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21 April 2016 | WASHINGTON, D.C. | Forest Trends, a non-profit organization that tracks global forest developments, has released the most comprehensive analysis to date of forest conservation finance flowing to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The report shows finance for forest conservation under the UN’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative has grown steadily since 2009, reaching more than a quarterbillion dollars in commitments by the end of 2014. The Congo Basin forests of Central Africa are the world’s second-largest tropical rainforests, after the Amazon, and the DRC contains more than half (60%) of the total area of these forests. The research by Forest Trends’ REDDX (REDD eXpenditures) initiative in partnership with the DRC-based Regional Post-graduate Training School on Integrated Management of Tropical Forest and Lands (ERAIFT) tracked the flow of REDD+ finance to DRC for the years 2009 to 2014, identifying $264.3 million in total finance that had been committed to support REDD+ programs in the country.

The report tracks the evolution of REDD+ finance over the six-year period, revealing a trajectory that began with basic preparatory and capacity-building activities in the early years, and recently moved to support more advanced implementation activities, culminating in the announcement of the landmark Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) late last year. “The recently launched Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) provides the crucial funding needed for DRC to move ahead with REDD+ implementation.

Building on six years of experience and $150 million in funding used by DRC to build a foundation of REDD-readiness, CAFI is exactly the sort of innovative, collaborative, and results-based funding partnership needed to drive the REDD+ agenda forward in the country,” said Brian Schaap, REDDX Senior Program Associate.

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