DRC is one of the world’s megadiverse countries, with high levels of endemism, freshwater, and forest resources. The project geography spans 3 biocultural landscapes of the Democratic Republic of Congo, each characterized by different biodiversity and cultural contexts. The three landscapes are in Eastern DRC, in Central DRC and in Western DRC. The project area in Eastern DRC falls within the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot, which is spread over a million square kilometers, and provides vast ecosystem services and a habitat to over 100 endemic mammal species, among others. There are several large KBAs outside of/or partially within Protected Areas (PAs) found in the East and Center of the country; and include: Kokolopori, Marungu highlands, Itombwe Mountains, and Lake Kivu catchment. The proposed project intersects with several of the KBAs that have been highlighted as top priorities in DRC based on relative biological importance.

Indigenous Peoples make up around 3% of DRC’s population and include nomadic or semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers and people who have settled and are farming or engaged in other commercial activities. Forest-dwelling communities are heavily reliant on natural resources for survival, but growing pressure on fragile ecosystems is increasing food insecurity and deepening poverty among these vulnerable communities. The DRC’s legal framework currently provides limited grounds for the recognition of IP and LC control over forests through community protected areas and concessions, rather than through IP or LC ownership of lands or other resources. National reforms are underway to address this, and some sub-national initiatives are also striving for recognition and formalization of customary land rights. However, according to Landmark, 86% of lands under customary management have yet to be recognized. The national government has set a target of 2.4 million ha of forests under community management by 2023; as of 2020, it had reached half of its target. However, this target was set principally with community timber exploitation in mind, further demonstrating the importance of emphasizing and promoting IP- and LC-managed protected areas that focus on biodiversity conservation and maintenance of ecosystem services.