Is a forest ecologist and Associate Professor at the University of Douala, where he heads the Department of Forest Engineering at ENSET. His research focuses on enhancing sustainable forest management in Central Africa, with a particular emphasis on Cameroon, by deepening the ecological understanding of major timber species. His work explores seed conservation, tree population dynamics, silvicultural practices, and the economic viability of forest enrichment in production forests.

Is a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist in the Informatics Group within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. Outside of his work on statistical methods for analyzing genomic data, he conducts research on the evolutionary mechanisms that generate and maintain Afrotropical vertebrate biodiversity.

Is a researcher at CIRAD, hosted at the Research Institute for Tropical Ecology in Libreville, Gabon, where she strengthens the research activities initiated by Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Liege University Belgium, on tropical tree allometry, the estimation of carbon stocks and sequestration in tropical forests and savannas, and the monitoring and management of biodiversity. She also contributes to improving knowledge of the biogeography of Africa, including via cross-taxonomic and cross-continent comparisons.

Is an expert in spatial hydrology and in situ deployments; he is a research engineer and the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Hydro Matters. His research focuses on the use of remote sensing for informing hydrological and hydraulic models, with a particular focus on tropical and subtropical poorly monitored basins. He is involved in several projects related to the calibration and validation of satellite altimetry missions, including the recently launched SWOT mission.

Is an Associate Professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. Her research, at the interface between natural and social sciences, focuses on the ecological functioning of tropical forests and forest use by local communities, including non-timber forest products. Her interdisciplinary research informs the conservation and management of tropical forest landscapes.

Is a researcher at the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Hamburg, Germany. His research is based on the Equatorial Africa climate system (Central African rainfall system/West African monsoon system). He analyses how Regional Earth system Models reproduce inter-linkages between precipitation and processes responsible for their generation, single and compound extreme hazards, and monsoon systems. Also, he investigates how the future weather will react to global warming.

Is an archaeologist at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren) and visiting professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. A specialist in ceramic traditions in Central Africa, he conducts research in the Democratic Republic of Congo, notably as part of the BANTURIVERS project. He is co-editor of the Manuel de terrain en archéologie africaine and author of numerous publications on archaeology, the anthropology of techniques and potters' networks.

Is a social anthropologist working with hunter-gatherers in Central Africa, most notably with Bayaka communities in the northern Republic of Congo. She concluded her PhD thesis at University College London in 2024 in human-nonhuman mobilities. She currently holds a postdoctoral position at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (FORAGENCY Project) on human-plant symbiosis in healing with research to be carried out in the Republic of Congo, DRC and Burundi.

Is a Professor at the University of Kisangani and the Director of Tropenbos DRC; he served as Director of the Central Africa Political Observatory at the Catholic University of Central Africa. He is a researcher at the Centre for the Study of African Worlds (CEMAF) at the University of Paris 1 and Programme Director for Democracy and Development at the Gorée Institute in Dakar.

Is a REDISSE IV Animal Health Specialist; Director of Animal Health; a National Focal Point for WOAH animal disease notification, laboratories, and veterinary medicines and AMR; and for PREDICT emerging and reemerging pathogen surveillance; and a national laboratory evaluator and a trainer in Integrated Disease Surveillance and AMR. He has 32 years of experience in epidemic prevention, detection and response; developing strategy, and leading multi-sectoral (One Health) missions in the Congo River Corridor.

Is an emerita researcher at the at the French National Center for Scientific Research. Her expertise is based on more than 40 years of research on environmental and climate change in tropical Africa, Arabia, and the Mediterranean regions, using pollen analysis of continental and marine sediment sequences. She has been responsible for international scientific networks and research programs. She has organized several international workshops and symposiums and headed two research laboratories in France.

Is experienced in research and have good skills in data and geo-analysis, climate change, sustainable development, numerical weather prediction, analysis, forecast error variances, project development and management, communication, and teaching. I collaborate with researchers and practitioners, not only on a national but also on a regional level, to explore the climate of Central Africa.

Is an aquatic biodiversity researcher, ichthyologist and Associate Professor affiliated with the Department of Biological Sciences of the University of Ngaoundéré and the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Ecosystems Management of the University of Douala (Cameroon). With 15 years of experience in research on fish systematics, ecology and conservation, he has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.

Is currently a visiting research scientist at the University of Missouri Columbia. His research primarily focuses on analysis clouds and their radiative feedback focusing on Central and West Africa. His interdisciplinary approach including precipitation, temperature also yields interest in extreme climate events and their socio-economic impacts.

Is a full interdisciplinary researcher at the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development. He leads the Research Group in Geosciences and Environmental Dynamics in the Amazon, conducting research on tropical water resources and social-ecological systems under multiple environmental changes. He is a member of the Science Panel for the Amazon, and coordinates the Amazon Sentinel Lakes project Initiative and the Technical Commission on Amazon Waters from the Brazilian Association of Water Resources.

Is a postdoctoral researcher spatial hydrologist and award-winning researcher affiliated with the Institute of Geodesy, University of Stuttgart (Germany), the Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center (CRREBaC), University of Kinshasa, and the Department of Geology, University of Lubumbashi. With a multidisciplinary background in geology, water resources management, and satellite hydrology, he has significantly contributed to advancing the understanding of hydrological processes to support water resources assessment in the sparsely gauged Congo Basin.

Is associate professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). He specializes in the bottom-up history of colonial Central Africa. He is currently the principal investigator of the ERC-funded project FORAGENCY. Foraging, Colonialism and More-than-Human History in Central Africa.

Is a researcher at the Institut National pour l'Etude et la Recherche Agronomiques (INERA) and Associate Professor at the Université Pédagogique Nationale in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her research focuses on the resilience of tropical forests in the Congo Basin, linking forest ecology, climate change, and wood.

Is a National Geographic and UNESCO Award-Winning Biodiversity Scholar affiliated with the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala (External Resource) and the School of Management, Catholic University of Congo (Kinshasa). With a 30 year-long experience in Biodiversity Conservation Research, Humanitarian and Sustainable Development Programs, Inogwabini published multiple dozens of peer-reviewed articles and books. He is currently Science Officer for the Science Panel for the Congo Basin.

Is a researcher, environmental Sociologist, and Professor at the University of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is also a member of the Congo Basin Scientific Panel and a consultant to organizations working on Indigenous Peoples' and local community rights issues. His research interests focus on the political economy of natural resources and environmental governance.

Is a linguist at the Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). She investigates the precolonial past of Central Africa by means of historical comparative linguistics, in close collaboration with archaeologists and anthropologists. She has worked on food history, with ethnolinguistic fieldwork in the South of the Republic of Congo, and was the PI of the ERC multidisciplinary project BANTURIVERS (ERC Starting Grant, ULB, 2019-2024), which studied the precolonial past of the northeastern DRC.

Is Professor of biodiversity of African rainforests and a plant taxonomist based at the University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon. He has been working on the dynamics of forest in Central Africa for more than 35 years during which he described more than 70 new species to science; he co-authored over 140 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. He is also one of the three Co-Chairs for the Science Panel for the Congo Basin.

Is full Professor of Public International law at the University of Yaoundé II (Cameroon). An associate and visiting professor at several African and European universities, she is member of several learned societies and scientific committees of various law journals. She is the author of numerous books and scientific articles.

Is a geographer at the Royal Museum for Central Africa and UCLouvain, specialized in natural hazard risk analysis. Much of her career has focused on social vulnerability and risk related to geo-hydrological hazards in data-scarce contexts, particularly in Central Africa. She has developed participative and transdisciplinary approaches involving intensive fieldwork, collaboration with stakeholder networks, and co-creation of tools to raise awareness and help mitigate the impact of geo-hydrological hazards and environmental change.

Is a Professor and Director of Environmental Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada. For the past 20 years her research has focused on strategies in environmental governance that can contribute to the goals of sustainable resource management and improved livelihoods in the context of a changing climate. She has had research projects in Central Africa, Atlantic Canada and the Caribbean.

Is an assistant professor in Human Geography at Radboud University, the Netherlands. Her research interests include (South-South) mobility, refugee studies, urban culture, conflict, oral history, decolonial and co-creative approaches. Catherina has research experience in DR Congo, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Colombia and the Congolese diaspora in Western Europe.

Is a Civil Engineer and Lecturer at Ardhi University’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. She holds a PhD in Water Resources Engineering (University of Dar es Salaam), and an MSc from KTH-Royal Institute of Technology. With over 15 years of consulting and academic experience, her expertise spans hydrology, sediment transport, and sustainable drainage infrastructure. She has contributed to major research in the Congo Basin and currently advises on dam safety.

Is a lecturer and researcher at the Université Officielle de Mbujimayi; a political scientist with a Master’s degree, he currently pursues a Doctorate at the University of Kisangani. His research focuses on forest and natural resource governance, with a specialization in multi-stakeholder platforms and their influence on benefit-sharing within community forestry governance. He authored several scientific publications and oversees Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Communication at Tropenbos DRC.

Is Emeritus Professor of Environmental Economics at Arizona State University. His published work focuses on the economics of biodiversity conservation and includes ten books and over two hundred papers on the topic. He has helped connect biodiversity science and policy through DIVERSITAS (as Vice Chair), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and the US President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology working group on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Is a forestry expert and environmental researcher with over 10 years of experience in biodiversity conservation, forest governance, and ecological research. He holds a PhD in Forestry and is currently the Scientific Coordinator and Professor at CENAREST, Gabon. He has co-led major regional projects on sustainable resource use, including CITES' Kévazingo and the TRADE Hub's Wildmeat initiative. His expertise includes forest management, NTFP value chains, environmental governance, and conservation.

Is a Geographer specializing in environmental studies. Holder of a PhD in Geography (sustainable management of forest) and master’s in geomatics at the University of Yaoundé 1 in Cameroon. He worked in many projects as an expert in remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems. Between 2021 and 2024, he worked as a research assistant at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Congo Basin Institute on Assessment of Integrated Conservation and Development Project.

Is a plant ecologist whose research focuses on the characterization of African rain forest habitats with a particular focus on open habitat (savannas and swamps). He is the curator of the National Herbarium of Gabon at the National Center of Research and Technology in Libreville with mobility in Europe. I’m the focal point for the Missouri Botanical Garden in Gabon since 2012. I’ve contributed writing many papers in reviewed journals.

Is Professor at Université de Kisangani (UNIKIS), Democratic Republic of Congo. He is winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize; his research focuses on tropical forest ecology and botany. He was at the origin of the network of permanent forest inventory plots in the DRC and has contributed to leading the maintenance and expansion of the network since the 1990s. He is co-chair of the Science Panel for the Congo Basin.

Is Professor in Physical Geography at the University of Bangui, Central African Republic. His work is in Hydrology, Water resources and climatic change impact and adaptation. He is a Fellow of the START-funded African Climate Change Fellowship Program at Egerton University, Njoro (Kenya). With 25 years of experience, he has published dozens of scientific papers and book chapters and is a member of the Science Panel for the Congo Basin.

Is Structural Geologist at the Royal Museum for central Africa in Belgium and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of African Earth Sciences. He is working on geodynamics of intracontinental rift systems, sedimentary basins and orogens, with emphasis on brittle structural evolution, active tectonics, sismotectonics and petroleum systems in sedimentary basins, currently in East and Central Africa and previously in Central Asia (Baikal rift, Altai and Tien-Shan).

Is an Environment and Development specialist with over 20 years of experience and extensive experience in the Congo Basin. She has worked for several UN agencies (FAO and UNDP) and is currently an independent consultant supporting the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI). Danae is also an Honorary Research Fellow with the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Is a Senior Natural Resource Management Specialist with 30 years’ experience, including 22 with CIRAD. He has led complex projects in over 20 tropical countries, working with diverse partners. A key contributor to the EU-funded Sustainable Wildlife Management Program, he now advises several international initiatives. His profile blends scientific excellence, leadership, and deep expertise in tropical forest governance. He also serves on the CIRAD Forests and Societies research unit’s steering committee.

Is a DRC’s Negotiator for the CBD and the UNFCCC for the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and New Climate Economy. His Expertise is in biodiversity conservation, climate change and sustainable development. He is IPBES National Focal Point, as well as the Sustainable Wildlife Management Program’s Focal Point in DRC.

Is a Geospatial Analysis Researcher at the National Institute of Cartography, Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Cameroon. She focuses on mapping and analyzing environmental systems; she holds a Master of Science Degree in Geo-Information and Earth Observations from the University of Twente (The Netherlands) and pursues her PhD at the Vienna University of Technology. She has a 18-year long experience with applied GIS and Remote Sensing Technologies.

Is the Research, Data, and Impact Director of World Resources Institutes, Africa. He was a Senior Scientist at CIFOR (Cameroon) and was also a visiting professor at ASC-TUFS in Tokyo. Focused on forest and climate change responses, including REDD+ and cocoa agroforestry, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of Bonn (Germany), and a training certificate from University of California, Berkeley. He contributed to the IPCC climate change and land degradation report.

Is geologist at the French Geological Survey (BRGM), specialized in crystalline rocks and surficial formations. He has been working in Africa since 1998 with long-term missions in Central Africa (Gabon, Congo, DRC). He authored some 40 geological maps in different African countries including the coordination of the Geological map of Gabon at 1/1,000,000 scale (3rd edition, 2009) and a new edition of the Geological map of Africa at 1/10,000,000 scale (2016)

Is an expert in water supply, stormwater management, and hydraulic modelling of unaged large river basins focusing on research in large river systems and advancing hydraulic modelling techniques to enhance understanding and sustainable management of these vital resources. He as a PhD in Water Resources (University of Kinshasa) and master’s degree from the National School of Hydraulics in Algeria and has published several international scientific papers.

Is Data Analyst and Manager at the Observatoire des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale (OFAC). With over 15 years' experience, he leads the network of actors made of national administrations and non-governmental organizations supplying data to OFAC on forest ecosystems management in Central Africa. He is a member of the certification committee of the Réseau Africain des Coachs pour l'efficacité de gestion des aires protégées (RACEGAP).

Is a plant ecologist from the Research Institute of Tropical Ecology in Gabon. His research focuses on anthropogenic disturbances, plant animals’ interactions, above ground-Based biomass measurements and CO2 estimation for climate change assessment, as well as the impact of wildlife management on livelihoods of local communities and with over 15 years of experience in research in the Congo Basin.

Is National Coordinator for World Resources Institute Cameroon. He was a consultant with Global Forest Watch and worked as the Technical Assistant for WRI, on the interactive forestry atlases of Cameroon. He is involved in capacity building and training on the use of geospatial tools. He holds a Master of Science in Environmental Impact Assessment from CRESA Forêt Bois Cameroon, second Master in Plant Biology from the University of Yaoundé I.

Is a veterinarian and doctoral researcher at the Royal Veterinary College (United Kingdom), researching viral ecology in wildlife and the human-wildlife interface. a long-term technical advisor with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), her experience spans from public health research at the UK Health Security Agency’s Porton Down facility, to the frontlines of disease emergence, running Ebola field laboratories during outbreaks, and developing community-based wildlife disease surveillance and diagnostic capacity in Central Africa.

Is an Assistant Professor at University of California (Los Angeles) and Co-Director of the Congo Basin Institute and UCLA’s Center for Tropical Research. Her research examines forest social-ecological systems under climate and land-use change. Using remote sensing, field data, modeling, and socioeconomic analysis, she integrates ecology, earth science, and land system science to understand forest dynamics and human interactions across scales. Her research in Central Africa is primarily in Cameroon.

Is a veterinarian and Regional Technical Advisor for the WCS Health Program in Africa, supporting projects and partnerships across multiple countries. With a background in One Health, she has extensive experience working at the frontlines of wildlife disease outbreaks and developing wildlife health surveillance networks, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Université de Lubumbashi (UNILU) and Vice-Director in charge of research at the School of Fisheries and Aquaculture of UNILU. He holds a PhD in biological science from KU Leuven (Belgium); his research focuses on the study of diversity, ecology, genetics and conservation of African freshwater fish. He is interested in the introduction of local fish species into farming in Katanga.

Is Deputy Director General of Solutions for Wildlife (SO WILD) and a lecturer at the School of Fisheries and Aquaculture at the University of Kisangani, specializing in sustainable biodiversity and forest management. Formerly employed by the provincial Ministry of the Environment and the National Tourism Office, Tshopo, Democratic Republic of Congo, she conducted research on local ecological knowledge and participatory wildlife management, and is co-author of several scientific publications.

Is the Chair of the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) Natural Resource Governance Framework (NRGF) Working Group. He holds a PhD from the University of Oxford (UK). His research interest is in equitable natural resource governance. He has been a consultant with a number of international NGOs and UN agencies. His co-authored publication “Improving Governance of Pastoral Lands” has been translated into Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, French, and Russian.

Is a Professor of Agricultural Economics in the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Buea, Cameroon. He obtained academic degrees from the Georg-August University, Goettingen, Germany and the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark. A Fulbright Research Fellow at Yale University, USA, he serves as a Visiting Professor to the United Nations Institute for Economic Development and Planning, Dakar, Senegal and the United Nations University for Peace, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Is a Zoologist at the Research Institute for Tropical Ecology in Gabon. He studies the ecology of medium- and large-sized terrestrial mammals, focusing on monitoring with camera traps and genetics, and the impact of environmental and human factors on their distribution and genetic diversity. His major interests are duikers and great apes, and he serves as Scientific Coordinator of the gorilla habituation program for ecotourism in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon.

Is Professor of Geophysics at the University of Lubumbashi and visiting lecturer at many other universities in the Democratic Republic since 2012, with 7 years’ experience as Head of the Geology Department at the same university. He has been working for 20 years on the subsidence and lithospheric structure of the Congo Basin and has contributed to the latest geological book on this basin, Geology et resource potential of the Congo Basin.

Is currently a lecturer and researcher at Laval University (Canada) from which he obtained his PhD in Forestry Science and Associate Professor at the Department of Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). His research interests include the contribution of agroforestry soils to carbon storage and crop yields.

Is a Legal Officer at FAO with an international experience supporting the rule of law and IPLCs’ rights to manage natural resources. He coordinates the legal component of the Sustainable Wildlife Management Program, leading the creation of the Legal Hub—an online platform used across Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Pacific. This tool facilitates access to and understanding of existing legal framework and aids national governments in legal analysis and policy reform.

Is Research Director at IRD-France, studies the Earth’s water cycle in the context of global changes. He uses satellites to understand hydrology and its interactions with climate variability and anthropogenic pressures in Africa and South America. A member of the NASA-CNES SWOT mission Science Team, he co-founded the South America Water for Space conference series. After receiving his PhD from the French Space Agency-Toulouse University, he worked at NASA-GISS-Columbia University, NY, USA.

Is a Productivity and Carbon Cycling Researcher in tropical forests. He obtained his PhD from the University of Montpellier (France), using termites as indicator species for evolutionary connections between savannas and the effects of fire on community diversity. His research now focusses on the importance of fire in soil health and carbon cycling. He is Science officer for Lopé National Park and author of several papers, including in Nature.

Is a Wildlife Ecology Scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society and a Professor associated with the University of Stirling (Scotland, UK). Investigating abundance and distribution of wildlife species in the Central African tropical forests since 1988, she has written more than 90 peer-reviewed papers, 40 book chapters, and over 60 IUCN Red List Assessments. She is member of the following IUCN Species Specialist Groups: Primates, African Elephants, and Giraffes and Okapis.

Is an expert in Biodiversity. She holds a PhD in ecology from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI). Since 2015, she has been coordinating the activities of the technical unit of the regional projects (RIOFAC, OFAC-CE) supporting the Central African Forest Observatory (OFAC).

Is a doctoral scholar at the Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Germany. He holds Master degrees in Agricultural Economics and Development from the University of Tokyo, Japan. His research focuses on sub-Sahara Africa across themes such as climate change adaptation, intra-household decision-making, and food and nutrition security. He is also a member of the Asian Society of Agricultural Economists and the Agricultural economics society.

Is Head of the AGEOS forestry department and has participated in the implementation OSFACO, CAFI and GMES and affiliated with the Agence Gabonaise d'Etude et d'Observation Spatiale, with a specialization in spatial dynamics. He is experienced in the use earth observation data to produce information that contributes to sustainable environmental management, based on geospatial technologies and tools.

Is a Sedimentologist at the Illinois State Geological Survey and Interim Geology Team Leader at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His work integrates sedimentology, petrography, paleontology, sequence stratigraphy, geochemistry, and chemostratigraphy to study environmental and climate change, glaciations, and paleobiology over the past 2 billion years in Central Africa, South America, and the U.S. Midwest. He currently focuses on geologic mapping, critical minerals, and carbon capture and storage.

Is professor of community ecology at the University of Burgundy-Europe. He is working in African tropical forest and investigate the role of frugivorous and herbivorous vertebrates, including megafaunal species such forest elephant, on the structure and the dynamics of forests and their carbon storage. Recently, he is developing new fields of research that mobilize local ecological knowledge. His work is mostly Gabon.

Is a Natural Resources Management Specialist affiliated with the Wildlife Conservation Society. With over 10 years of experience in community-based natural resource management, he has contributed to projects focused on sustainable wildlife management, biodiversity conservation, socio-economic studies, and livelihoods. He supports the EU-funded Sustainable Wildlife Management Program and has a strong publication record supporting his work on strategies that balance nature conservation with the rights and well-being of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Is a Natural Resource Manager and Research Officer with CIFOR-ICRAF, Cameroon. He holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon. He has more than 10 years of experience working in sustainable forest management. He worked as a post-doctoral fellow on the challenges and barriers to forest certification for sustainable forest management in the Congo Basin. He has authored and co-authored many publications international journals.

Is a Research Director at IRD in the UMR PALOC (IRD, MNHN, CNRS). After working in the Ecuadorian Amazon, he now focuses on Central Africa (Cameroon and Gabon), where he works with local partners on planned and preventive archaeology programs. He is currently assigned to the Gabonese National Parks Agency.

Is a Research Leader at Kinshasa interdisciplinary Centre for Computational and Environmental Monitoring, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Appliquées (Democratic Republic of Congo), and a Research Fellow at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His focuses on hydro-climate variability and change over central and southern Africa, including ocean-land-atmosphere interactions. He serves on the steering committees of the Congo Basin Science Initiative and the Science Panel for Congo Basin.

Is a Forest Ecology Professor at the Faculty of Science, Université Officielle de Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo). His work explores how montane forests contribute to climate regulation by storing carbon in both biomass and soils. He also studies ecosystem services and the vital role forests play for local communities, including as a source of fuelwood and related to forest governance. He manages several montane forest permanent plots.

Is a Biologist with expertise in ecology, environment, forests, remote sensing and geoinformation, natural resources and land use management, communities and local development. As a scientist and a technical expert working in international and multicultural contexts, he held senior management positions in various areas including sustainable forest and natural resources management, bioeconomy, land use planning, communities and local development, climate change, carbon credits and markets, environment & health risks assessment over 20 years.

Is a lecturer and Researcher in Ecologist and Wildlife Management at the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Maroua. He has 19 years of experience in the field of biodiversity conservation, with a particular interest in birds. He is the author of 17 publications and is involved in numerous research programs and environmental and social impact studies. He is a member of several learned societies.

Is an early-career researcher developing multi-variate climate indicators to assess compound extremes and socio-environmental risks in Central Africa. His previous work focused on climate dynamics, variability and modelling at mid and high latitudes in Africa. His research informs strategies to strengthen the resilience of marginalized communities, particularly women in agriculture, to interconnected climatic and socio-economic impacts. His contributions advance both understanding and practical climate adaptation policies.

Is a scientist affiliated with the Centre Régional d'Etude Nucléaire de Kinshasa and the Ecole Régionale de l'Eau of the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. He specializes in water resource management with the focus on the impact of climate change on water systems and advocates for innovative solutions for water development. He collaborates with various organizations to promote community awareness, aiming to safeguard the region's water resources

Is an environmental anthropologist and botanist at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). Her work focuses on understanding how historical and current cultural practices, colonial policy, environmental governance and land tenure regimes shape biodiversity and how community land systems are recognized in policy. She currently co-leads or collaborates on two transdisciplinary projects which focus on the human influences on biodiversity in the forests of Makokou and Lastoursville.

Is a lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of Dschang, Cameroon. He supervises the research of Master's and Doctoral students in the fields of climate modeling and numerical weather prediction. His research has contributed to the modeling of extreme climate indices, seasonal climate variability, and the validation and projection of climate models in Central Africa and Cameroon.

Is an Associate Professor at Marien N'gouabi University, Republic of Congo where he studies the Congo and other tropical hydro-systems. He seeks to understand the enormous water flows in these systems and to generate long-term hydrological, sedimentary, and biogeochemical data by combining in situ observations, spatial observations, and laboratory analyses. He authored some twenty original scientific articles published in international specialized journals, monographs and abstracted.

Is Associate Professor at Ghent University, where he co-leads Q-ForestLab and the UGent Congo Basin Centre of Expertise. His research spans three key areas: vegetation dynamics, biogeochemical cycles, and the role of vegetation structure in ecosystem processes. He integrates process-based vegetation modeling with fieldwork in data-scarce regions like the Congo Basin. As president of the Natural Capital Research platform, he continues to drive impactful research at the intersection of science, conservation, and policy.

Is a Biodiversity and Restoration Egologist. He currently serves as a Scientist for CIFOR-ICRAF in Yaoundé and is a Lecturer at the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon. He is the General Coordinator of "Tropical Green Builder," uniting experts dedicated to biodiversity, agroforestry, climate mitigation, and ecosystem restoration. He has 15+ years of experience in sustainable ecosystem management throughout the Congo Basin.

Is a Medical and Environmental Historian. He is a lecturer on Sustainable Development Goals and African history at Omar Bongo University, Gabon, a Research Fellow at the Swiss National Foundation (Project Forest History in Gabon based the University of Lausanne), and Associate Researcher at the Institute for the History of Medicine (University of Bern, Switzerland). His most important publications include ‘Médicaliser l’Afrique’ and Walter Munz dans la suite d’Albert Schweitzer à Lambaréné’.

Is an Expert in managing complex program, mobilizing financial resources, cultivating long-term donor relations, and building effective partnerships with governments, NGOs and scientific institutions. With over 30 years of experience, he has led diverse technical and administrative teams and designed and implemented large-scale wildlife and natural resource management initiatives. He currently coordinates the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Program, a major international partnership program active in 19 countries.

Is an assistant professor at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), South Korea. He leads the HydroAI Lab, focusing on satellite remote sensing, hydrology, and AI-driven environmental modeling. His research integrates physics-informed machine learning, data assimilation, and Earth observation data to improve prediction of soil moisture, droughts, and other climate-related variables. Kim actively collaborates with international agencies, including NASA to advance global water and climate research.

Is a postdoctoral associate at Washington State University with extensive expertise in hydrologic modeling. His research focuses on climate change impacts on drought, water resources, and wildfire-related hydrologic and water quality responses. He has studied many watersheds in the United States, the Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia, and Central Africa. His work supports long-term water resource planning, drought mitigation strategies, and wildfire management in diverse geographic and climatic settings.

Is an Associate Professor of Biology at Université Officielle de Bukavu and leads the CREGET research group, Democratic Republic of Congo. He studies nutrient cycling and biodiversity interactions to understand tropical forest functioning, focusing on secondary succession and forest resilience in the Congo Basin. He established a long-term ecological monitoring network in the western Albertine Rift to track ecosystem dynamics and change.

is an Industrialist and Philanthropist (South Africa), with a passion for Africa and its people. He has built a number of successful businesses in mining, energy, aviation, retail, tourism, ICT, media and marketing, aerospace and technology, manufacturing on four continents. Through his family foundation he has invested in environmental and wildlife conservation, education initiatives, responsible citizenship, and charitable activities, including undertaking and publishing the ‘Africa Youth Survey’ on a bi-annual basis.

Is a Conservation Biologist in residence at the Dogen Institute, Gyobutsuji, Arkansas, USA. He is grateful for the support of USTM, University of Kinshasa, WWF, WCS, UNEP, and the American taxpayer enabling over a dozen expeditions to the inland waters of central Africa.

Is an Associate Professor at the Université Evangélique en Afrique (UEA) and the Université Officielle de Bukavu (UOB). His scientific interest is on Indigenous Foods (including neglected and underutilized species and non-timber forest products) that he promotes as alternative income generating activities to reduce pressure on forest reserves. He founded and leads the Center for Indigenous and Ethnic Foods that promotes healthy diets in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Is a Geologist, Geospatial Data Manager and a Researcher at the Institute for Geological and Mining Research (IRGM), Cameroon. His research is focused on the geological mapping of Cameroon at different scales, the Cameroon Volcanic Line in the west and Adamawa zones, mapping of mineral resources zones in the northern and eastern Cameroon and petroliferous areas in the Cameroon-Angola Atlantic Margin. He holds a PhD from the University of Yaoundé I.

Is an Associated Professor and Researcher at the Department of Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). He is also Director of the Center for Research in Tropical Forestry and Biodiversity (CeRFoB). With over 10 years' experience in sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation, he authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Is a Geochemistry and Soil Scientist for the Tropical Critical Zone at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (France). He investigates mass balance and transfer processes from small watersheds to large river basins by examining interactions among soil, rock, water, and living organisms. He is interested in how climate change, human activity, and tectonics affect chemical and physical weathering and the cycling of metals such as lanthanides and actinides in tropical soils.

Is Professor of Tropical Forestry at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (University of Liège, Belgium). Active in African countries, he also teaches in Gabon (at USTM, Franceville) and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (at ERAIFT, Kinshasa). He chairs Forest is Life, a Research and Teaching Support Unit (TERRA, U Liège), whose activities focus on the functioning of forest ecosystems, their responses to global changes, and the sustainable valorization of woody and non-woody resources.

Is an Associate Professor at Notre-Dame University of Kassayi (Democratic Republic of Congo). His research focuses on urban planning and natural resource management in the Congo Basin. He holds a PhD in Geography, University of Liège (Belgium), a Master's degree in natural resource management University of Dschang (Cameroon) and a Master’s degree in environmental physics, University of Yaoundé (Cameroon).

Is a Forest Ecologist Professor at the Faculty of Science, University of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. His work is oriented towards understanding the impacts of climate change on forest dynamics and local livelihoods, as well as the role of tropical forests in the global carbon balance. He leads a team of scientists, field botanists, and foresters who have established the most extensive network of permanent plots in the Congo Basin.

Is a Water and Forestry Engineer. He has been working for over 25 years in the Congo Basin with forestry companies, international NGOs, consulting firms and development partners. He has managed several technical assistance projects in the sub-region. He holds a PhD in Environment and Natural Resource Management, with his field expertise being on forest management and certification, land use planning and the REDD+ process.

Is the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Lubumbashi since 2016. His field of research is the study of natural products of therapeutic, nutraceutical, or toxicological interest. He has extensive research experience in Traditional African Medicine in the Democratic Republic of Congo and about twenty years of experience in research project management on natural products.

Is the Director General of Solutions for Wildlife (SOWILD), Democratic Republic of Congo. He has worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Center for International Forestry Research. His work is on community-based development and capacity building.

Is a PhD student at the University of Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. His research focuses on alternatives to hunting, commercial trade and bushmeat consumption in Yangambi Landscape. He worked as consultant at the CIFOR-ICRAF on reducing hunting pressure on wildlife in Yangambi landscape. He is Cofounder of Solutions for Wildlife (SO WILD), Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Is a Researcher at Based at the Department of Natural Resource Management, University of Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of Congo). He specializes in biodiversity and tropical forest management. He has over 16 years of experience in conservation, ecosystem restoration, and community-based biodiversity management. He authored of several scientific publications and is a member of the Scientific Sterring Committee of the Science Panel for the Congo Basin.

Is an Environment and Soil Science Lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, The Mountains of the Moon University (MMU), Uganda. He works on biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, tropical forest carbon dynamics, greenhouse gas fluxes, biogeochemical cycles and global change, sustainable agriculture intensification, and sustainable natural resources management, and the restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.

Is a Leading Conservation Scientist and Professor with over 30 years of experience in research, teaching, and applied conservation. She is Professor of Biodiversity and Human Development at Manchester Metropolitan University, Senior Research Associate at CIFOR, and Beacon Professor at the University of Gibraltar. Her interdisciplinary work explores the links between biodiversity and human well-being, focusing on sustainable natural resource use by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, defaunation, and zoonotic disease risks.

Is a Forest Ecologist Scientist and lecturer at the University of Douala, Cameroon. His work examines ecosystem functioning, forest restoration, and the socio-ecological dynamics of resource use in Cameroon and Zambia. He has led and contributed to studies on tropical forest ecology, forest-dependent livelihoods, land use change, and the rehabilitation of mining-degraded landscapes. He has authored scientific articles and book chapters that address both biophysical and socio-economic dimensions of conservation and forest management.

Is Professor at the Department of Political and Administrative Sciences at the University of Kisangani. He works on forest and mining governance, environmental impacts assessment, and environmental public policies. He is the national coordinator of the Organization for the Support and Accompaniment of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples (OSAPY) and Environmental Director for Konnect Group Research Renter; he is involved in the development and coordination of REDD+ in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Is a Tropical Ecologist and Conservation Biologist with over 20 years’ experience in Central Africa. She is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Stirling and senior lecturer at the University of Montpellier, affiliated to the mixed research unit “AMAP”.

Is an Associate Researcher at the Institute for Tropical Ecology Research in Gabon and Professor of Tropical Ecology at the University of Stirling in the UK. She has published 122 peer-reviewed articles and supervised 20 doctoral theses on the ecology and conservation of the Congo Basin during more than 30 years of research. She was awarded the 2023 British Ecological Society’s President’s Medal for her dedication to capacity building and long-term ecological research.

Is Head of Strategy at the Africa Mining and Metals Platform; a company focused on sustainably upgrading the continent’s mining value chain. He has spent the last 13 years in West Africa, including Gabon, the Republic of Congo, DRC, and Cameroon. Previously, as CEO of the Gabon Special Economic Zone, he drove initiatives in sustainable forestry, local transformation, circularity, and value addition, working closely with policymakers across the CEMAC region.

Is a Remote Sensing and Mapping Scientist. He leverages his knowledge to support local institutions in protecting and managing their natural ecosystems in ways that also support economic growth, including designing and implementing field and remote sensing-based campaigns, mapping forest structure and disturbances by integrating large scale airborne and spaceborne LiDAR with conventional optical and radar satellite observations and developing digital Measurement, Reporting and Verification platforms to monitor deforestation, degradation and reforestation.

Is a Human-animal conflicts Specialist at the Gabonese National Parks Agency; she is a member of the committee for the implementation and evaluation of human-wildlife conflict mitigation strategies in Gabon. She has interests in climate change problems, agriculture and biodiversity governance and holds a PhD in Anthropology and Social Ecology.

Is affiliated with University of Stirling (UK). He has over 40 years of experience in the tropical rain forests of Africa; he was director of Gabon’s National Parks Agency and Gabon’s Minister of Water, Forests, Sea and Environment. He publishes widely on the natural history and ecology of the African rain forests and has 125 publications. He is the Special Envoy of the Science Panel for the Congo Basin and an editor-in-chief of this report.

Is a Tropical Forest Ecology Scientist who manages the long-term ‘supersite’ for ecological research in Lopé National Park, in Gabon. He focuses on the ecology of large mammals, particularly western gorillas and forest elephants. His research career spans three decades, during which he has trained dozens of field assistants and managed long-term research projects in four national parks. He is co-author of 13 peer-reviewed publications, including in the prestigious journal Science.

Is a Sustainable Wildlife Management Program Legal Consultant, France. She has over 10 years of experience in legal drafting, analysis and research. Her current focus is on law and policy development, capacity building, and community management for international forest and wildlife sectors. Her work includes coordinating the work of national legal consultants, organizing workshops, assisting policymakers in drafting legislation and regulatory measures, and providing inputs on scientific reports and publications.

Is an Archaeobotanist at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, France. He studies the interactions between ancient societies and the plant environment. He analyses botanical remains to reconstruct past agricultural practices, particularly in tropical environments. His interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeology, botany, genetics and environmental history, sheds light on the dynamics of subsistence and the evolution of landscapes, contributing to a better understanding of the relationship between man and his environment over time.

Is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon, specializing in Botany and Ecology. With over 15 years of research experience across Central and West Africa, his work focuses on biodiversity, ecosystem services, transhumance, and the impacts of climate change. He has authored more than thirty scientific publications in these fields. His research supports sustainable natural resource management and contributes to understanding human–environment interactions in tropical ecosystems.

Is a Professor and Researcher at the University of Yaoundé I. He works on biodiversity conservation and forest carbon assessment. He has taught at most universities in Cameroon, at the Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Bukavu (ISP/Bukavu) and at the University of Bayreuth D-95440 Bayreuth. He has supervised 23 PhD theses and around 155 Master's theses, and has published 134 scientific articles and eight book chapters in almost 35 years of research and teaching.

Is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, University of Dschang in Cameroon. Since September 2025, she has held the position of Director of The Regional Post-Graduate Training School on Integrated Management of Tropical Forests and Lands (ERAIFT) in Kinshasa. Trained in forestry, her research focuses on forest and agroforestry ecosystems, particularly the analysis of the dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystem services in forest and agroforest landscapes.

Is a soil scientist with over 30 years of experience in applied research on agroecosystems in South America, Europe, and Africa. She has authored numerous papers on soil management, carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Over the past decade, her work has focused on improving and expanding soil knowledge in Central Africa to address climate change, land degradation, food insecurity, and biodiversity loss—contributing significantly to the scientific community and the livelihoods of local farmers.

Is a researcher and curator of Phanerogams at the 16 Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt, Germany. She studies the pantropical plant families Francoaceae, Melastomataceae, and Dichapetalaceae, with a focus on African lineages. Her research integrates phylogenomics, systematics, taxonomy, and biogeography to unravel evolutionary relationships, diversification, and historical biogeography, aiming to understand the processes shaping tropical biodiversity.

Is a Behavioral Ecologist and wildlife veterinarian affiliated with the Centre d’Écologie et des Sciences de la Conservation at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris. Her research investigates the impacts of human activities on wildlife behaviour and physiology, with a focus on forested ecosystems. She collaborates closely with management and conservation authorities and contributes to a long-term programme led by the Gabonese Park Agency on forest elephant ecology and human–wildlife coexistence

Is an Associate Professor at Ghent University. His research focuses on the biogeochemical and ecological functioning of tropical forests, with a strong focus on Central African forests. By establishing long-term monitoring sites on carbon and nutrient fluxes in both pristine and secondary forest sites, he hopes to contribute to better conservation and management of tropical forest landscapes.

Is Professor of Water Risk at the University of Leeds, UK, and an active member of water@leeds. He completed his PhD research on the Amazon River, focusing on its interaction with the floodplain. Since then, he has studied many large rivers, notably the Congo River. In collaboration with local partners, Mark has contributed to unraveling the Congo River's hydrological, hydraulic, and geomorphological complexities, helping to deepen understanding of this vital water system.

Is a Researcher at the Institute of Geological and Mining Research, Cameroon, focus on lateritic regolith bearing metals (Al, Fe, Mn) in terms of weathering and geochemical differentiation, as well as multi-scale topographic reconstruction of evolving lateritic paleo-landscapes. His researches are conducted on highlands plateaus of Cameroon. His recent contributions and papers are assets toward understanding the dynamics and mineral resources potential of the lateritic geosystem throughout the tropical belt of Africa.

Is a Biogeochemist, is working at the Department for Environmental Systems Science at ETH Zurich. His research centres around greenhouse gas fluxes from aquatic and terrestrial systems, and their integration at a landscape level. To unravel the complex intricacies of greenhouse gas cycling he is using mainly isotope and micrometeorological techniques. His research frequently takes him to East, West and Central Africa where he is involved in several scientific projects.

Is as Research Director, lecturer and researcher at the Universidad Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial. He is a conservation biologist focus on plant systematics, taxonomy and floristics on the tropics, particularly the flora of Equatorial Guinea; the study of natural environments, biodiversity monitoring, pollination, plant-animal interactions in general, ethnobotany and bushmeat trade. He also collaborates in paleoanthropology studies.

Is a senior scientist at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium. He specializes in remote sensing, land surface modeling, and data assimilation to improve understanding of peatlands, crop modeling, streamflow, and fire risk. He contributed to NASA’s SMAP Level-4 Soil Moisture product and the German Greenhouse Gas Emission reporting with peatland modules. Dr. Bechtold coordinates international peatland community activities, publishes extensively in peer-reviewed journals, and regularly serves as reviewer.

Is an Interdisciplinary Scientist and Practitioner with over 10 years of experience in climate change and biodiversity conservation. Her work integrates ethnoecology, conservation biology, and climate science to advance tropical forest conservation in the Congo Basin. During her PhD, she investigated climate change impacts on ecosystems and human communities using a local ecological knowledge approach, with field research in Gabon and the Republic of Congo.

Is a Political scientist and an Africa Policy Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She focuses on North-South cooperation politics on forests and climate change, with interests in the actors, interests and instruments at work in the Congo Basin. She taught at universities in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. She is member of several scientific societies; she is a reviewer for numerous prestigious scientific journals. She publishes extensively.

Is a botanist and forest ecologist at the University of Yaoundé I. His research centers on structure, composition, and dynamics of tropical rainforest ecosystems, emphasizing functional traits and demographic processes under the influence of environmental change. With extensive field experience in Central Africa, he integrates empirical and theoretical approaches to investigate patterns and processes shaping plant communities. His work contributes to advancing vegetation science and supports strategies for forest management, and conservation.

Is an international consultant and senior researcher with over 25 years of experience in biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and local livelihoods. Holding a PhD in Geography, Nathalie has worked extensively across Central Africa and the Amazon on wild meat, food security, and rural economies. With over 100 publications, Nathalie contributes to local and global initiatives, currently a member of the technical/scientific committee and the policy team of the Sustainable Wildlife Management Program.

Is an Evolutionary Biologist and Conservation Geneticist. She is currently a Full Professor and holds the Freeport McMoRan Chair in Wildlife Sustainability at the University of New Orleans. She has worked extensively over the past two decades with a network of collaborators in the central African region on the ecology, evolution and diversification of central African forest vertebrates. She is a member of the steering committee of the Congo Basin Science Initiative.

Is a Researcher at the Missouri Botanical Garden and manages its activities for Central Africa and also works as a researcher for the Université Libre de Bruxelles. His work focuses on the study of floristic distribution and diversity in Central Africa, with the aim of developing innovative methods and tools to facilitate in situ conservation policies and actions for threatened plants and ecosystems.

Is a Disease Ecologist, Veterinary Pathologist, and a Professor in the Pathology Department of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, Georgia, USA. She integrates theoretical and empirical approaches to study relationships between anthropogenic environmental change (land use and climate change) and infectious disease transmission.

Is a soil Chemist and Associate Professor at the National Institute of Agronomy and Biotechnology in Franceville, part of the University of Science and Technology of Masuku, Gabon. He is the Head of the Department of Fundamental Engineering Sciences. His research focuses on soil health and quality.

Is a F.R.S.-FNRS Research Director at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, has been studying the genetic diversity, evolution and ecology of tropical African trees over the past 20 years. His work encompasses tree species delimitation, the biogeographic history of species, pollen and seed dispersal processes and the phylogenetic and functional diversity patterns of tree communities. Part of this work is used to establish guidelines for the forestry sector to exploit sustainably timber species.

Is an undisciplined action researcher, blending Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities scientific knowledge with a hotchpotch of mainstream scientific knowledge. Allowing such communities to participate in conservation, through frameworks like Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), which he co-coordinates for the European World Commission on Protected Areas. His focus is on the ignored local communities of Europe, whose land governance continues to be undermined or seized under the enduring colonial myth of "terra nullius"

Is a lecturer in environmental anthropology at the Institut de Recherche en Sciences Humaines, Gabon and collaborates with the University of Lausanne its program on historical anthropology. He authored several publications, including Anthropologie de la forêt (2007), Les proverbes de la forêt chez les Pové du Gabon (2013), and Les injures de la forêt chez les Pové du Gabon (2023), he published articles in international journals.

Is Senior Full Professor at Gent University, Belgium. He has been working in the Congo basin for more than 25 years. As such, he developed a broad expertise in field-based research in tropical forests, agroforestry, and agronomy. He approaches ecosystem functioning from a quantitative and bio-geochemical as well as a socio-ecological angle.

Is a Professor of Mineral Economics and Mining Geology at University of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. He has over 18 years of experience in geological exploration of base metals (Cu, Co, Zn, Pb) in the Katanga Copperbelt. He completed his PhD at KU Leuven (Belgium) and published several papers on Sedimentology, stratigraphy, Ore geology, structural geology, geofluid and geo-metallurgy.

Is a Lecturer in the Department of Arts and Archaeology at the University of Yaoundé 1 and an associate researcher at UMR Paloc of the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement. He has extensive experience in archaeology and has been involved for around twenty years in scientific and land use planning projects involving archaeological studies. His research is carried out in southern Cameroon particularly the coastal zone and the Yaoundé region.

Is an environmental Chemist and Ecotoxicologist; she is Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Science at the Université Pédagogique Nationale and the Director General of the Center for Water and Environmental Research at the Ministry of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation, Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). With expertise in groundwater resource management for adaptation to climate change, she works on inventorying and characterizing peatland biodiversity.

Is an associate professor at the Department of Animal Production, Director General of the Agropastoral Farm, and Head of the Aquaculture Laboratory, all three at the University of Kinshasa. He obtained his PhD in Biological Engineering from Gembloux Agro Bio Tech (University of Liège, Belgium). He is the author of several scientific articles and supervises several students.

Is Professor of Hydrology at the University of Bristol where he specializes in the science of flooding. He develops new numerical solutions to the Shallow Water equations and combines these with satellite and airborne data to advance our fundamental understanding of flood dynamics and reduce threats to life and economic losses worldwide. His work is used by multiple researchers, NGOs, multi-national companies and insurers to manage flood hazard and risk

Is a doctoral scholar at University Mohammed VI Polytechnic, Morocco. He holds a Master degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Buea, Cameroon. His research explores the nexus between environment, climate change, agriculture and economic development using applications of behavioral sciences in impact evaluation. He belongs to the Latin American Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Association, African Association of Agricultural Economists and the Cameroon Association of Agricultural Economists.

Is a Senior Scientist at Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), France. For 35 years, he works in isotope geochemistry in surface water – groundwater interactions, water-rock interaction and continental erosion. He published around 350 peer-reviewed articles. As deputy director of BRGM Divisions, he was involved in many national and EU projects. He is currently member or chair of international bodies and working groups (IAGC; EuroGeoSurveys; SedNet; European Soil Strategy expert group).

Is full Professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. He is the founder of the BGEOSYS research group that focuses on the biogeochemistry of carbon and nutrients, global and regional CO2, N2O, and CH4 cycling in coastal and inland waters, and their integration in Earth system models. Among others, model applications have focused on human-induced carbon cycle perturbations along the terrestrial-aquatic continuum of large tropical systems, including the Congo basin.

Is a Lecturer at the Department of Forestry and Wildlife Technology of the University of Bamenda, Cameroon. He holds a Ph.D. in Agroforestry and Valuation of Ecosystem Services. Since 2014, he has conducted research on cross-cutting themes of agroforestry, climate change, forestry and biodiversity conservation. He has (co)authored over 90 publications. He is a member of the Cameroon Academy of Young Scientists (CAYS).

Is Professor of Hydrology at the University of Kinshasa, Director of the Regional School of Water and CRREBaC, Democratic Republic of Congo. He integrates hydrology, biodiversity conservation, and socio-economic resilience, influencing national and international environmental policies. He developed the Congo Basin Catchment Information System, a knowledge hub providing high-quality data on water resources, environmental processes, and societal impacts in the Congo Basin. He mentors emerging scientists, and advocates for evidence-based solutions in Africa’s green transition.

Is Emeritus Research Director and Strategic Advisor for CIFOR-ICAF in Central Africa. He holds a PhD in Forest Economics and Management from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He has over 40 years of experience in tropical forestry, particularly in the Congo Basin, and is the author of numerous publications. He is currently recognized as the principal editor of the report “State of the Forests of the Congo Basin,” published periodically by OFAC.

Is a Geoarchaeologist at Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (France), working for Gabon's National Parks Agency, has 45 years' field experience in Central Africa, mainly in Gabon and Cameroon. His major discoveries include 2,000 rock engravings and the presence of 650,000-year-old man in the Lopé National Park and the Iroungou burial cave. He is pursuing multidisciplinary research into the caves of Gabon, while training students through schools and field courses.

Is a scientist at CIFOR-ICRAF, Yaoundé, Cameroon. He coordinates the RESSAC program and monitors the work of 27 Postdoctoral fellows. He follows-up the relationship between scientific research institution from global North and South, more over monitor the methods, field activities and scientific productions of research teams. Richard holds a Ph.D. in Geography (focus on knowledge transfer, climate change and deforestation matters in Central Africa) from Le Mans University since 2019.

Is Professor of Climate Science and Fellow of Keble College, University of Oxford where he leads the African climate lab. Richard has been the Principal Investigator of numerous African climate science projects, including Fennec, DO4Models, UMFULA and DRYCAB. His recent work has featured field campaigns in critically important regions. The purpose of the field campaigns is both to develop an understanding of the fundamental climate dynamics and to improve numerical models.

Is an Anthropologist who conducted his research in the Congo Basin Forest communities for four decades, with a focus on indigenous "Pygmy" communities in Central African Republic, Cameroon, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo, exploring a range of issues. Since 2010, he has also worked as a consultant to international NGOs and governments to facilitate participation of Congo Basin Forest communities in conservation and community forestry initiatives.

Is a leading global expert on forests, and advocates for integrating social and biological science for better forest management, more sustainable livelihoods, and improved forest policies. His research interests include the sustainable use of forest products, and multiple-use tropical forest management. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 scientific publications. He has lived and travelled extensively across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, undertaking research in ecology and tropical forest management.

Is National Geographic Society/Buffett Awards winer for Leadership in Conservation in Africa. He was the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Cameroon Country Program from 1998 to November 2024, building it into arguably the most effective conservation program in the country. Fotso has helped promote a new generation of Cameroonian conservationists through mentoring, graduate opportunities and scholarships. He obtained his Ph.D. in zoology from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.

Is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon, specializing in Botany and Ecology. With over 15 years of research experience across Central and West Africa, his work focuses on biodiversity, ecosystem services, transhumance, and the impacts of climate change. He has authored more than thirty scientific publications in these fields. His research supports sustainable natural resource management and contributes to understanding human–environment interactions in tropical ecosystems.

Is a Soil Scientist and Associate Professor at the National Institute of Agronomy and Biotechnology (Franceville), University of Science and Technology of Masuku, Gabon. He focuses on soil organic carbon sequestration and soil fertility. He is member of the Steering Committee for the Global Network of Soil Analysis Laboratories and is involved with the African Community of Practice at the World Soil Information (International Soil Reference and Information Centre).

Is a Researcher at the Center for Evolutionary and Functional Ecology (CNRS, UMR 5175 CEFE), Montpellier (France). He is an anthropologist and ethnoecologist working with Congo Basin hunter-gatherers since 2012, especially with the Baka (Cameroon), the Bayaka (Congo and CAR) and the Batwa (DRC). His research focuses on human-animal interactions, local ecological knowledge, health and disease emergence.

Is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Meteorology and Climatology at the University of Ebolowa, Cameroon. His interests are in numerical weather forecast and climate modelling in Central Africa focusing in extreme rainfall. He also develops methods of processing model outputs to improve predicted rainfall. He is also interested in sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasts in Central Africa and the sources of predictability at these timescales.

Is a Wildlife, Biodiversity, and Livelihoods Specialist at the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social, Political, and Administrative Sciences, University of Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of Congo). She is pursuing her PhD at the Department of Agro-Biotechnology at the University of Liège (Belgium). With over eight years of research experience in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, she co-authored several peer-reviewed articles. She serves as a board member of Solutions for Wildlife.

Is a Senior Lecturer at the University Institute of Technology of the University of Douala, where he has taught since 2020. His research focuses on spatial hydrology and the analysis of climate teleconnections in Central Africa. His academic background includes a PhD in spatial hydrology (University of Douala) and two master's degrees in physical oceanography (Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier) and environmental physics (University of Yaoundé 1).

Is a lecturer and researcher at the Department of sociology, University of Kisangani (Democratic Republic of Congo). His interests are in natural resource governance. His extensive experience as a consultant has enabled him to understand the broad spectrum of ecopolitical dynamics, ranging from institutional and social issues to ecological and economic challenges.

Is the current Research Director, University of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. His research focuses on the valorization of traditional knowledge linked to using natural substances with therapeutic, cosmetic, toxic, nutraceutical or magico-religious potential. He is also interested in environmental issues, campaigning for the sustainable use of resources, reducing pollution, and conserving and protecting biodiversity and ecosystems.

Is a Forest Ecologist and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. She has over 25 years’ experience mainly in the Guiana Shield and West/Central Africa, including 12 years of fieldwork. She is Regional Coordinator for FAO’s Sustainable Wildlife Management Program in Central Africa and Madagascar, leading strategies that link science, policy, and community action. She is dedicated to advancing rights-based and One Health approaches to biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management across diverse landscapes.

Is a Lecturer in Genomics and Infectious Disease at the Royal Veterinary College, UK. Her research investigates the epidemiology and ecology of zoonotic and animal viruses using computational genomic approaches. Sarah collaborates extensively with colleagues at national veterinary and public health agencies in the UK and abroad, and has helped advise both the World Health and Food and Agricultural Organizations. She holds the John C Marsden Medal for her PhD research.

Is the Director of Health Research for the Wildlife Conservation Society Health Program. Trained in both environmental research and public health, her research has focused on front-line wildlife conservation and One Health challenges. She provides leadership and research support to field veterinarians and conservation staff around the world and is currently focused on helping grow sustainable and effective wildlife health surveillance systems.

Is a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellow at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she uses remote-sensing, field data, and modeling to investigate tropical rainforest carbon and water fluxes, their interactions, and how they are impacted by climate change and land use. Her PhD dissertation focused on understanding how land-atmosphere interactions and large-scale environmental dynamics influence precipitation seasonality in the Congo Basin.

Is a Senior Research Scientist in the Biosciences Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and holds a joint appointment as an adjunct professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. He is the CEO of CTrees.org, a science and technology nonprofit, and has more 500 publications in peer-reviewed journals and books. He has pioneered new techniques to understand, quantify, and monitor the climate change on ecosystems, focusing on carbon and biodiversity.

Is a researcher at the Soil Service of Belgium and holds an MSc and PhD in Bioscience Engineering. At the Remote Sensing and Data Assimilation group at KU Leuven, he developed a tropical peat-specific land surface model and combined this with microwave satellite data to improve understanding of tropical peatland hydrology. His research focused particularly on the link between river stage and peatland water levels in the Cuvette Centrale complex.

Is Expert in Hydro-informatics and Water Management. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the University of Virginia, USA. His research focuses on Earth Observation and Remote Sensing. His research centers on coastal and hydrological systems, emphasizing sustainable, resilient, and smart urban environments supported by numerical modeling and climate adaptation strategies.

Is Professor of hydrobiology, Environment and Qualitative Research at the University of Yaoundé 1; he is also affiliated with the Universities of Rennes and Le Mans (France), Egleton (Kenya) and the Michigan University (USA). He has worked in numerous projects on biodiversity and sustainable management of hydro-systems in Central and Great Lakes Africa. With 30 years of experience, he authored 100 publications, directed more than 200 masters and around 20 PhDs.

Is a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Meteorology at Florida State University. She studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Bonn. Her research has focused on African meteorology and climate since the 1970s and she has traveled extensively throughout Africa. Her other interests include tropical meteorology, climate change, and arid lands. She has received two Fulbright Fellowships, the Humboldt Research Award, and the Hugh Robert Mill Medal.

Is a Nature Conservationist, focusing on the intersection of Indigenous communities, and technology. Collaborating with rainforest hunter-gatherers in Cameroon and Central African Republic, he explores local conceptions of nature and conservation, and the complex relationships communities hold with their environment. To further develop this, he uses participatory mapping and reporting through Extreme Citizen Science. His research interests include community-led conservation, mapping, Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and African biocultural heritage.

Is a tropical field ecologist studying global environmental change at the University of Leeds and University College London. He led work showing that African tropical forests absorb globally significant quantities of carbon dioxide over recent decades and led the team that first described and mapped the central Congo peatlands. Simon’s research is highly collaborative, working with teams of scientists and people living in tropical forests to gain insights into our changing planet.

Is a researcher and lecturer affiliated with Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège (Belgium). Since 2015, he has developed his research on biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem services across 16 countries. He leads interdisciplinary approaches, including natural and human sciences, remote sensing tools, genetics, field surveys, and social sciences. He aims to engage relevant stakeholders to improve decision-making based on actionable science by bridging the gap between academia and field challenges.

Is a postdoctoral hydrologist at LEGOS/CNES (Toulouse, France), specializing in large-scale hydrological modeling and satellite data assimilation. He received academic training in Peru, Brazil, and France, and has led research on hydroclimate variability in the Amazon and Congo Basins. He has authored over 25 peer-reviewed articles and contributes to international collaborations on tropical watershed monitoring. He also serves as a journal reviewer and associate editor for Frontiers in Water and Climate.

Is a postdoctoral researcher at the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e. V. Muncheberg, Germany. He holds a PhD in Integrated Rural Development and his research focuses on mainstreaming gender equality, social inclusion and indigenous knowledge in climate adaptation and forest landscape restoration interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. He is also an alumnus of the Alexander von Humboldt International Climate Protection Fellowship.

Is an early career researcher in the field of atmospheric sciences at the University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon. Her research focuses on understanding the impact of soil moisture on the climate of Central Africa. Specifically, she is interested in assessing the contribution of soil moisture to evapotranspiration variability, as well as its influence on the occurrence of agricultural-related extreme wet and dry weather hazards in Central Africa.

Is an Associate Professor at the Université de Toulouse (France), is a geochemist specialized in trace element cycles in aquatic systems, transport and processes at the water-sediment interface and early diagenesis. He is the co-head of the Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS (M-TROPICS) Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) which aims at assessing the response of tropical ecosystems to global change through the monitoring of instrumented catchments in Cameroon, India and Laos.

Is a Tropical Forest Ecologist with over ten years of experience in forest carbon modeling and sustainable forest management in Central Africa. Currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Liège, he focuses on refining aboveground biomass (AGB) estimates using cutting-edge technologies. He holds a PhD from the University of Yaoundé I and IRD Montpellier and collaborates as an associate researcher with UMR AMAP and the Congo Basin Institute on interdisciplinary forest projects.

Is an anthropologist who specializes in political ecology, medical anthropology, and oral history in the Congo River Basin. Her area of specialization is southeastern Cameroon, where she has lived and worked for three decades in the Lobéké Forest region just north of the border with the Republic of Congo. She is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the City University of New York, Lehman College.

Is a Forest ecology Researcher at Marien N’gouabi University. A final-year doctoral student in Sustainable Forest Management, her work focuses on remote sensing monitoring of urban growth in five locations in the Republic of Congo. She has authored and co-authored several articles in scientific journals and participates in conferences. Passionate about research, she is involved in supervising master's and undergraduate students. Her goal is to contribute to concrete and sustainable scientific advances.

Is a Plant Ecology and Climate Change Lecturer and Researcher at Marien N'gouabi University where he is the Head the Remote Sensing and Forest Ecology Laboratory. His work focuses on deforestation, tropical peatlands, the functioning of tropical forests, peatlands, and greenhouse gas inventories. He authored several publications and has supervised several master's and doctoral theses.

Is a postdoctoral fellow at KU Leuven (Belgium), applying a social-ecological lens to regime shifts and restoration in tropical dry forests. She investigates whether these ecosystems are undergoing socio-ecological regime shifts and whether early-warning signals of resilience loss by combining field data, remote sensing, and syntheses. She aims to use this real-world evidence to assess how such shifts threaten forest restoration, and to inform targeted interventions to prevent or reverse them.

Is an Ecological Anthropologist and an Associate Professor who teaches African studies at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (Tokyo, Japan). He has worked among the indigenous communities of Eastern Cameroon tropical forest for over 23 years. His main interest includes co-existence mechanism of multi-ethnic societies in relation to forest resources. His recent research focuses the interactions between local value systems and the larger systems operating at national, regional, and global scales.

Is an Expert on Remote Sensing; he is pursuing a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Virginia, focusing on Earth Observation and Remote Sensing. He looks at the use of remotely sensed datasets, particularly NASA products, to address climate-driven and human-induced disasters. He holds a Joint MSc in Hydro-informatics and Water Management. His recent academic work has earned competitive, merit-based awards from NOAA and NASA.

Is a Researcher and Head of the Climate Change Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Cartography in Yaoundé (Cameroon). With over 10 years' experience in climate science, his research focuses on using climate models to investigate the impact of anthropogenic global warming on climate variability and extreme weather events, and their socio-economic implications. He also explores climate intervention geoengineering methods to assess their potential effectiveness in mitigating climate change effects.

Is an expert in web development and database management in OFAC-CE where he is responsible for developing the various tools for collecting, encoding, processing, analyzing and displaying data within the OFAC information system, which presents multi-thematic analyses on all 11 COMIFAC countries to facilitate decision-making. He is engineer in Computer Science Applied to Geographic Information Systems.

Is the founding director of UCLA's Center for Tropical Research, co-founding director of the Congo Basin Institute, and a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. With over 45 years of experience in tropical rainforests, Smith's research focuses on understanding how biodiversity is generated and maintained in the tropics. His findings have led to innovative methods for prioritizing conservation efforts.

Is an Ichthyologist and Evolutionary Biologist. He currently holds affiliations with the University of Toronto's Department of Biological Sciences, the University of Kinshasa's Department of Biology, and the D.R. Congo Young Academy of Sciences. He is renowned for his expertise in biodiversity, tropical aquatic ecosystems, and conservation. With a decade-long research career marked by prestigious awards, including Fulbright and Society of Systematic Biologists honors, he has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications

Is a Molecular Biologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo where she directs the WCS molecular laboratory for the Zoological Health Program. She has studied amphibian chytrid fungus in South America and Africa, and manages diagnostic testing for WCS’s five parks. She also leads the development and implementation of portable molecular diagnostics to search for wildlife and endangered species using environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches and to diagnose infectious diseases in wildlife.

Is an Agronomist and an Engineer in Geomatics. His expertise is in the management of forest ecosystems and biodiversity conservation. He implements innovative solutions such as Machine learning and deep learning allows me to build robust predictive models that anticipate and analyze complex phenomena, in forest monitoring and management to optimize the preservation of natural resources. He has led environmental projects, forestry, health, education, and mining sectors.

Is a Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and conducts research in ethnopharmacology and natural substance analysis. He holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Is the John L. Newcomb Professor of Engineering at the University of Virginia. He previously served as a Cox Visiting Professor at Stanford University and as Program Director for Hydrologic Sciences at the National Science Foundation. His research spans catchment hydrology, satellite data validation and assimilation, field experiments, land–atmosphere interactions, downscaling, and vadose-zone processes. He is a fellow of multiple scientific societies and serves as editor for several leading journals.

Is an Associate Professor of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech and specializes in climate change impacts on hydrology, water resources, and extreme events. His research informs water management strategies to reduce demand conflicts and enhance agricultural productivity in the U.S., Africa, and Asia. He received Fulbright awards in 2019 and 2022, is a licensed Professional Engineer in Idaho and Nebraska, and a Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers.

Is a social scientist focusing on interactions between people, natural resources, markets, and policy. Her research focuses on the social and environmental impacts (livelihoods, equity, resilience, biodiversity, food and energy security, land-use) of the landscape and value chain governance nexus of tropical commodities, including non-timber forest products, cocoa, palm oil, and coffee. Verina works with Wageningen University & Research, based in the Netherlands, and at the CIFOR-ICRAF Central Africa office in Cameroon.

Is a specialist in forest management and is a GIZ Forestry Expert. He focuses on the design, implementation, and monitoring of forest management plans and Forest Landscape Restoration activities. His research documents lessons learned and best practices in the science and practice of forestry.

Is the Managing Director of the Congo Basin Institute, and an adjunct professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Trained as a scientist and a lawyer, and with 15 years of experience in Africa, she works at the intersection of policy, data, and ‘practice’—the day-to-day decisions of forest frontier communities. Her current work focuses on leveraging community engaged research and development projects to advance conservation in the Congo Basin.

Is Professor at Ghent University and head of the Wood Biology Service of the Royal Museum for Central Africa. He works on changes in tropical forest ecosystem functioning through time, using different methodologies for different timescales (e.g., repeated forest inventories for decadal-scale carbon dynamics; fossil charcoal analysis for millennial-scale species composition shifts). He invests in capacity building with Congolese partners, including, by supporting the Yangambi wood laboratory in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Is a Climate and Weather Modelling Scientist with expertise in international climate policy, research, and capacity building. He is Chief of the Regional Climate Prediction Services Section at WMO and formerly served as Science Director of the IPCC Working Group 1 Technical Support Unit. He worked as a Climate Science Expert at UNECA under ClimDev-Africa and over a decade at the UK National Meteorological Services specializing in regional climate forecasting and modelling.

Is an Associate Professor of Climate Science of the University of Yaounde, Cameroon. His research focus on Central Africa climate. He has considerable experience in global and regional climate models evaluation over Central Africa. His research interest expands to climate prediction. He has led numerous projects on climate variability and change, seasonal forecasting, climate change projections and development of climate information for decision making. He was an IPCC lead author.

Is Professor of Ecosystem Science at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery at Oxford University. For much of his career, he has focused on the functioning of tropical forests and their role in global climate, with extensive field research in Amazonia, Africa (including the Congo Basin) and Southeast Asia. His interests span the sustainability of a vibrant biosphere in the Anthropocene. He authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications.

Is Professor, Head of the Laboratory of Herpetology at the Centre of Research in Natural Sciences at Lwiro. He is President of the Association of Herpetologists from the Congo Basin and Chairperson of the IUCN Snake Specialist Group for Central, Western and North Africa. He has published fifty papers in peer-reviewed journals relevant to Taxonomy, Evolutionary Biology, Biogeography and Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles from the Congo Basin.