Boeckx, P.,  Verbeeck, H.,  Hubau, W.,  Bauters, M.,  Daelman, R.,  Bulonza, E.,  Hicter, P.,  Sibret, T.,  Ntea Lagki, A.,  Nsimba Ngembo, E.,  dos Santos Vieira, I.,  Bahizire, N.,  Wombe, M.,  Mande, J.,  Katayi, A.,  Alebadwa, S.,  Verbiest, W.,  Motte, S.,  Vanhoutte-Alonso, B.,  Van de Velde, V.,  Teteka, G.,  Luambua, N.,  Djiofack, B.,  Luse Belanganay, B.,  Kadorho, A.,  kompanyi, M.,  Mangaza, L.,  Kasongo, E.,  Laurent, F.,  Lefevre, L.,  Kimbesa, F.,  Ekili, D.,  fundji, H.,  Mbifo, J.,  Van Damme, F.,  De Hertog, S.,  Meunier, F.,  Landuyt, D. & De Mil, T. 2024. ‘The UGent Congo Basin forest Centre of Excellence: Integrated ecosystem research in the heart of the Congo basin’. Ghent Africa Plateform Symposium (GAPSYM17). Book of abstracts.

Conference abstract

The Congo Basin is home to the world’s second-largest tropical forest. However, due to a lack of comprehensive research and in situ observations, our understanding of the forest area´s climate is limited, impeding accurate climate change predictions. To address this gap, Ghent University established the UG-CBC (Congo Basin Centre of Excellence) and is currently playing a leading role in ecosystem research in this region. This centre consolidates expertise on the Congo Basin and the forests of the DRC, focusing on field-based ecological and biogeochemical research in pristine forests, secondary forests, and sustainable agriculture through permanent forest inventory plots, eddy covariance and atmospheric measurements, modelling, and remote sensing. Central to several of the research sites lies the CongoFlux site, located in the Yangambi UNESCO biosphere reserve (0°48’52.0 N, 24°30’08.9” E). This site features the region’s first Eddy Covariance (EC) tower, accompanied by the region’s first wood biology laboratory. The tower is part of the ICOS network, which ensures high-quality data on land-atmosphere exchanges of GHGs such as CO2 , N2 O, CH4 , and H2 O. Additional measurements at the site enhance our understanding of the tropical forest ecosystem, including assessments of O3 and black carbon, soil greenhouse gas exchange, vegetation photosynthesis and water use efficiency, lateral carbon loss, xylogenesis, woody decay rates, and ancillary data collection from permanent plots. These efforts collectively create a rich data hub within the Congo Basin. By addressing this significant research void, the initiative aims to pave the way for better understanding of these crucial forest ecosystems.