About the Congo Basin

About the Science Panel for the Congo Basin (SPCB)

The Science Panel for the Congo Basin (SPCB) is the first of-itskind independent scientific panel dedicated to synthesizing existing knowledge of the status of, and threats to, the Congo Basin and its ecosystems. As the world’s second largest tropical forest, the Congo Basin is providing key ecological services at local, regional, and global scales that are both critical for human well-being on the African continent and for limiting the global impacts of climate change - and yet remains largely under-researched and chronically underinvested.

The SPCB is led by and comprised primarily of leading scientists from the region. It was established in 2023 alongside the Congo Basin Science Initiative, a complementary platform to promote long-term investment in science in the Congo Basin. Both initiatives reply to calls from regional environment ministers for increased investment in capacity building and science, and implication of science as a foundation for policy making for the sustainable development of Congo Basin countries.

The Panel is supported by a technical secretariat at the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, convener also of science panels for the Amazon and Borneo.