Program Pillar

Nature Protection & Biodiversity Conservation

Protecting and restoring the ecosystems of the Congo Basin around Virunga National Park through community-led conservation — because the people living alongside this landscape are its most consistent guardians.

The challenge

Conservation only holds if the neighbouring community can afford it

Displacement and poverty push households toward charcoal production and forest-edge clearing simply to cook a meal or earn an income. Top-down enforcement alone rarely changes that calculation. ACV's conservation work pairs protection with real alternatives, so that keeping the forest standing is also the more practical choice.

ACV Nature & Biodiversity Programme

How we work

What this program actually does

Each activity below is designed to reinforce at least one other ACV pillar — nothing here runs in isolation.

Miti Alliance Reforestation

Tree nurseries and school-ground planting that restore degraded land in stages, prioritising native species and areas most exposed to erosion and encroachment.

Community Forest Monitoring

Trained community patrols and simple mapping tools track encroachment, illegal felling and wildlife pressure around the park boundary, feeding early warnings to local authorities and park partners.

Environmental Literacy in Schools

Practical ecology lessons paired with the Miti Alliance programme so conservation is something pupils practise, not just read about.

Alternative Energy & Cookstoves

Promotion of improved cookstoves and alternative fuel briquettes that cut household firewood and charcoal demand without cutting cooking capacity.

Why it matters

Measured against real change, not activity counts

Indicative figures from current and recent programming — refreshed as each cohort or season closes.

0communities running active forest-monitoring routes

0school tree-nursery network feeding the Miti Alliance programme

0alternative-energy pilot sites for cookstoves & briquettes

0+households engaged in firewood-reduction practices

Part of a bigger model

Conservation works best paired with food security and livelihoods

Reducing pressure on forests only sticks when households have another way to eat and earn — which is why this pillar is designed to run alongside agriculture and livelihoods, not instead of them.

Education & Youth Capacity Building

Equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and leadership platforms to drive change in their own communities.

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Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security

Building climate-resilient, food-secure communities through regenerative farming and agro-ecology.

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Community Health & Well-Being

Promoting holistic health for vulnerable communities, with particular attention to women and children.

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Socio-Economic Empowerment & Livelihoods

Opening pathways out of poverty through skills training, enterprise support and economic inclusion.

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Make it possible

Help this program reach the next community

This work is funded season by season, cohort by cohort. Here is how to be part of the next one.

Volunteer your skills

Share your expertise with ACV's youth teams — from agronomy to graphic design, remote or on the ground.

Get involved

Partner with us

NGOs, foundations and institutions: co-design a program, fund a pillar, or join a technical partnership.

Start a conversation

Support the work

Every contribution funds tree nurseries, school materials, clinic supplies and farmer training kits.

Ways to give