The politics of forest governance failure in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): lessons from 35 years of political rivalries

Eliezer Majambu (1) , Moise Tsayem Demaze (2) , Symphorien Ongolo (3)

1 UOM - Université Officielle de Mbujimayi
2 ESO - Espaces et Sociétés
3 SENS - Savoirs, ENvironnement et Sociétés

• Forest governance reforms in DRC have been dominated by the interests of powerful actors, such as the World Bank and political elites. • The most powerful international actors use incentives/disincentives and information to consolidate their influence. • Powerful international actors have exacerbated the crisis of forest governance in DRC. • Politicians, military and administrative officers in DRC resort to 'cunning government' strategies to obtain support from donors or assert their informal interests in times of political unrest. • The context of political disorder allows civil society organizations to position themselves and become one of the key actor groups of forest governance processes in DRC.

Mots clés: forest governance; power; African politics; forest policy reform; Democratic Republic of Congo

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Etudes de l'environnement; Géographie

Eliezer Majambu, Moise Tsayem Demaze, Symphorien Ongolo. The politics of forest governance failure in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): lessons from 35 years of political rivalries. International Forestry Review, 2021. ⟨halshs-03503672⟩