The Democratic Republic of the Congo Strengthens Transparency of Its Forest Data
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has taken a major step toward increasing transparency in forest data and promoting the sustainable management of its natural resources by publishing the metadata and resources of its National Forest Inventory (NFI) on the FAO’s Food and Agriculture Microdata (FAM) Catalogue.
This achievement results from a fruitful collaboration between the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD), through its Directorate of Forest Inventory and Management (DIAF), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The FAM Catalogue now hosts detailed metadata from the NFI conducted between 2017 and 2021, following a pre-inventory phase carried out from 2013 to 2016. This inventory collected a wealth of data on the state of forests, their uses, management practices, and the pressures they face. It serves as a vital foundation for efforts to combat deforestation and restore forest ecosystems, access climate finance, land-use planning, biodiversity conservation, and the development of sustainable forest policies.
The DRC’s NFI was based on a rigorous methodology, using systematic cluster sampling across 321 Sampling Units distributed nationwide (with the exception of inaccessible or conflict-affected areas). Thanks to meticulous fieldwork, 93% of the planned units were successfully inventoried.
The data collected covers key variables such as forest cover, biomass, carbon, biodiversity, and disturbances. Temporary plots were established to enable long-term monitoring of Congolese forests, supporting the National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS). Nine major land cover classes were defined, ranging from dense humid forests to agricultural lands, including savannas and secondary forests.
The results of the NFI will contribute to both national and international reports (particularly under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), strengthen forest governance, and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Forest Resources Assessments (FRA).
In its ongoing efforts to modernize and align with the latest technological standards, the DRC is planning to adopt Open Foris Arena a new online platform for fast, flexible, and secure management of forest inventory data. Open Foris Arena simplifies survey organization, facilitates field data entry and analysis by technical teams, and enhances data accessibility and transparency.
The publication of the DRC’s NFI data in the FAM Catalogue marks a strong commitment to transparency, international cooperation, and sustainable forest management. This initiative is supported by the CBIT-Forest project (Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency) and the AIM4Forests programme (Accelerating Innovative Monitoring for Forests), both implemented by the FAO. These efforts aim to strengthen NFMS, improve the transparency and accessibility of forest data, and support concrete actions to combat deforestation and restore forest ecosystems aligning with the commitments made under the Paris Agreement.
By sharing its forest data, the DRC sends a clear message: its forests are a global asset, and their preservation depends on science, open data, and collective action.