PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPES (PROLAND) ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MINIMIZE FOREST LOSS THROUGH AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION AND FOREST CONSERVATION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC) APRIL 2016 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Tetra Tech. Prepared for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) contract number AID-OAA-I-13-00058/AID-OAA-TO-14-00050, Productive Landscapes (ProLand), under the Restoring the Environment through Prosperity, Livelihoods and Conserving Ecosystems (REPLACE) Indefinite Quantity Contract IDIQ. Tetra Tech Contacts: Mark Donahue, Deputy Chief of Party [email protected] Benjamin Caldwell, Project Manager [email protected] Anna Farmer, Deputy Project Manager [email protected] Tetra Tech 159 Bank Street, Suite 300, Burlington, VT 05401 Tel: 802 495-0282, Fax 802 658-4247 www.tetratechintdev.com PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPES (PROLAND) ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MINIMIZE FOREST LOSS THROUGH AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION AND FOREST CONSERVATION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC) APRIL 2016 DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................ iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. vi 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background to the Assessment ............................................................................................... 1 1.2 Timeline and Methods ............................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Presentation of the Document ................................................................................................ 2 2.0 ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Context ......................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Framework Used in Assessment of Agricultural Intensification ...................................... 4 2.3 Approach Used for Assess Forest Conservation and Management ............................... 5 2.4 Fitting the Assessment into the Larger Context: Nature Wealth and Power ............. 9 3.0 DRIVERS OF DEFORESTATION ..................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Overview of Forest and Carbon Loss ................................................................................. 10 3.1.1 Spatial Analysis of Forest Loss ................................................................................ 10 3.1.2 Spatial Analysis of Carbon Emissions .................................................................... 11 3.1.3 Brief Comparison of Areas of High Biodiversity and Agricultural Growth . 13 3.2 Causes and Contexts of Forest Loss in the DRC ............................................................ 13 4.0 AGRICULTURE AND FOREST SECTORS IN THE DRC ......................................................... 16 4.1 Agriculture Sector .................................................................................................................... 16 4.1.1 Overview: Need and Potential for Agricultural Growth in DRC .................. 16 4.1.2 Savanna: Potential for Intensive Agriculture on Non-Forested Lands .......... 21 4.1.3 Swidden: Potential for Intensification .................................................................... 22 4.1.4 Eastern DRC: Unique Potential for Agricultural Intensification ..................... 24 4.1.5 Potential for Intensification of Cultivation of Perennial Crops ....................... 26 4.1.6 Agriculture in the REDD+ Strategy ...................................................................... 30 4.2 The Forest Sector ..................................................................................................................... 31 4.2.1 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 32 4.2.2 Formal Timber Sub-Sector ...................................................................................... 32 4.2.3 Artisanal Logging Sub-Sector .................................................................................. 34 4.2.4 Wood Fuels Sub-sector ........................................................................................... 36 4.2.5 Legal Framework for Community-based Natural Resource Management .. 37 4.2.6 Forest Management in the REDD+ Strategy ....................................................... 40 5.0 ONGOING PROGRAMS: AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION AND THE MITIGATION OF FOREST LOSS .................................................................................................... 42 5.1 CARPE and Land Use Planning .............................................................................................. 42 5.1.1 Review of Tree Cover Loss on the CARPE Landscapes .................................. 42 5.1.2 Effectiveness of Land Use Planning ........................................................................ 43 5.2 Ongoing Projects in Agriculture and CBNRM ................................................................... 44 5.2.1 Ongoing Projects in Agriculture ............................................................................ 45 5.2.2 Ongoing CBNRM Initiatives .................................................................................... 50 6.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................... 53 ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MINIMIZE FOREST LOSS THROUGH AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION AND FOREST CONSERVATION IN THE DRC i 6.1 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................ 53 ANNEX A: REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 57 ANNEX B: LIST OF PEOPLE INTERVIEWED FOR THE ASSESSMENT ........................................... 66 ANNEX C: PROLAND TERMS OF REFERENCE .................................................................................... 69 ANNEX D: PROLAND SCOPE OF WORK FOR WRI ......................................................................... 73 ANNEX E: MAPS .............................................................................................................................................. 75 ANNEX F: ARRETE MINISTERIEL NO. 25 ............................................................................................... 85 ANNEX G: WRI REPORT FOR DRC ASSESSMENT .......................................................................... 107 ii ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MINIMIZE FOREST LOSS THROUGH AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION AND FOREST CONSERVATION IN THE DRC ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACDI Agricultural Cooperative Development International ACP Artisanal Cutting Permits ADRA Adventist Development and Relief Agency AfricaLead Africa Leadership Training and Capacity Building Program ARCGIS Aeronautical Reconnaissance Coverage Geographic Information System ASTI Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators AWF African Wildlife Foundation CAADP Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program CAMPFIRE Communal Area Management Program for Indigenous Resources CARPE Central Africa Regional Program on the Environment CBC Community-Based Conservation CBNFM Community-Based Natural Forest Management CBNRM Community-Based Natural Resource Management CBWM Community-Based Wildlife Management CCAFS Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security CGIAR Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CIALCA Consortium for Improving Agriculture-Based Livelihoods in Central Africa CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CIFOR Center for International Forestry Research CIRAD Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement COMIFAC Commission des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale CRAA Centre de recherches agro-alimentaires (Agri-Food Research Center) DCVI Department for Internal Supervision and Verification DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo EMW&A Emery Mukendi Wafwana & Associates ERIN Environmental Resources Information Network EU European Union FACET Forêts d'Afrique Centrale Evaluées par Télédétection FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FAOSTAT FAO Statistics FCMC Forest Carbon, Markets and Communities FIB Fédération des Industriels du Bois FLEGT Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade FSC Forest Stewardship Council GBE Groupe Blattner Elwyn GDP Gross Domestic Product GDRC Government of the DRC GEF Global Environment Facility GFC Global Forest Cover product ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MINIMIZE FOREST LOSS THROUGH AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION AND FOREST CONSERVATION IN THE DRC iii GFW Global Forest Watch GHG Greenhouse gas GIS Geographic Information System GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft