In 2008, two timber concessions on the western shores of Lake Mai-Ndombe were among a group of 91 logging contracts suspended by the government in an effort to address sector-wide corruption causing environmental and community neglect. The two concessions, spanning 248,956 hectares and containing over 3.5 million m2 of highly merchantable hardwood, were reassigned for the purpose of conservation management, with the aim of protecting the area from illegal and legal destructive logging.

A joint venture between Ecosystem Restoration Associates (ERA) Congo and Wildlife Works, the Mai-Ndombe project mitigates greenhouse gas emissions by preventing unsustainable land use and deforestation in the project area. It does so by focussing on participatory community-based conservation initiatives that emphasise improved agriculture to address deforestation and empower communities. For example, agronomists have trained local people to oversee agroforestry and teach sustainable agriculture in their own villages. The project also establishes community initiatives in areas of education, health and improved infrastructure, and also monitors regional biodiversity. 19 large mammal species were identified in the project area between 2012 and 2016 including the endangered bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee), one of humankind's closest relatives.