In Lomami Province, IRI DRC’s provincial chapter is mobilizing religious leaders and communities in response to the loss of nearly 8,700 hectares of natural forest in 2024—driven by slash-and-burn agriculture, wood-energy extraction, and weak land-use planning. On January 27, 2026, an interfaith delegation met with the Vice-Governor (acting Governor) to formally present IRI Lomami’s “cahier de charge,” offering technical and social support to provincial authorities. Priority actions include scaling community awareness-raising, preventing and resolving land conflicts, supporting REDD+ initiatives and reforestation efforts, and reinforcing enforcement of laws related to land-use planning, conservation, and land tenure. Building on this engagement, IRI Lomami will roll out sensitization campaigns in places of worship, establish local natural resource management committees, and provide technical support to community reforestation projects, strengthening the local roots of conservation policy through faith-based leadership.
