COP28: Coalition for Sustainable Development Solutions

The world map has its share of black spots, areas where ecosystems are relatively unknown. Hundreds of scientists gathered in Dubai for the UN Climate Summit COP28 have launched a research coalition aimed at addressing a historic information gap regarding the Congo River Basin and its tropical forest, the second-largest in the world. The scientific group for the Congo River Basin, supported by the United Nations Network for Sustainable Development Solutions, aims to release a report in 2025 providing the most detailed scientific assessment to date of this area. "We are talking about a unique ecosystem that supports hundreds of millions of people and, at the same time, plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth's climate," said Raphael Tshimanga, co-chair of the expert group and water specialist at the University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "Our current knowledge of how the Congo Basin ecosystem functions is indeed very, very limited," he added.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the majority of the Congo Basin forest is located, recorded the second-highest rate of deforestation in the world last year, following Brazil, according to Global Forest Watch. This destruction releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming, and leads to the loss of vital habitats for plant and animal species. According to the report, over 10,000 species in the Amazon are at risk of extinction, emphasizing the region's role in the global climate system and quantifying the amount of carbon stored in the forest. It is expected that more than 300 scientists will contribute to the Congo report, Tshimanga noted. The report will include sections on how the Congo River Basin regulates regional climate, information on human impact on the forest ecosystem, and how scientific data can inform government policies, the specialist emphasized.