A Year of Changes, A Year of Gratitude

2025 has been a year of global changes in a rapidly evolving landscape, across the DRC, the US, and the globe. We're grateful to all of our supporters who have continued to stand with the communities of Équateur province during this time and who continue to invest in the impactful solutions for local communities in the Congo Basin rainforest.

As many partners and Indigenous and local voices highlighted this month at COP30 in Brazil, the window for meaningful climate action is rapidly closing. We need to invest now in proven, locally driven solutions that can provide win-win outcomes for communities, forests, and the climate. Your support to GCE puts the power of local ownership and land management in the hands of communities who have preserved their forest for generations, and ensures they have the autonomy to continue to protect some of the world's most crucial forest lands.

As we conclude this year, we look ahead to new opportunities, new partnerships, and new horizons in 2026. But first, a few highlights of our 2025 and a warm thanks from the entire Go Conscious Earth team for your continued support of our mission!

With gratitude,

Tess Mpoyi

GCE-supported communities shared their knowledge and expertise in making beehives for honey production with neighboring communities in October.

In 2025, GCE's projects and partnerships have brought the honey!

• GCE's collaboration with TRIAS with the support of USAID, Zamba na biso (Our forest), came to end. However, its successes have lived on and multiplied! GCE's support to develop sustainable livelihoods in community forest concessions such as Nkake have generated new, renewable sources of income for communities while protecting forest habitats.

• In Nkake, beekeeping activities have been so successful that honey production has doubled. Producers from Nkake, Ngelo-Monzoi, and Ikoko community forest concessions showcased their products at the provincial fair for agroforestry products in August as part of Community Forestry Week.

• In October, as a result of sharing the success of sustainable livelihoods in GCE's supported communities, producers from Nkake were invited to train local and Indigenous Pygmy communities of Lokolama and Mpenzele CFCLs in honey production with the support of Greenpeace. GCE-supported producers from Nkake demonstrated beehive construction to increase honey production.



GCE-trained producers from Nkake CFCL helped neighboring communities Lokolama and Mpenzele build and install their own new beehives.

Community members from Lokolama and Mpenzele learn to build their own beehives to produce sustainable honey.

GCE guides policy and programming using learnings from the community forest model

As a key supporting partner to local communities in Équateur province in securing and managing community forest lands, GCE has been a partner to the DRC government and partner NGOs in developing best practices for effective community forest management.

• GCE has contributed to consultations for the development of a national policy on wild fauna, in collaboration with international partners such as WWF, as an expert in community natural resource management.

• GCE has participated in multi-actor round tables at provincial level to provide input on land management policy and practice in Équateur organized by the DRC government with support from partners Rainforest Foundation Norway, GASHE, CAGDFT, and others.

The impact of community voices to drive provincial and national policy is essential, and too often sidelined. GCE is a vital link to bring local community experiences to the table with local and global stakeholders, contributing to DRC's progressive land tenure and community forest laws.

GCE's successes underline community forestry as a proven solution for conservation and rights, helping position DRC as a climate "Solutions Country" leading the way on tropical forest conservation.



As we look ahead to 2026, we pause again to thank you for your continued support of GCE. It has been a difficult year for many organizations and causes that we support, and we're grateful for your recognition of the tireless work of the GCE team in the field.

Please consider a gift to make an impact this Giving Tuesday!



Go Conscious Earth

GCEarth.org