By Jean Baptiste Ndabananiye
A forest, so astronomical that scientists often describe it as the lungs and beating heart of the planet —the Congo Basin, extends across the heart of Africa. Life In Humanity has embarked on investigating this living giant through its reporting project “Echoes of the Earth: From the Congo Basin to the Amazon.” The series about the Congo Basin- to which this article can take you- has examined the basin’s immense ecological wealth, mounting threats including weak governance frameworks, and the rising constellation of initiatives endeavoring to preserve this vital ecosystem. From community-led forest stewardship to global conservation partnerships such as the Central African Forest Initiative, the reporting project has underlined that conserving the basin is not merely a regional priority—it constitutes a planetary imperative.
Now, a powerful new chapter is unfolding in the account which we have been documenting. In June 2025, governments and international partners declared a sweeping $586 million investment aiming to reinforce protection for Africa’s crucial forests.
And the journey of “Echoes of the Earth” is far from over. As our exploration of the Congo Basin advances with this new development, the reporting project is also preparing to shift its gaze to another ecological titan across the Atlantic: the Amazon Basin. In the coming chapters, the series will connect the destinies of these two greatest rainforest realms, disclosing how the fight to preserve them is determining the environmental future of the planet itself.
New programs to protect the Congo Basin
The newly initiated Congo Forest Integrated Program [IP] and Guinean Forests IP, with the $586 million funding, promise to expand conservation, bolster governance, and marshal long-term financing for some of the continent’s most fragile yet globally vital ecosystems. The programs are both financed by the Global Environment Facility [GEF] and respectively spearheaded by the United Nations Environment Program [UNEP] and Conservation International [CI].
For Life In Humanity, this moment resonates deeply with the journey already undertaken in our Congo Basin reporting. The initiatives echo the very themes our series has highlighted: the urgent need for transboundary cooperation, stronger policy frameworks, and meaningful empowerment of local communities which stand as the forests’ first guardians. As this new wave of funding and collaboration raises momentum, it offers a compelling continuation of the story we have been following—and a reminder that the fate of these forests is increasingly tied to coordinated global action.
The UNEP, in its 17 June 2025 story titled “$586 Million Boost to Save Africa’s Lungs: Major Initiatives Launched to Protect Congo & Guinean Forests”, says “Launched during the first Africa Regional South-South conference on the GEF-funded Critical Forests Integrated Programmes in the Congo Basin and the Guinean Forests, these flagship initiatives focus on safeguarding Intact Forest Landscapes through a transboundary approach that promotes systemic solutions to addressing pressing environmental challenges. The initiatives promote policy coherence, multi-stakeholder dialogues and cooperation at all levels, while mobilising and scaling up sustainable financing for conservation efforts across multiple countries in Central and West Africa.”
The two programs, according to the UNEP, represent $96.8 million of direct investment from GEF’s eighth replenishment cycle (GEF-8), with co-financing of $489.1 million. “This is 32.6% of the total investment within the Amazon, Congo, and Critical Forests Umbrella Program, which is supported by $306.5 million from the GEF and an additional $1.49 billion in co-financing.
The Congo Forest IP, led by UNEP, aims to support forest management and conservation by strengthening policy frameworks to improve governance and policies for primary forest conservation across six Central African countries: Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tomé and Príncipe.”
The Congo Forest IP is expected to create a strong mechanism to manage the natural resource of forests in the countries, most of which are spanned by the Congo Basin. The Congo Basin stretches across these six nations: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. “The Congo Forest IP is led by a Regional Project that will serve as a hub, facilitating regional cooperation, knowledge sharing, capacity building, and communication among stakeholders across these six countries.
Through innovation and learning initiatives, the Programme advances protected area management, supports community-based forest restoration, develops innovative financing models, and catalyzes new coalitions for change. The Congo Forest IP also mobilizes both domestic and international resources to secure long-term funding for conservation, restoration, and forest-friendly development initiatives.”
Combatting deforestation, land management and human welfare are among the key priorities of the Guinea Forest IP. “Meanwhile, the Guinean Forest IP, led by Conservation International, in partnership with BirdLife International, aims to address deforestation and promote sustainable land use to strengthen forest governance, enhance human wellbeing, and foster green growth, in alignment with the ECOWAS Forest Convergence Plan for the Sustainable Management and use of Forest Ecosystems.
Participating countries from the Upper Guinean Forests include Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Using a whole-of-biome approach, the Program will also engage other countries within this Biome, such as Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, as well as key non-state actors. Ultimately, it will serve as a platform to foster policy coherence, mobilise additional financing, strengthen transboundary collaboration, and facilitate learning and knowledge sharing.”
GEF Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, during the official launch, said “These initiatives embody the GEF’s commitment and the Governments political will to address the intertwined challenges that threaten Africa’s vast, largely pristine tropical rainforests. They represent a bold approach to conservation that recognizes the vital role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities and creates innovative pathways for long-term financing. These efforts are also fully aligned with the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.”
The UNEP adds that these two programs, both concentrated on Africa’s forests, involve strategies like strengthening protected areas, creating wildlife corridors, fighting wildlife trafficking, and instituting zoonotic disease surveillance systems. “A key component is empowering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) to engage in sustainable forest management and to benefit from conservation efforts. This support, including education, capacity building, and enhanced governance, underscores the region’s dedication to biodiversity protection and local livelihoods.”
Hélé Pierre, the Minister of the Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development of Cameroon stated “These initiatives reflect our commitment to protecting the Congo Basin’s biodiversity and supporting local communities. Cameroon is proud to join this regional effort, demonstrating the power of global cooperation in confronting environmental challenges.”
Dr. Honoré Tabuna, Commissioner for the Environment, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development at the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Commission said “The launch of the Integrated Program for the Congo Basin Forests is an important step towards strengthening cooperation on the environment and natural resource management in Central Africa.
This program embodies the spirit of regional integration that ECCAS stands for, by bringing together several countries in a unified approach to protecting our common forest heritage. It provides a framework for regional cooperation that can enable the forests of the Congo Basin to serve as a source of concrete solutions to global environmental challenges.”
Bernard Koffi, the Director of Environment and Natural Resources at ECOWAS, said “The revision of the Forest Convergence Plan is the driver for a strong regional engagement and an effective effort on restoration and conservation of the Upper Guinean Forest.”
The UNEP emphasizes that the Guinean Forests IP is based on this momentum to operationalize these ambitions through coordinated action on the ground.
It further states that these programs are supported by key partners who champion strengthened regional cooperation, policy alignment, and governance frameworks to promote sustainable forest management.
The partners include the Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Mano River Union (MRU), BirdLife International and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). “Together, through these efforts, UNEP and CI, in close collaboration with governments of the countries involved, aim to leverage regional and national resources and expertise to create resilient ecosystems that contribute to long-term health and sustainability of forests — a model that can be scaled globally to benefit both ecosystems and local communities.”
These programs are meant for tackling issues that we have highlighted in our reporting series on the Congo Basin. Some of them are weak governance frameworks and the vulnerability of communities depending on the basin for their livelihoods.
Is more still needed to protect the Congo Basin?
There still lies tough work ahead, but again, other pledges to the preservation of the basin have been formulated.
Reuters, in its 7 November 2025 story entitled “Exclusive: European countries back $2.5 billion initiative to protect Congo rainforest”, reports “European nations have backed a $2.5 billion plan to save the Congo rainforest. Mobilizing more money to protect and restore the world’s last remaining rainforests is a central goal of the U.N. climate talks, deliberately held in the Brazilian Amazon this year to focus on the need to fight emissions from rampant deforestation.
The effort aims to mobilize more than $2.5 billion over the next five years, along with domestic funds from Central African countries, to help protect the second-largest rainforest in the world. Backers said they will also help African nations reduce deforestation through technology, training and partnerships, aiming to end deforestation in the Congo Basin by 2030.”
The $2.5 billion initiative to protect the Congo Basin rainforest—dubbed the “Belém Call for the Forests of the Congo Basin”—is backed primarily by five European countries involving France leading the intervention, Germany, Norway, Belgium and the United Kingdom.
Will the aim to end deforestation in the Congo Basin by 30 actually materialize?
UNEP, through its 29 May 2025 story headlined “New $15 million initiative launched to catalyse sustainable investment in the Congo Basin” points out “A new initiative in one of the world’s most vital ecosystems – the Congo Basin – aims to unlock nature-positive, climate-resilient business opportunities for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises across critical green sectors.
The partnership between the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI), will initially invest $15 million, which will serve as a catalyst to raise additional public and private finance, ultimately targeting a total investment of $30 million in the region.”
This UN program responsible for the preservation of the environment across the globe adds “By fostering local entrepreneurship and pioneering blended finance opportunities, Pro-Congo aims to demonstrate that businesses – whose model does not depend on deforestation – can develop, raise capital and sell products to market intermediaries thereby reducing carbon emissions, combatting deforestation, and promoting environmentally sustainable practices in one of the world’s most climate-critical regions.”
The World Bank [WB], in its 20 October 2025 account entitled “Congo Basin Forests Hold Trillions in Untapped Value: New Report Calls for Strategic Global Investment”, states “The report shows that forest management, conservation, and data readiness vary widely across the region. Countries such as Gabon and the Republic of Congo stand out, embedding forest sustainability into national planning with relatively low deforestation rates and strong biodiversity indicators.
Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea are in transition, strengthening forest governance and piloting policies that integrate ecosystem values. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic face complex pressures — from rapid population growth to informal logging, mining, and agriculture — that threaten the region’s forest resilience.”
The WB additionally says “The Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem Accounts report and Policy Recommendations, alongside the country reports, provides a basin-wide overview of how forests can be fully integrated into macroeconomic planning to support economic diversification and climate finance strategies. The findings show how the forest sector can drive new opportunities from community-based ecotourism, forest monitoring, to value-added processing of non-timber forest products, and results-based climate financing — shifting the development narrative toward long-term sustainability and resilience.”
Ousmane Diagana, WB Vice President for Western and Central Africa said “For the first time, Congo Basin countries have developed a detailed forest ecosystem accounts showing the true value of their natural wealth. These forests, managed sustainably, can serve as powerful engines for sustainable development contributing to creating jobs, supporting climate-smart growth, and strengthening local economies.”
Valerie Hickey, WB Global Director for Climate Change stated “We can only manage what we can measure –this is why the forest ecosystem accounts for the Congo Basin will be so key for countries to unlock the power of their forests to drive development and jobs. This accounting can also help Congo Basin countries demonstrate the huge value that their forest conservation efforts bring to the rest of the world.”
The deforestation and degradation of the Congo Basin crisis, as we have highlighted it in the reporting project, are exacerbated by illegal logging, illicit mining, rampant corruption versus loopholes in a fight against corruption, wildlife trafficking, unregulated mining, and advocacy- for the preservation of the Congo Basin-hampered by attacks on journalists. Denis Mahonghol, in his 4 November 2024 piece headlined “The Regional Security Imperative to Protect the Congo Basin” also emphasizes upon those issues we have addressed.
Mahonghol possesses 24-yearexperience in forest governance and conservation in Central Africa. His main areas of work feature forestry research, trade, timber traceability and legality, forestry and wildlife law enforcement, capacity-building for public institutions in decision-making and wildlife trade monitoring (flora and fauna). Currently, he works as the Director of TRAFFIC International’s Central Africa Program Office. “Unregulated logging of the Congo Basin rainforests threatens to undercut the livelihoods of millions of households in the region, empower transnational organized criminal networks, and disrupt water cycles in West Africa and the Nile River Basin. The rapid degradation of the Congo Basin rainforests poses a threat to the livelihoods of millions who rely on the forests’ resources and the regulating role the forests play for African rain patterns and carbon sequestration.
Pressure on the Congo Basin forests is further exacerbated by illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and illegal mining, including the high concentrations of cobalt and coltan. Weak forest management is empowering transnational organized criminal networks and armed militant groups who are playing an increasingly central role in resource extraction from the Congo Basin. Illicit logging, mining, and wildlife trade in the Congo Basin is enabled by the complicity of senior public officials who profit from their positions overseeing the management of these national resources.”
He adds “Estimates are that the Congo Basin forests are shrinking by 1 to 5 percent a year and that 30 percent of forest cover has been lost since 2000, largely due to unregulated commercial logging and mining. What is known is that 50 million hectares (or a quarter of the Congo Basin rainforests) are already under logging concessions. Estimates are that illegal logging and associated trade (ILAT) from the plundering of the region’s valuable forest resources is costing the continent $17 billion annually.
Given the high-value revenue streams, weak forest management, and lax government oversight of these sectors [mining and wildlife trade, among others], transnational organized criminal networks and armed militant groups are playing an increasingly central role in resource extraction from the Congo Basin. Better management and protection of the Congo Basin rainforests will require enhanced forest domain awareness as well as realigning the incentives for local communities, public officials, and international logging interests”
The aim to end deforestation in the Congo Basin by 2030 is ambitious and urgent, but the path remains fraught with challenges. There arises no doubt that more action is still needed: pressures from rapid population growth, illegal logging, unregulated mining, corruption, and wildlife trafficking are continuing to threaten the resilience of these forests. Journalists covering the region also face attacks, further complicating advocacy and accountability efforts.
Yet, there are significant reasons for cautious optimism. The European nations have pledged the $2.5 billion, aiming not only to protect and restore the rainforest but also to support technology, training, and partnerships to reduce deforestation. Complementing this, the UN’s Pro-Congo initiative by catalyzing sustainable investments, fostering local entrepreneurship, and demonstrating that businesses can thrive without harming forests—shows that economic development and conservation can coexist.
Reports from the WB further underscore the strategic potential of the Congo Basin. Forest ecosystem accounts reveal the true economic and ecological value of these forests, furnishing governments with data to integrate conservation into macroeconomic planning, unlock climate finance, and boost sustainable industries such as community-based ecotourism and value-added processing of non-timber forest products. Countries like Gabon and the Republic of Congo are already embedding forest sustainability into national planning, offering models for others in the region.
In short: the fight against deforestation appears far from over, and the challenges remain immense. Yet again, with multi-billion-dollar pledges, innovative local programs, strengthened governance frameworks, and a growing recognition of the forests’ incalculable global value, the Congo Basin’s preservation is within reach—if sustained political will, robust enforcement, and international cooperation can be ensured.
Though we don’t exactly know the amount required to fully safeguard the Congo Basin, these combined efforts signal a serious commitment and a roadmap toward eradicating deforestation—if sustained funding, robust governance, and local engagement continue to reinforce the forest’s protection. The pledges and initiatives in place demonstrate that concerted action—backed by resources, innovation, and political will—can successfully address the crisis raging on the basin.
The Congo Basin carries mammoth value- its protection is vital
As we have clarified it in the reporting series, this basin possesses incalculable worth. The WB in the report highlights “The Congo Basin, home to the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest [after the Amazon forest], holds immense value for not only the six countries it spans, but for the planet. A new World Bank report reveals the region’s forests are not only essential for climate stability and biodiversity, but also a foundation for economic resilience.
The value of forest ecosystem services nearly doubled in just two decades, rising from $590 billion in 2000 to $1.15 trillion in 2020. During the same period, the total forest asset value surged from $11.4 trillion to $23.2 trillion. The report highlights a critical imbalance: Congo forests generate over $1 trillion in global ecosystem services — with over 90% of that value stemming from climate regulation — yet local governments captured only $8 billion in domestic benefits in 2020, primarily from timber, bushmeat, wild foods, and ecotourism.”
Mahonghol underscores “Without an intact Congo Basin, efforts to mitigate global warming and its many extreme side effects will fall short. The forestry sector in the DRC accounts for 9 percent of its GDP and an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people in the country rely on the forests for their livelihoods. Up to 55 million people in the region derive economic benefits from the forests. Due to corruption, however, local communities often only see a fraction of the financial benefits from this extraction. The Congo Basin rainforests represent roughly 70 percent of Africa’s forest cover.
Illegal logging also threatens the 30 billion metric tons of carbon stored by the Congo Basin—the equivalent of 3 years of global fossil fuel emissions. The region and its peat swamp forests absorb 370 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year, making it the world’s most important terrestrial carbon sink. Peatland ecosystems are among some of the most efficient and critical for combatting climate change. The annual carbon sequestration value of the Congo Basin rainforests is estimated to be $55 billion, or more than a third of the region’s GDP. With approximately 10,000 species of tropical plants—30 percent of which are unique to the region—the region also holds extraordinary importance for global biodiversity.”