ACDEF: African Conservation and Development Foundation

CAR is a landlocked country located in the heart of Africa, bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan and South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo to the south, and Cameroon to the west. Its geographic position places it within the Congo Basin ecological region and at the transition between the Guineo-Congolian rainforest and the Sudanian savanna zones, creating a mosaic of ecosystems ranging from dense tropical forests in the south-west to wooded savannas in the north. Of particular ecological importance is the Basse-Lobaye forest landscape in southwestern CAR, located within the Ubangui River watershed and connected to the Ngotto Forest and the wider Dzanga-Sangha landscape. Together with areas such as the Mbaéré-Bodingué National Park, these forests form one of the most significant remaining forest blocks in the country and an important ecological corridor within the Congo Basin.

CAR hosts biodiversity of global significance, including emblematic and threatened species such as the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), central chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes), bongo antelope (Tragelaphus eurycerus) and giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea), along with a wide diversity of forest birds, reptiles, and endemic plant species. These ecosystems store substantial carbon stocks and provide essential ecosystem services such as water regulation, soil protection, and non-timber forest products that sustain the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities. However, biodiversity faces increasing pressures from deforestation, forest degradation, unsustainable logging, agricultural expansion, wildlife poaching, and weak natural resource governance. Climate change further intensifies these threats through irregular rainfall, prolonged dry seasons, and floods that weaken ecosystem resilience and increase rural vulnerability. At the same time, CAR’s extensive forests offer opportunities for climate mitigation and adaptation through ecosystem restoration, sustainable forest management, and community-based conservation that can enhance carbon sequestration and strengthen landscape resilience.

Within this context, the GEF-8 project “Integrated Community-based Management of High Value Forest Ecosystems in Southwestern Central African Republic” (GEF ID 11246) aims to safeguard biodiversity, carbon stocks, and ecosystem services through integrated landscape management and strengthened community participation in natural resource governance. Implemented under UNEP leadership and executed by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development with national and international partners, the project promotes governance reforms, participatory land-use planning, restoration of degraded landscapes, and biodiversity-friendly livelihoods. ACDEF participates as a strategic partner, contributing expertise in community conservation while exploring opportunities to expand its presence in CAR and develop strategic partnerships to scale up community-based conservation and climate resilience initiatives.