Only 1 in 100 rural households has access to electricity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Firewood and charcoal – up to 84% of all harvested wood – supply most of the country’s domestic energy needs, but decades of political instability and conflict have taken a toll on tropical forests. The lack of power supply is holding back private households, value addition and local entrepreneurship.

New efforts to plant trees in degraded areas around the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in Tshopo province, Northern DRC, could supply electricity to neighboring communities, provide jobs and create business opportunities. The plantations are an initiative of the European Union-funded ‘Training, Research, and Environment in the Tshopo’ project (FORETS), in partnership with INERA, the Belgian Royal Museum for Central Africa, and Resources and Synergies Development.

Most fibers will feed a biomass plant, generating heat and electricity for neighboring villages. Local farmers will test agroforestry schemes among the trees and can also use part of the wood for their fuel needs, taking some pressure off the forest reserve.

Challenges are many – a lack of skilled labor, tenure and transport issues, adequate seedling supply, fire – but the initial 300 ha planted, the creation of local employment (400+ people), constant dialogue with local partners, and the implementation of ad hoc conflict-prevention strategies, convey the message that where trees grow, so can the local economy for the benefit of all.