INFORBIO - INtact and effectively managed FORests and BIOdiversity as natural barriers to mitigate climate change and risk of pathogen spillover

The Congo Basin rainforests constitute one of the last real tropical carbon sinks. They are key biodiversity areas which support livelihoods, health and maintain the cultural identity of indigenous people and local communities (IPLCs). However, they are disappearing at alarming rates. This impacts their resilience, and their capacity to act as a natural barrier against the spillover of zoonotic diseases. Based on the One Health approach, the project will raise excellency in the management of existing Protected Areas, establish new community-led conservation avenues to increase forest areas and connectivity, foster forest-based effective economic modalities, and will set an early warning system and intervention response to minimise the risk of zoonotic outbreak. It will raise the interlink between “intact ecosystems, human wellbeing, animal health" at national and international agendas, and promote significant, long term policy commitments to restore and conserve this biome.

Project data

Countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic
IKI funding: 11,793,908.96 €
Duration: 09/2022 till 09/2030
Status: open
Implementing organisation: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Germany
Political Partner: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development - Central African Republic

Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED) - Cameroon

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development - Central African Republic

Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife - Cameroon

Ministry of Health and Population - Central African Republic

Ministry of Water, Forestry, Hunting and Fisheries - Central African Republic
Implementing Partner: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Helmholtz Institute for One Health

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

University College London Department of Anthropology

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) - Cameroon

WWF Zentralafrikanische Republik

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State of implementation/results

The project began in November 2024 with a workshop in Yaoundé, Cameroon, at which the partners agreed on the project objectives, work plans and activity locations. The focus was on cooperation in areas such as One Health, OECMs+ and biomonitoring.
In the landscape of Lobéké National Park in Cameroon, IITA has presented its planned activities to local communities, focusing on sustainable agriculture and community-based tree planting in forested areas. These initiatives involve selecting suitable arable land for farmer field school plots, providing technical assistance for good agricultural practices, establishing nurseries, collecting seeds, and germinating seedlings of native tree species, fruit trees, and medicinal plants. Additionally, IITA is recruiting a consultant to conduct community-based mapping and identify optimal planting sites.
Project Bwanga (PB) has initiated mobile clinics operated by indigenous traditional healers starting in the Lobéké landscape. The necessary equipment and medicines have already been transported to the site. PB is collaborating with the director of a health center and three health posts operating in the Lobéké area as well as a Baka state registered ‘aide soignante’. PB aims to train indigenous healers in seven communities to identify and treat the most prevalent endemic diseases. Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes have been completed in five of these communities, with training scheduled to begin in September 2025.
In Campo Ma’an, preparations for laboratory renovations are underway. Meanwhile, a collaboration with LANAVET (Laboratoire National Veterinaire) and CREMER (Centre for Research on Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases) is being established to analyse samples as needed.
In the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas (DSPA) in CAR, priority locations for agroforestry and OECM+ have been identified around Monassao, in the northern buffer zone of the protected area complex. This area is particularly suitable for agroforestry due to lower human-elephant conflicts compared to the area further south around Bayanga. This area has enormous potential to relay community conservation and rural development while lowering the pressure on DSPA core park areas. For the agroforestry initiatives, 70% of tree species will be proposed by WWF based on their experience, particularly focusing on species that improve forest soil quality, while the remaining 30% will be chosen by the communities. UCL has introduced the Sapelli app to the WWF team and local partners, a digital tool designed for participatory data collection, mapping, analysis, and sharing, which can be used regardless of the users' literacy levels. The aim is to train local facilitators and customize the app’s icon-driven interface for mapping natural resources and potential OECMs and Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) within the landscape.
HIOH has obtained the necessary research permits for CAR and plans to conduct small mammal and bat live trapping and sampling in DSPA in November 2025, in collaboration with the local vet and PhD student. Small mammals and bats are often reservoirs for zoonotic diseases and are thus particularly relevant for research, pathogen surveillance and early warning.
UCLA participated on the CBFP Conference of the Parties in Gabon, including discussions around the inclusion of OECMs in the forthcoming State of the Forest, the definitive publication for the state of conservation in the Congo Basin. A UCLA team member will be a co-author of the OECM chapter.

Latest Update:
12/2025