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Funded by UNDP through the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA), with support from the Adaptation Fund and the European Union, this 18-month project in Mwenga combines biodiversity restoration, food security and the creation of an Indigenous cooperative. A nature-based solution that has become a replicable model.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to the Congo Basin, which holds roughly 10% of the world's biodiversity. Yet the country loses close to 500,000 hectares of forest each year. In Mwenga, that loss has a very concrete face: the disappearance of edible caterpillars, a food source and a source of income for young Indigenous people and women.

The idea: replant the trees that feed the caterpillars

Rather than setting conservation against subsistence, PIFEVA chose to reconcile the two. By replanting Indigenous forest species that host edible caterpillars in degraded community forests, the project restores biodiversity while rebuilding an economic resource on which communities directly depend. Every tree planted is at once a carbon sink, a habitat and a future income.

Measurable results

440 hectares of forest have been restored and 176,000 kg of tree seedlings distributed. 330 Indigenous young people and 330 women have been engaged in sustainable forest management. A Local Committee for the Fight Against Deforestation was established, leading to the cessation of charcoal production activities in the targeted forests. Twenty-two Indigenous Forest Monitoring Committees were set up, involving 66 nursery workers and 660 Indigenous individuals.

A cooperative, not a handout

The project's central innovation is economic. A cooperative bringing together young people and Indigenous women was formed to sustain the initiative. Through training in business management and sustainable harvesting, members have built a value chain linking pickers, wholesalers and retailers. Caterpillars now sell for around US$3 per kilogram in local markets, with distributor partnerships helping the cooperative grow.

The distribution of income was decided collectively: 60% of total income collected by the cooperative is reinvested to increase working capital and support business growth, 10% covers operating expenses, and 30% is periodically distributed among member beneficiaries, providing direct financial returns. The initiative generates roughly US$13,200 in annual revenue.

Adaptation benefits and replication potential

The project promotes sustainable forest management grounded in Mwenga's Indigenous practices, improves climate resilience through carbon sequestration and biodiversity restoration, and reduces food insecurity, since caterpillars from the planted trees are edible and highly nutritious. The model can be scaled to other regions, both locally and globally, with Indigenous people playing a central role in safeguarding natural environments.

« Recognising Indigenous knowledge systems as legitimate strategies for protecting biodiversity may be this project's most durable innovation. »

— PIFEVA

THE PROJECT IN NUMBERS

440 ha of forest restored

176,000 kg of tree seedlings distributed

660 Indigenous young people and women engaged

22 Indigenous forest monitoring committees

US$13,200  annual revenue generated

US$125,000 UNDP-AFCIA grant over 18 months