The announcement was made on September 13, 2016 in Brussels, by the European Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forests Partnership : Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) is now the 84th member of the CBFP working to improve people’s living conditions and protect the Congo Basin’s forest resources.

The Woods Hole Research Center is an independent research institute founded in 1985 to conduct scientific investigation into the causes and effects of climate change and identify and implement opportunities for conservation, restoration and economic development around the world. WHRC collaborates with colleagues from many countries across the global South to prevent and reverse deforestation and apply remote sensing data and other advanced analytical methods to measure progress toward these goals.

WHRC priority actions in the Congo Basin involve working with a number of government institutions, NGO and civil society partners involved with forest management and conservation and include research, publication, capacity development and training for application of sophisticated remote-sensing based tools and methods for measuring and monitoring forest biomass and strengthening the capacity of local civil authorities and civil society to contribute to climate change and biodiversity objectives consistent with national plans and priorities. WHRC’s work lines up with several strategic axes  of the Convergence Plan including axes 2,3,4,5,6,7,8. 

WHRC has a substantial track record of collaboration with various institutions within the Central Africa region and the Congo Basin that includes since 2012 the on-going Projet Equateur in the Democratic Republic of Congo which is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, the Sustainable Development Division and the Equateur Province administration. The project aims to reduce deforestation in the Congo Basin by working with local civil authorities and community leaders to implement forest-friendly economic opportunities. Several ongoing WHRC-led projects are regional in scope including regional mapping of high carbon stock vegetation corridors and compilation and mapping of aboveground carbon stock/ biomass data at national scales.  In collaboration with the Regional SERVIR hub in Nairobi and OSFAC in Kinshasa, WHRC works to build local capacity for forest biomass and carbon stock measurement and monitoring using modern remote sensing techniques and technical analyses through national training and workshops.

The European Facilitation of the Congo Basin Forests Partnership is very pleased to welcome WHRC as a new CBFP member. "Welcome" to our New Partner " Woods Hole Research Center ”

The designated contact person at the WHRC headquarters is Dr. Glenn Bush

Email :  gbush@whrc.org

The regional contact person in the Democratic Republic of Congo is  Mr. Melaine Kermarc

Email : mkermarc@whrc.org

Visit the Woods Hole Research Center website