In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), woodfuel is used by households as a primary source of domestic energy for cooking, with an increasing demand by urban centers. This situation calls for reconsideration of the balance between socio-economic and environmental outcomes of woodfuel value chains and potential of sustainable management.

Woodfuel production is often presented as one of the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation. However, this sector is part of more complex links and often a by-product of shifting cultivation practiced throughout the Congo Basin region. Previous efforts to formalise the woodfuel sector in the DRC have not sufficiently incorporated a landscape approach that considers these interlinkages with other uses and users in the supply chain. This paper shows how the landscape approach could be effectively applied to woodfuel value chains in order to contribute to biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement for local communities. The analysis is based on a literature review and empirical data collected from producers, sellers and households in Yangambi landscape located in North-eastern in DRC.

Governance through the landscape approach helps to explore the formal and informal opportunities for the sustainability of woodfuel value chains linked to other livelihood activities.

In Yangambi landscape, this integrated approach through a participatory process resulted in bases for sustainable socio-ecological systems of woodfuel production (agroforestry, improved carbonisation techniques and valorisation of wood waste) and consumption (promotion of using improved stoves) based on local context.