Congo basin forest restoration projects fail to deliver real results, new study reveals

The Congo Basin, Earth’s second-largest tropical rainforest, is disappearing at a devastating pace—losing nearly 1.8 million hectares annually between 2015 and 2019. This massive forest system, which spans six countries and stores more carbon than the Amazon, faces relentless pressure from small-scale agriculture, logging for firewood, and weak land management policies.

In response to this crisis, governments, international donors, and NGOs have launched numerous reforestation initiatives as part of their climate and biodiversity strategies. However, a new study analyzing 64 publications covering 26 restoration projects across five countries reveals a troubling disconnect between ambitious promises and actual results.

The research, which examined initiatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Rwanda, and the Central African Republic, found that many projects labeled as “forest restoration” are primarily planting non-native, commercial tree species rather than restoring natural forest ecosystems. This approach may generate short-term economic benefits but fails to rebuild the complex biodiversity and ecological functions that make the Congo Basin so crucial for global climate stability.

Despite major commitments under international frameworks like the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) and the Bonn Challenge—which pledged to restore 25% of degraded land—and millions in funding from the European Union, World Bank, and various national development agencies, the study suggests that current restoration efforts are missing their ecological targets. The findings highlight the urgent need for restoration strategies that prioritize native species and local community involvement over top-down, commodity-focused approaches.