Climate Change and Forests in the Congo Basin: Synergies between Adaptation and Mitigation (COBAM)

Although climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies differ in many ways, synergies exist between them, particularly in the forestry sector.

The objective of this project is to provide policy-makers and practitioners with the information, analysis and tools they need to implement policies and projects for adaptation to climate change and reduction of carbon emissions in the forests of the Congo Basin, with equitable impacts and co-benefits – including poverty reduction, enhancement of ecosystem services, and protection of local livelihoods and rights.

The five-year project started in 2010 and covers six landscapes across different countries of the Congo Basin. The project is expected to have an impact on forest and climate change policies at national and regional scales, and will help mainstreaming adaptation and mitigation strategies into national development processes and the regional framework for forest policies in the Congo Basin.

Moreover, the project will generate knowledge regarding the role of forests in climate change adaptation and the synergies between adaptation and mitigation based on ecosystem services, which is a link that has not been explored to any significant extent. Capacity building and communication will contribute to diffuse and share this knowledge.

Recommendations will contribute to poverty reduction, biodiversity conservation, and improving governance of socio-ecological systems at the local, landscape, and regional levels.