West and Central Africa is home to some of the world’s richest forests. We work with local lawyers and communities to design, strengthen and enforce laws around the use of forests and land in Ghana, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Liberia and the Republic of Congo.
We’re protecting forests and the people who depend on them
What we do
-
Empowering people
We work with the most vulnerable groups, particularly women and indigenous people, to empower them to actively take part and benefit from their community forests.
-
Designing community forestry laws
We collaborate with national non-profits to support the design of community forestry laws to ensure that the rights of people who depend on forests for their livelihoods are recognised in law.
-
Combatting illegal timber and other goods
We work across the EU to ensure that the EU Timber Regulation is well understood and properly enforced to combat illegal timber from entering EU markets.
We helped to create a first-of-its-kind forest law in Gabon that officially recognised the rights of forest-dependent people to defend their forests and livelihoods. We supported forest communities to input into Ghana’s new forest law. Now Ivory Coast and the Republic of Congo have followed suit.
Forests and Communities
We support local and Indigenous communities to sustainably manage their land, because we believe it’s the best long-term approach to protecting forests. Forest-dependent communities around the world play a key role in protecting forests, the wildlife they support and the carbon they store.
Forests and Trade
The EU and UK are major importers of commodities like palm oil, soy, beef, cocoa, rubber, and timber, that are associated with deforestation.
We work with partners across the globe to develop stronger laws that tackle deforestation caused by the illegal timber trade. We are also working to harness the trading power of the EU and UK to eliminate the destruction of nature and human rights violations from supply chains.
Read the latest
23 February 2024
The EU has signed a major deal with Côte d'Ivoire to protect and restore the country’s forests
16 November 2023
Why we’re calling for new climate laws at COP28
7 August 2020
How the Republic of Congo’s new forest law can help preserve world’s ‘second lung’
21 May 2020
What is community forestry?
Women's rights in Gabon
In Mbadi, Gabon, we worked with local partner Brainforest to support women to take a more active role in forest governance.
Through training, leadership support and sustainable livelihood opportunities, women have gained confidence, influence and economic independence. Advancing gender equality delivers lasting benefits for both communities and the environment.
Where we work
Ivory Coast
Ghana
Gabon
Liberia
Republic of Congo
