Communities map rural DRC villages

Hundreds of villagers are helping to map parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo where thick forest and conflict have prevented effective mapping ... Most maps are produced from satellite images taken from above, but this project is using handheld GPS units ... "In one of the sectors of the territory that the groups are mapping at the moment, there are something like 190 villages but on the official map there are about 30," Cath Long of the Rainforest Foundation which is organising the project told the BBC's Network Africa. She said millions of Congolese depend on the forest for their existence. "The real worry is that permits to cut timber, permits to extract resources will be given to external companies without recognising the fact that people are already there and already using the forest," she said ... The government has already allocated parts of the territory to 11 logging concessions ...