The COBAFISH project includes a study of the biodiversity and the ecosystem dynamics of the Congo River basin and its tributaries based on a multidisciplinary approach gathering past and new relevant data series from biology, ecology and biogeochemistry. The project aims at a better understanding of interactions between (botanical and zoological) biodiversity and the functioning of the Congo River ecosystem, which are the basis for future studies on ecosystem services in the context of environmental and climate change. The results of this proposal will yield valuable baseline data that will enable future studies on the impact of human-induced changes (including climate changes) on the loss of biodiversity. Finally, the proposal explicitly builds on local scientific expertise to carry out the proposed research project.