INFORBIO (INtact and effectively managed FORests and BIOdiversity as natural barriers to mitigate climate change and risk of pathogen spillover) is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). This project is led by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Germany and aims to improve forest management and protection in and around protected areas in Cameroon and Central African Republic for biodiversity, climate mitigation, and improved human and wildlife health.
One Health in the Congo Basin
The further human activities encroach upon the natural ecosystems of our planet, the more the natural barriers that protect us from wild animal diseases disappear. Up to 75% of all new human infectious diseases are zoonoses, meaning they are transmitted by wildlife – and most often as a result of deforestation. Central Africa’s Congo Basin is considered a hotspot for such pandemics.
Together with a wide consortium of international partners, FAO is helping protect important wildlife habitat, scaling up health infrastructure and harnessing local knowledge for infectious disease early warning systems.
Project work packages
The main project work packages include:
| Building a data hub to integrate information from satellites and the field for near-real time monitoring of forest disturbance, fires, human and wildlife health. This system will use Open Foris solutions such as SEPAL, ESRI’s ArcGIS Online Platform and support from Planet Centinela programme to deliver timely data to consortium partners, national and international One Health structures. |
| Establishment of sustainably managed forest areas – development of a comprehensive framework to define and implement Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) that address land tenure, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) criteria. |
| Forest restoration & healthcare – restoration of degraded forest and improved livelihoods and access to health care for Indigenous peoples and local communities. |
| Zoonotic disease Early Warning System – a participative, replicable, scalable early warning system is established in three plot landscapes in Cameroon and Central African Republic. |
| Policy – dissemination of data and information with key stakeholders on One Health and the role of sustainably management forests as natural barriers to zoonotic spillover. |
Partners
Intact forests for a healthier planet
19/02/2025
The further humans encroach upon the rainforests of our planet, the more the natural barriers that protect us from wild animal diseases disappear. Up...
Dzanga-Sangha Day 2025
20/11/2025
On 18–20 November 2025, the Central African Republic (CAR) celebrated its first-ever Dzanga-Sangha Day (La Journée des Aires Protégées de Dzanga-Sangha)....
Related links
- FAO Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme
- The International Climate Initiative (IKI) INFORBIO project
Partners
- Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH)
- International Institute for Tropical Agriculture
- University of California Los Angeles - Congo Basin Institute
- University of College London – Extreme Citizen Science (ExCiteS)
- WWF Germany
- WWF Cameroon
- WWF Central African Republic
