One Forest Vision at the Congo Basin Forum: strengthening scientific and strategic synergies

This major forum brought together more than 800 participants from the scientific community, decision-making institutions, technical agencies and users in the basin. Together, they shared recent scientific advances and explored avenues of cooperation for the sustainable management of water resources, which are essential for climate resilience and sustainable development.

An event led by a leading scientific figure: Professor Raphaël Tshimanga

The forum was organised in an exemplary manner by Professor Raphaël Tshimanga, director of the CRREBaC and co-coordinator of the CBSI and the SPCB. His recent election to the DRC Academy of Sciences confirms his long-standing commitment to research and the governance of water resources in Central Africa.

Professor Tshimanga is also a key scientific partner for the French teams, particularly in the context of cooperation in space hydrology, recently reinforced by the use of SWOT data (CNES-NASA).

The One Forest Vision initiative: a strategic presence

The One Forest Vision initiative (OFVi), supported by the IRD, played an active role throughout the forum. Present in Kinshasa, Laurent Durieux, the initiative's global co-coordinator, presented the objectives and progress of OFVi, stressing the importance of better understanding not only of inland forests - the heart of the programme - but also of forested wetlands, which are still insufficiently integrated into conservation strategies. He pointed out that these environments play a central role in climate regulation and biodiversity on a regional scale.

Coordination and scientific leadership at the heart of the programme

Jean-Jacques Braun and Fabrice Papa, OFVi coordinators in the DRC, took part in leading several working sessions, in conjunction with the CRREBaC and GEO-RDC teams. Discussions focused in particular on integrated water management, wetland monitoring and the use of satellite data.

In his speech, Fabrice Papa, an IRD researcher at LEGOS, highlighted his fieldwork on the basin's hydrosystems, while highlighting the supervision of two young researchers now posted to Brazil (Ayan Fleischmann - Institut Mamirauá) and the DRC (Benjamin Kitambo - CRREBaC). These trajectories embody the richness of South-South cooperation in environmental research.

"Our recent activities, which involve a cross-section of the Amazon and Congo basins, show how free, open-access space observations are a powerful tool for studying the water cycle and the changes it is undergoing. We also recommend promoting these scientific collaborations and the associated training, which enables tools and knowledge to be shared. A common challenge for both basins is to transform our new knowledge into tangible indicators for governance and better resource management" Fabrice Papa, IRD researcher at LEGOS.

Diplomatic meetings and institutional recognition

Alongside the forum, the OFVi delegation held several high-level meetings. It was received by Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, DRC environment ambassador and GEO-RDC focal point, who praised the team's contribution, particularly during the previous OFVi mission to France (Paris and Montpellier).

The delegation was also received by the Minister for Spatial Planning, the French Embassy in the DRC and the President of the DRC's Economic and Social Council. The latter invited the delegation to an official lunch, followed by a cruise on the River Congo.

The meeting provided an opportunity to express the wish that this forum be considered as a precursor event to COP30, and both the scientific quality of the speeches and the strategic scope of the discussions were praised.

In response to this symbolic invitation, Laurent Durieux announced that he was inviting his guests on board the ‘IRD Amazon River COP30 boat’, a research vessel mobilised as part of the COP30 Conference of the Parties, to be held in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025. It was a scientific and diplomatic wink between the world's two great tropical basins, underlining more than ever the need to link the research carried out on the DRC and the Amazon, in the interests of preserving the planet's common goods.

A stronger impetus for scientific cooperation in the DRC

The Forum's recommendations call for wetlands to be fully integrated into tropical forest management policies and for data mobilisation to be stepped up to improve environmental planning.

With this in mind, the next concrete step is the organisation of a co-construction workshop in the DRC, to translate the forum's synergies into coordinated action on the ground.