The Yangambi landscape covers an area of about 8,000 square kilometers in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Tshopo Province. It is characterized by a wide range of land uses and tenures, including protected areas, off-reserve forests, logging concessions, and arable land.

More than 220,000 people live in this landscape, relying on the exploitation of natural resources for their livelihoods, including logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, hunting, and fishing. Yangambi’s value chains primarily serve the city of Kisangani, a thriving market with around 2 million urban dwellers.

A science, conservation and development hub in the heart of the Congo Basin

Yangambi is fast emerging as a global reference on how sustainably managed forests can serve as a driver for local development. Research, restoration and climate-smart agriculture activities are putting this landscape at the core of forestry innovation.

Yangambi’s economy is strongly linked to scientific activities. In the past, Yangambi hosted a research center that employed a part of the population and created indirect opportunities for the rest of the community. But the local economy declined in tandem with the research activities. 

Pilot farm in Yanonge, Tshopo Province – DRC. Photo by Axel Fassio/CIFOR-ICRAF

Nowadays, most households rely on the exploitation of natural resources for their livelihoods, including logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, hunting, and fishing. Income-generating activities are limited, and the local population often has no other alternatives than over-exploitation.

CIFOR is therefore working to create jobs in this landscape and once again involve local communities in conservation and scientific activities that can improve their living conditions. By promoting the sustainable management of forests, Yangambi is betting on a green future. 

To learn more, visit Yangambi’s website.