Mai Ndombe REDD+ Project

Over ⅓ of children under 5 are malnourished and many are at high risk from malaria, leading to a high mortality rate of 220 per 1000 children. To alleviate this healthcare crisis, new facilities are continuing to be built in the project zone – with a total of 8 facilities currently supported by the project. A healthcare clinic has finished construction in the Ibali village over the final two quarters of 2021. Additionally, 12,067 people experienced increased water quality and improved access to drinking water as a result of the project activities. Wildlife Works has invested in the construction and improvement of water pipelines, storage tanks, water pans, and gutters, improving the availability of water throughout the project area.

Farming of fish is not traditionally undertaken by the local communities. Whilst some villages are home to fisherman, they predominantly use the wild caught method and as such, aquaculture is a very new concept. To sustain their food supply and potential income, the local communities have decided to continue to utilise their carbon offset revenue share towards expanding and transforming the fish pond initiatives. Thus far, one fish farm with 10 individual ponds has been constructed, with a further 2 farms under construction in 2022.

Tilapias, which were introduced into the first fish farm in early 2021, are now flourishing and ready to be harvested. An initial harvesting showcase was undertaken in late 2021 to demonstrate the potential income and new food source for the community.

Educational facilities have been non-existent or insufficient in most villages across the project zone. A lack of education in the region has been directly correlated with increased deforestation and negative health outcomes. 11 schools have completed construction with a further 7 underway. A total of 32 schools are planned to be completed during the project period. Other school projects involve bursaries, school furniture supply, and school toilet construction, benefitting 8,249 people thus far.

The Gender Empowerment Team has taken the lead for increased crop yield and agriculture intensification activities in the project area, with women being instrumental in developing the agricultural plantations across numerous villages in the project area – with a focus on cassava production. A few decades ago, fungi were destroying the cassava crops around Mai Ndombe, leading to crop failures around the country. A university study was conducted to explore other cassava varieties more resistant to fungi and found one specific variety named “Obama” which proved to be both resistant as well as highly productive. Further testing of the Obama cassava has been undertaken in the Kinshasa region, leading to a 6-fold improvement in yield over the traditional varieties. The women-led community organizations have utilized this variety, already demonstrating a significant improvement in cassava production, securing food and income for the community. 19,262 women benefit from health services, direct employment, education in schools, and training in leadership and sustainable agriculture, including cassava cultivation

Local Development Committees have been established as key structures for local governance within the project area. Project activities are selected in consultation with the local communities as well as other key stakeholders and officials from different levels of government. The committees enable communities to determine project activities, increase the ability to respond to community issues at the local level, and provide an institutional framework for local governance, administration and problem solving at the project. They have been created in each village and now, elected committees exist for each Groupement (a group of villages): Ntomb’eNzale, Ngongo and Lokanga.

A team specialized in biodiversity monitoring tracks high biodiversity areas twice a month, along with local community members who have been trained for that purpose. The project monitored the growth of both elephant and Bonobo populations — with elephants specifically at a high pace. Camera traps have revealed that elephants seem to be slowly returning to the area, migrating from Yumbi and Lukolela into the project zone. The movement of endangered species represents an improved connectivity of the landscape.

Over 300,000 ha of rainforest along edge of Lake Mai Ndombe in DRC was previously zoned for commercial timber extraction. The REDD+ project prevented the reinstatement of logging contracts and instead co-developed sustainable initiatives with the local community while protecting an important rainforest and wetland landscape. Agroforestry nurseries and sustainable farming crops and techniques have been introduced to relieve deforestation pressure on the local community.