Kribi, Cameroun, 17 juin 2025 - Aujourd'hui marque le lancement du Programme Intégré (PI) des Forêts du Bassin du Congo et du PI des Forêts Guinéennes, tous deux soutenus par le Fonds pour l'Environnement Mondial (GEF) et dirigés respectivement par le Programme des Nations Unies pour l'Environnement (PNUE) et Conservation International (CI).

Kribi, Cameroon, 17 June 2025 — Today marks the launch of the Congo Forest Integrated Programme (IP) and Guinean Forests IP, both supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led respectively by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Conservation International (CI).

Water is more than just a resource — it is a fundamental force that shapes ecosystems and sustains life, connecting landscapes from ridge to reef. In the Congo Basin, water plays a central role in maintaining the health and function of the region’s extensive peatlands. The peatlands in this region are critical  for local livelihoods as well as global climate regulation and biodiversity conservation. They hold enough carbon which, if released, would amount to between 2-3 years of current total global CO₂ emissions.

The GEF-funded Congo Basin IP, within UNEP’s Congo Basin Landscapes Initiative, supports the conservation and governance of vital landscapes in the Congo Basin Forest Biome. One of the Programme’s approaches to combating deforestation involves collaborating with local communities, national and regional government officials and international partners to develop comprehensive, trans-boundary land use management plans.

Deep in the heart of Africa lies the Cuvette Centrale, home to the world’s largest tropical peatlands—a hidden treasure storing three years’ worth of global fossil fuel emissions. After decades of mystery, scientists are now racing to understand and protect this critical ecosystem before it’s too late.