As part of the project “Securing Crucial Biodiversity, Carbon and Water Stores in the Congo Basin Peatlands by Enabling Evidence-Based Decision‑Making and Good Governance,” a two-day workshop was organized in Brazzaville on February 10-11 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), together with the Ministry of the Environment, Sustainable Development and the Congo Basin. Twenty-five participants from national institutions and universities, alongside key partners and stakeholders were trained on peatland monitoring tools.

Reducing biodiversity loss to support a healthy ecosystem while guarding against disease spillover events between and among animals and people is a focus of the GEF-funded and UNEP-led Congo Forests Integrated Programme. As information around the illegal wildlife trade is key to law enforcement activities in this area, the Programme is developing a knowledge base to support informed decision-making while also enhancing the capacity of law enforcement personnel and officials across the region to combat the killing of and illegal trafficking in Endangered animals.

Strengthening the ability of local communities to sustainably manage the forests they call home is a main focus of the GEF-funded Congo Forests Integrated Programme led by UNEP under UNEP’s Congo Basin Landscapes Initiative. The Initiative is doing this by supporting local communities to develop and build partnerships between the private sector and local communities to catalyze and scale private sector investment.

As part of the GEF-funded Congo Forest Integrated Programme (IP), and together with partners, the UNEP-led Congo Basin Landscapes Initiative is tackling the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation by working with local communities to develop integrated transboundary land use management plans that are designed to support biodiversity and conserve forest cover, while ensuring livelihoods remain sustainable and economic opportunities increase for forest dwellers.