In 2021, the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Tshopo province lost 12,000 hectares of intact forests to fires, a record-breaking loss linked to the expanding cultivation of cacao by recent migrants from neighbouring North Kivu province. This influx of people is caused by mass displacement of people from the South and North Kivu provinces in 2019 and 2020, which is, as a result, fuelling greater demand for food crops and an increase in cash crop production, especially cacao. Some newcomers are financially well-off and able to purchase land from local chiefs to establish plantations, replacing forested areas. This has sparked tensions within local communities as land is considered communal property in many parts of Tshopo. Cacao production, a well-documented driver of deforestation in West Africa, is now impacting the DRC. Efforts are being made to improve cultivators' incomes to tackle child labour and prevent further deforestation. However, the specific dynamics in the DRC present unique challenges that need to be addressed.