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The Illusion of Participation: Tokenism in REDD+ Pilot Projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo

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Book cover Global Forest Governance and Climate Change

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Natural Resource Management ((PSNRM))

Abstract

Samndong interrogates the participation of local people in REDD+ in Equateur province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The chapter finds that information during the free prior and informed consent (FPIC) process was insufficient for local people to decide whether to join the REDD+ project. Additionally, local people had no say in the REDD+ projects implemented in local communities. Local participation in the REDD+ project was limited to supply of labour and attending meetings for financial rewards. Furthermore, local participation often excluded women. Samndong concludes that community participation in REDD+ in DRC is ‘tokenism’ and that strong community participation would be difficult if local power relations that perpetuate social inequalities in the DRC are not addressed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Pretty (1995) and White (1996) offer further typologies of participation.

  2. 2.

    Zamba Malamu means the forest is good.

  3. 3.

    The Batwa is an ethnic group more commonly referred to as “Pygmy ” in the region. They are also referred to as Peuples Autochtones (PA) in French, which means indigenous people.

  4. 4.

    The region has witnessed limited presidential supports under the Kabila administration because it is the stronghold of the opposition party Mouvement de Liberation de Congo (MLC) and a stronghold of the formal president Mobutu.

  5. 5.

    Loi organique n° 08/016 du 7 octobre 2008 portant composition, organisation et fonctionnement des entités territoriales décentralisées et leurs rapports avec l’Etat et les Provinces.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway

    Raymond Achu Samndong

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  1. Raymond Achu Samndong
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

    Emmanuel O. Nuesiri

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Samndong, R.A. (2018). The Illusion of Participation: Tokenism in REDD+ Pilot Projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In: Nuesiri, E. (eds) Global Forest Governance and Climate Change. Palgrave Studies in Natural Resource Management . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71946-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71946-7_3

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