiative • 2017 participatory • 2010 Signature of the FIP • 2015 REDD+ Investment Plan consultation on the REDD+ • 2010 R-PP Submitted • 2015 Submission of the INDC to benet-sharing mechanism • 2011 Law on the Basic Principles UNFCCC of Agriculture • 2015 Signing of the Paris • 2012 The Ministerial Homologation Agreement Decree for REDD+ projects and programs • 2012 Creation of the National REDD+ Fund • 2012 National REDD+ Framework Strategy Figure 4. REDD+ political development in DRC. Source: Adapted from Kengoum et al., 2020 natural resources and the fight against climate change. In in the DRC, as the main groups representing more than its nationally determined contributions submitted to the 500 national organizations participating in REDD+. All these UNFCCC within the framework of the Paris Agreement, the actors are part of the 30 thematic groups created as multi- DRC committed itself to a 17% reduction in its emissions by stakeholder platforms

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