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 and Sustainable Development - DR Congo
  • Ministry of Tourism and Environment - Republic Congo
Implementing Partner
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

State of implementation/results

  • Both 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 governance.
  • In February and March 2025, several project workshops were organized in Brazzaville. Participants gained practical experience with remote sensing technologies and exchanged information on the Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS).
  • Local consultations, the first meeting of the National Consultative Committee and the first meeting of the Peatland Task Force were postponed in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the security crisis. They will be rescheduled as soon as the situation has stabilised. Local consultation meetings are planned from 25 March to 10 April 2025 in the Republic of Congo.
  • In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1,486 people were trained in improved farming methods; more than 40 % of them were women. Twenty pilot farmers were supported, including six in the Lusakani sector, seven in the Mabali reserve and seven in the Ngiri reserve. Cassava cuttings and improved maize and peanut seeds were purchased and distributed to enable the establishment of multiplication fields.
  • GRID-Geneva is developing a knowledge management platform that includes a public website, a community of practice, the publication of geospatial and statistical data, and the creation of interactive maps for the IKI-funded Congo Basin Peatland Project and GEF7 & 8.

Latest Update:
05/2025

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