This paper examines whether medium-scale woodfuel plantations based on an agroforestry model can alleviate pressure on natural forests through the development of more sustainable livelihoods, on the basis of a case study of plantation projects in Kinshasa province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Research results support the hypothesis that these plantation projects promote a set of conditions that play a role in deterring households from making charcoal from natural forests. A series of interconnected factors observed in woodfuel plantations create a favourable environment for the development of alternative, more successful livelihoods that are less dependent on the unsustainable exploitation of forest resources. Positive effects are first observed within plantation boundaries; they can also spill over into neighbouring areas. However, positive impacts are more likely to occur, and on a larger scale, if proactive measures in favour of rural development in general are implemented simultaneously.