Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in the Congo Basin to become a knowledge hub in climate and biodiversity
The second partner in the project is the Centre for Biodiversity Surveillance (Centre de surveillance de la biodiversité, CBS), situated in the nearby city of Kisangani. It will monitor biodiversity on the ground using camera traps and drones, as well as through the collection of environmental DNA samples (eDNA). These samples of DNA are released by an organism into its environment; they are typically collected in the form of water, soil, sediments or surface swabs.
The CBS’ monitoring work will be done in cooperation with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences’ programme to develop Capacities for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (CEBioS). The CBS and CEBioS will also train staff in the biosphere reserve in remote sensing, taxonomy and other fields.
The project’s third partner is the Regional Postgraduate School for the Integrated Management of Tropical Forests and Lands (Ecole régionale postuniversitaire d'aménagement et de gestion intégrés des forêts et territoires tropicaux, ERAIFT). It is contributing socio-economic and socio-anthropological studies to the project.
ERAIFT is based in Kinshasa but has an antenna in Yangambi Biosphere Reserve. ERAIFT was established 30 years ago with UNESCO support[1]. It trains African specialists and decision-makers how to apply the ecosystem approach to African forest management.
ERAIFT was one of three partners which helped the University of Ghent to install the Congoflux Tower in Yangambi Biosphere Reserve. The others were the Indonesian Center for International Forestry Research and the National Institute for Studies and Research in Agronomy (Institut national des études et recherches agronomiques, INERA) in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Combined with the data collected by the Congoflux Tower, data collected from monitoring biodiversity will enrich the Democratic Republic of Congo’s contribution to national and international reports monitoring implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by reinforcing the country’s capacity to contribute information and data that are measurable, reportable and verifiable.
At the local level, INERA and the national Man and Biosphere Committee, which manage the biosphere reserve jointly, will be institutional and implementing partners for the project.
[1] See : Africanizing Tropical Forest Management in A World of Science, 2003
