Context
The Province of Mongala totals 2.5 percent of the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). More than two-thirds of the province’s territory is covered by forest. However, deforestation is a cause for concern: forest cover loss has increased significantly since 2013, reaching 114,000 hectares (ha) lost in 2017. This loss is due to growing demographic pressure, inadequate land management and land use planning, difficulties in implementing land tenure rules, and the expansion of slash-and-burn agriculture.
Eighty percent of the province’s households live below the poverty line; 70 percent of those are engaged primarily in subsistence agriculture. Open access areas represent 30 percent of the territory, are densely populated and are deforestation hotspots.
Despite the province’s hydroelectric, biomass and solar potential, it has no formal electricity providers. Thus, burning wood fuel remains the main source of domestic energy, which increases human pressure on the environment and the forest.
This Multi-sectoral REDD+ Programme - "PIREDD Mongala" - funded by CAFI through the DRC National REDD+ Fund, seeks to achieve sustainable land use through better land use planning, strengthened governance and local development plans in support of existing change processes. It also supports the development of sustainable agroforestry systems and strengthens public services.
National partner:
This programme is part of the DRC National REDD + Fund portfolio, and led by Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
Implementing agency:
Belgian Development Agency(ENABEL)
All financial information for this programme can be found on the MPTF Gateway here.
US$ approved
US$ transferred as of 31 December 2022
US$ spent as of 31 December 2022
fruit trees planted
Simple Land Use Plans (PSATs) created and validated
Field-School-Farmer structures in operation
Expected impacts
PIREDD Mongala contributes to achieving a dual impact:
- Reducing emissions related to deforestation and forest degradation. Deforestation and carbon emission reduction targets will be specified during baseline studies.
- Increasing the income of rural communities substantially (by 10 percent of median family income) and improving their living conditions.
Objectives
PIREDD Mongala aims to reduce the impact of the agricultural sector and logging on forest cover through better governance of natural resources (forests and land), and to promote both perennial crops grown under forest cover and agroforestry. More specifically:
- Agriculture: Sustainable family and farming practices will be adopted: 300 ha of improved fallow land, 300 family farms will implement innovative techniques; 300 ha new family orchards, 100 new fruit orchards.
- Wood Energy: 500 ha will be reforested for timber and wood energy.
- Forestry: 500 hectares of new community forests will be established (three local community forest concessions)
- Land use planning: Provincial and local tools for guiding and sustainably managing the agroforestry system will be available and used : provincial land use plan, three territorial development plans, six sector development plans, 16 simple management plans
- Governance: Multi-stakeholder sustainable forest management platforms will be strengthened: a provincial consultation framework, three territorial development platforms, six sector development platforms and 16 local development committees. Knowledge and ownership of land use planning issues and practices, sustainable natural resource management, and strategic planning will be improved.
Results as of 30 June 2023
- Governance:
- 60 Local Development Committees (LDCs), 120% of the target of 50 LDCs, are supported. 10 are operational.
- Agriculture:
- 214 ha of fruit trees planted (134% of the 160 ha target).
- 396 ha of food crops with sustainable agricultural methods.
- 251 georeferenced hectares of new agroforestry crops.
- 25 operational Field-School-Farmer structures.
- Energy:
- Study of fire dynamics and deforestation hotspots in Mongala was undertaken with the Satellite Observatory of Central African Forests (OSFAC) to plan reforestation activities and savannas to set aside for natural regeneration to produce wood energy and absorb carbon. This study was completed in 2022.
- Forestry: 500 hectares of new community forests will be established (three local community forest concessions).
- Land use planning:
- 12 Simple Land Use Plans (PSATs) have been developed.
- Demographic pressure :
- 3,149 Couple Years of Protection (CYP) have been distributed.
Earlier progress of this programme have also been described in the 2021 semestrial publication of the DRC National REDD+ Fund – read it here (in French).
Areas of intervention
The Province of Mongala and its three territories: Bongandanga, Bumba and Lisala.
Synergies
PIREDDs in other provinces are stakeholders because their experiences and results offer useful guidance in implementing REDD+ actions in Mongala province.
In addition, some of CAFI's sectoral programmes are linked to the programme, such as the Sustainable Forest Management Programme implemented to strengthen the sustainable forest resources management and the Family Planning Programme.
This PIREDD focuses on achieving milestones related to governance (milestone 2018 c), forestry (milestone 2018 b), agriculture (milestone 2018 and 2018 c), land use planning (milestone 2020) and land tenure (milestone 2018 c) of the 2016 Letter of Intent between the DRC and CAFI. Two independent verifications of these milestones were undertaken (please read the report available here).
Resources
Programme document : PIREDD Mongala - FR
Programme document : PIREDD Mongala - FR, 30 Jun 2019
30 Jun 2019
Report on Fires and Deforestation Hotspots in Mongala province – OSFAC – ENABEL (FR)
Report on Fires and Deforestation Hotspots in Mongala province – OSFAC – ENABEL (FR), 31 Oct 2020
31 Oct 2020
Annual Report 2020 PIREDD Mongala (in French)
Annual Report 2020 PIREDD Mongala (in French), 5 May 2021
5 May 2021
Photocredit : Cacao Mambasa, Bruno Hugel