Securing crucial biodiversity, carbon and water stores in the Congo Basin Peatlands by enabling evidence based decision making and good governance.

The Lac Télé/Lac Tumba landscape is a unique ecosystem shared between both Kongos. The landscape stores enormous amounts of carbon and harbors important populations of endemic species. The project supports the governments and stakeholders to mitigate climate and development impacts on biodiversity, water and carbon. The project contributes to a biodiversity-friendly development pathway through effective integrated land-use plans, improved sustainable livelihood approaches, methods, data and tools, addressing peatland and water monitoring, the National Investment Plans, and cross-sectoral coordination. This ultimately supports the conservation and sustainable management of the peatlands. Countries benefit of South-South cooperation to chart a new pathway to the sustainable management of their peatlands, for the benefit of people, and conserving its ecosystem services. The current undeveloped status of the region offers a critical opportunity to promote evidence based land use planning and improve natural resource management.

Project data

Countries: The Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo
IKI funding: 15,000,000.00 €
Included preparation phase: 159,772.21 €
Duration: 01/2022 till 12/2027
Status: open
Implementing organisation: United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) - Kenya
Political Partner: Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and the Congo Basin

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development - DR Congo
Implementing Partner: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Online: https://www.greenpolicyplatform.org/initiatives/GefCongoBasin/Our+Programme

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State of implementation/results

Consultations to establish cross sectoral stakeholder platforms in the RoC were held from 28 March to 08 April 2025. In the DRC, these consultations have been rescheduled in Mbandaka from 02 to 16 October 2025.
Discussions are ongoing with UNESCO and the two countries governments to grant protected status to the Congo Basin peatlands.
In the RoC, the Lac Tele Reserve Management Plan developed by WCS now fully incorporates community consultation outcomes and the finalized draft has been submitted for approval to the reserve management team. The research team began implementing systematic monitoring protocols to understand the status of key wildlife species in the reserve, and awareness-raising campaigns on zoonotic diseases reached 1,435 people across 26 villages. 204 beneficiaries from 13 villages were selected to participate in cacao-related initiatives, with a tailored training program. 60 beneficiaries from eight villages were chosen to engage in beekeeping activities. 1,295 individuals participated in awareness sessions focused on fishery mini-charters. Additionally, 34 fishermen were identified to collaborate with the reserve in piloting a new technique known as the chorkors oven.
In the DRC, WWF delivered training on improved agricultural techniques to 2,070 individuals, 46% of whom were women. Trainings on the use of camera traps were conducted, and biological inventories in the Triangle of Ngiri Nature Reserve have started. Forest concessions with potential for management plan development were identified and officially registered with the appropriate land authorities in the effort to advance integrated land use planning.
ARRC has collated Geospatial information on current, planned or potential large-scale developments, especially oil permits, highlighting overlaps with protected areas and key peatland areas in the wider Lac Télé-Lac Tumba landscape. This information will support the development of best practice guidelines for petroleum industries.
The Hydrological Decision Support System (HDSS) version 2.0 was presented in a workshop held in Brazzaville from April 22 to 24, 2025. Key development and climate change scenarios were prepared, assessment of climate and water data completed, and key water and climate stakeholders mapped as first step towards establishing the peatlands monitoring system.
The institutional framework for the peatland monitoring system built on HDSS and FAO-SEPAL tools- was the focus of a workshop held in Brazzaville on April 23, 2025.
A major scientific conference titled “African Tropical Peatlands: their Value and Vulnerability”, (royalsociety.org/…) was organized by Leeds university at the UK’s national academy of science. New findings generated by the project were presented on the ecology, biodiversity, greenhouse gas fluxes, current management, and potential futures of Africa’s tropical peatlands, with a strong focus on the central Congo peatlands. It was attended by 82 people in person, and a highly engaged online audience.
A Data/Knowledge Working Group co-chaired by FAO, UNEP-DHI, and GRID-Geneva, is fully operational and oversees interoperability standards between the FAO-SEPAL peatland monitoring system, the UNEP-DHI Hydrological Decision Support System (HDSS), and the GRID-Geneva MapX platform. Preparations are underway to identify the most suitable platform for hosting the internationally connected online scientific research hub.
Communication efforts encompass a range of storytelling and knowledge-sharing initiatives, including blog posts that spotlight key innovations and storymaps were developed to visually convey the ecological significance of the region and highlight the project's capacity-building achievements. A website overhaul in collaboration with GRID-Geneva to incorporate spatial data and mapping functionalities, enhanced coordination with field teams to improve the timeliness and accuracy of communications, and targeted media outreach through regional outlets is in preparation.

Latest Update:
12/2025