Strictly protected areas in Central Africa carry a heavy human cost. Research by the Rainforest Foundation UK and our local partners has found they are typically created without the free, prior and informed consent of local people who suffer displacement, brutal exclusion from these areas, and the cessation of their traditional forest livelihoods, sometimes accompanied by human rights abuses by armed park rangers. Despite hundreds of millions of dollars invested in militarised conservation in recent decades, it has not been particularly effective in conserving biodiversity either, with many key species in decline and a lack of evidence to substantiate claimed conservation successes.  

As part of an effort to promote transparency, accountability and efficacy in biodiversity conservation in Central Africa, the website presents geographical information for about 35 protected areas in the region and their funding sources. Users can look at the various impacts on forest communities including known displacements, human rights abuses and any economic benefits derived from them.