Community forestry is a strategy for managing resources and development which aims at supporting local communities. It is a decentralized and participatory approach that assigns the formal management of forests to local communities, which until now, they traditionally owned.

A study was conducted by TBI DR Congo which aimed to understand the existing dynamics regarding the use of the forest by different social groups in Province Orientale, DR Congo. The study identified the experiences on community forest governance and the perception the communities have about their involvement in the initiatives of community forestry in Province Orientale.

The study reveals that although community forestry has opportunities in terms of availability of exploitable natural resources to strengthen the economic power of communities, it also present challenges such as the customary management models. In addition, the redistribution of resources could generate conflicts due to the lack of transparency in the management by the land chiefs. Knowing the relationships among the community structures can improve the implementation strategies of community forestry and forest governance in the Province Orientale.