Democratic Republic of the Congo

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Sub-Saharan AfricaApplies 2025–2030Source: Stratégie Nationale et Plan d'Action pour la Biodiversité 2025–2030

Translated from French

1. Overview

The Stratégie Nationale et Plan d'Action pour la Biodiversité 2025–2030 (National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, NBSAP 2025–2030) is the Democratic Republic of the Congo's fourth such strategy, following plans adopted in 1998, 2002–2010, and 2016–2020 [§20][§63]. It was technically validated at a national workshop in Kinshasa on 28 July 2025, developed through national and provincial consultations with state institutions, sectoral ministries, provincial governments, parliamentarians, civil society organisations, the private sector, youth and women's networks, and Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), with technical and financial support from UNEP and GIZ under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) implementation programme [§21]. The strategy is positioned as an operational instrument of the National Strategic Development Plan (Plan National Stratégique de Développement, PNSD) 2024–2028 [§20][§64].

The DRC adopts all 23 KMGBF targets as national commitments* and adds two nationally originating objectives — addressing pressures it identifies as absent or under-represented in the KMGBF text — for a total of 25 national commitments organised under a dual framework of five strategic axes and five strategic pillars.† The strategy covers terrestrial, freshwater, marine and coastal ecosystems across conservation, restoration, sustainable use, benefit-sharing, mainstreaming, and finance [§22][§23].

Headline commitments include extending effectively conserved and sustainably managed areas to at least 30% of national territory by 2030 from a baseline of 14.94% of land and inland waters and 0.5% of marine and coastal areas [§25]; effective restoration of at least 30% of degraded ecosystem areas, with a sub-commitment to restore at least 8 million hectares by 2030 [§24][§26]; reducing introduction and spread rates of invasive alien species (IAS) by at least 50% [§24]; halving pollution from all sources [§24]; and identifying and reforming harmful incentives by 2027–2030 [§24].

*The DRC's NBSAP refers to its 25 headline pledges as "objectifs nationaux" (national objectives). This page uses "national commitments" per NBSAP Explorer convention.

†The DRC organises its 25 national commitments under five strategic axes for thematic coherence and five strategic pillars for alignment with the African Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (ABSAP 2023–2030); neither framework maps directly to the GBF's four 2050 Goals (A–D).

The DRC's NBSAP 2025–2030 presents 25 national commitments — the 23 KMGBF targets plus two additions addressing armed conflict and local economic valorisation — anchored in the largest tropical forest and freshwater reserve in Africa. The strategy is structured around a "solution country" framing that positions the DRC's ecosystems as global assets requiring investment. Total estimated financial needs across all 25 commitments amount to approximately USD 366.4 million for 2025–2030.

Sources:

  • §20 — Executive Summary > Lessons from previous NBSAPs
  • §21 — Executive Summary > Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach
  • §22 — Executive Summary > Vision and Objectives of the NBSAP 2025–2030
  • §23 — Executive Summary > By 2050
  • §24 — Executive Summary > Reducing pressures on biodiversity and restoring ecosystems
  • §25 — Executive Summary > Strategic Axis 1: Conservation
  • §26 — Executive Summary > Strategic Axis 2: Restoration
  • §63 — Main Document > Lessons learnt from previous NBSAPs
  • §64 — Main Document > A new NBSAP aligned with global commitments

2. Ecological Context

The DRC classifies itself among the world's megadiverse countries and describes its position as that of a "solution country" for global biodiversity and climate — a framing grounded in the scale of the ecological assets it stewards [§68]. The country hosts approximately 105 million hectares of tropical forest, representing more than 60% of the Congo Basin and nearly 10% of the planet's tropical forests, described in the NBSAP as "the largest tropical carbon sink in the world" [§69][§70]. It concentrates 52% of Africa's surface freshwater reserves and 23% of the continent's renewable water resources, feeding precipitation regimes that support agriculture in the Sahel and East Africa [§70]. Recorded species include approximately 450 mammals, 1,150 birds, 300 reptiles, 200 amphibians and more than 15,000 plants, several of which are endemic; the DRC is identified as the sole natural habitat of the okapi, the Congo peafowl and the bonobo [§69]. Biodiversity is framed as "a fundamental lever for the socioeconomic development of the country", with food, traditional pharmacopoeia, construction materials, energy, soil fertility, hydrological regulation and climate resilience all identified as directly dependent on ecosystem health [§60].

Pressures and drivers

Habitat fragmentation and conversion constitute the leading drivers of biodiversity loss. Deforestation is estimated at 500,000 hectares per year, with shifting slash-and-burn agriculture accounting for nearly 70% of cultivated land; mining, unplanned urbanisation and commercial agriculture add further pressure, with fragmentation particularly pronounced in Kasaï, Kwilu, Équateur and Ituri [§79]. Fires have been reported within Salonga National Park and Kundelungu National Park, often set for agricultural or hunting purposes [§79]. Cross-border transhumance by Mbororo herders in Bas-Uele is identified as an emerging pressure, with herds of several thousand animals degrading water points, pastures and wildlife habitats [§79].

Overexploitation is widespread: nearly 60% of elephants have disappeared over 30 years, and fuelwood — representing 90% of household energy consumption — sustains deforestation [§81]. Illegal fishing is reported to reduce stocks in the Congo River, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Albert [§81]. Average temperatures have increased by approximately 1.1°C since 1960 and could reach 3°C by 2050, with prolonged droughts and destructive floods notably in Maï-Ndombe and Bas-Congo, threatening forest habitats of the Grauer's gorilla and the bonobo [§80]. Invasive species including Chromolaena odorata and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) block navigable waterways; Ebola and anthrax pose risks to both humans and wildlife [§82]. Pollution from mining effluents (heavy metals), plastics and pesticides contaminates soils, waters and food chains, notably in Haut-Katanga, Kasaï and Lualaba [§83].

Armed conflicts — particularly in the east — constitute a distinct pressure addressed by the DRC as a nationally added commitment: they facilitate illegal exploitation of wildlife and natural resources, destroy conservation infrastructure and drive population displacement into natural areas [§84]. A dedicated section on armed conflict as a biodiversity driver follows.

The NBSAP draws on the 6th National Report on Biodiversity (2014–2018), supplemented by developments to 2024, and reports uneven progress: notable advances include extension of the protected areas network, reforestation projects and partial REDD+ implementation, hampered by "weakness of sustainable financing, limited technical capacities, persistence of anthropogenic pressures, institutional gaps, and the absence of effective mechanisms for valorising ecosystem services" [§75][§76].

Sources:

  • §60 — General Introduction > Biodiversity, a major asset for the development of the DRC
  • §68 — Chapter II > Importance and uniqueness of biodiversity in the DRC
  • §69 — Chapter II > One of the largest reserves of global biodiversity
  • §70 — Chapter II > A key role in climate regulation and water resources
  • §75 — Chapter II > Current state and trends of biodiversity and ecosystem services
  • §76 — Chapter II > General synthesis on the state and trends (2014–2024)
  • §79 — Chapter II > Fragmentation, degradation and loss of natural habitats
  • §80 — Chapter II > Climate change: increasingly visible and concerning impacts
  • §81 — Chapter II > Overexploitation of natural resources
  • §82 — Chapter II > Invasive alien species and pathogens
  • §83 — Chapter II > Pollution
  • §84 — Chapter II > Armed conflicts

Armed Conflict as a Biodiversity Pressure: The DRC's Sixth Driver

Armed conflict is formally identified as a distinct driver of biodiversity loss in the DRC's NBSAP — one of only two pressures the country judged important enough to add to the KMGBF framework as a nationally originating commitment [§108]. National Objective 14.2 addresses this explicitly, placing armed conflicts alongside bush fires, droughts, floods, pests and zoonotic diseases as biodiversity pressures requiring dedicated prevention, mitigation and ecological restoration policy [§109][§110].

The NBSAP identifies three biodiversity pathways of armed conflict: the presence of armed groups in protected areas; illegal exploitation of wildlife and natural resources facilitated by conflict conditions; and displacement of populations into natural areas, converting previously intact habitats [§84]. These mechanisms operate alongside the five other KMGBF-recognised pressure categories and are concentrated primarily in the eastern provinces.

The NBSAP frames Objective 14.2 not as a security matter tangential to conservation but as requiring dedicated biodiversity policy instruments. A "One Health" approach — integrating human, animal and environmental health — is specified as the operational framework for addressing zoonotic and pandemic risks that arise in conflict-disrupted contact zones between humans, animals and ecosystems [§28][§263][§265]. At the territorial implementation level, the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor (see section below) is explicitly positioned as a vehicle for multi-stakeholder, security-sensitive implementation across affected provinces [§359].

Objective 14.2 does not specify a quantitative reduction threshold for any named pressure; it is accordingly classified as a directional aspiration. Its significance lies in its structural placement: it constitutes the DRC's formal institutionalisation of armed conflict as a biodiversity driver requiring a policy response equivalent to those addressing other recognised pressures in the KMGBF.

Sources:

  • §28 — Strategic Axis 4 > "One Health" approach
  • §84 — Chapter II > Armed conflicts
  • §108 — Chapter III > Objectives 13.2 and 14.2 (national additions)
  • §109 — Chapter III > Abridged formulations of the 25 national objectives
  • §110 — Chapter III > Box 3.1: Full official text of the 25 national objectives
  • §263 — Reduction of specific pressures (14.2) > "One Health"
  • §265 — Target 14.2 > Priority actions ("One Health" operationalisation)
  • §359 — Chapter IV > Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor as local implementation example

3. National Commitments and GBF Alignment

The DRC's 25 national commitments are grouped below by the five strategic pillars used in the NBSAP's monitoring and reporting structure [§111][§117]–[§121]. All 25 commitments are dated to 2030.

Pillar A — Reducing Pressures and Restoring Ecosystems (Objectives 1–8)

Objective 1 — Spatial planning (GBF Target 1) The DRC commits to applying participatory, integrated and biodiversity-respectful spatial planning across all priority areas by 2030, with the aim of bringing the loss of high-biodiversity areas close to zero [§110]. Implementation is structured through five phases — diagnostic mapping, participatory zoning, legal designation, operational management and monitoring — aligned with the National Land-Use Planning Policy (PNAT). Rights of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities are specified as a precondition for any zoning decision [§39][§40]. Estimated budget: USD 7.5 million. Indicators: loss rate of high-biodiversity areas; surface area covered by participatory spatial plans. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "All priority areas" is a scope descriptor; the objective sets no quantitative threshold for area covered or biodiversity loss rate.

Objective 2 — Ecosystem restoration (GBF Target 2) The DRC commits to effective restoration measures on at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water and coastal-marine ecosystems by 2030, with a sub-commitment to restore at least 8 million hectares — a pledge originally made in 2014 under the Bonn Challenge, reaffirmed through the AFR100 continental initiative, with an estimated sequestration potential of 0.76 gigatonnes of CO₂ equivalent to USD 2.5 billion in economic benefits [§26][§141]. Implementation combines active reforestation and assisted natural regeneration with passive natural regeneration in protected areas. The NBSAP does not specify the total area of degraded ecosystems used to calculate the 30% threshold. Estimated budget: USD 25 million. Measurability assessment: Measurable commitment. Two nested quantitative thresholds (≥30% of degraded areas; ≥8 million hectares) with a 2030 deadline.

Objective 3 — Protected areas and OECMs (30x30) (GBF Target 3) The DRC commits to conserving at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water and coastal-marine areas by 2030 through ecologically representative, connected and equitably governed protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), including recognition of indigenous and community conserved areas [§110]. The current baseline stands at 14.94% of land and inland waters and 0.5% of marine and coastal areas; reaching 30% implies designating approximately 351,000 km² of additional territory [§25]. The Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor and a national 30x30 strategy are the principal delivery vehicles (see dedicated section below for the Corridor). Estimated budget: USD 25 million. Measurability assessment: Measurable commitment. A quantitative threshold (30%) with a defined baseline (14.94% / 0.5%) and a 2030 deadline.

Objective 4 — Species recovery and genetic diversity (GBF Target 4) The DRC commits to urgent management measures reducing human-caused extinction of threatened species, promoting recovery, and preserving genetic diversity in wild and domesticated species by 2030, combining in situ and ex situ conservation with human-wildlife conflict management protocols [§110]. Recovery planning covers flagship species including great apes, the okapi and the forest elephant. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Reduce extinction rate" and "promote recovery" specify direction without a quantitative threshold.

Objective 5 — Sustainable use of wild species (GBF Target 5) The DRC commits to legal, administrative, health and technical measures ensuring rational, sustainable, safe and legal harvesting and trade of wild species by 2030, minimising impacts on non-target species, preventing overexploitation and reducing pathogen spread risks [§110]. Customary sustainable-use practices of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities are explicitly recognised and protected. A national programme for domestication of wild animal and plant species for food, medicinal or economic use is proposed [§188]. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Guarantee rational use" sets no quantitative harvest or trade threshold.

Objective 6 — Invasive alien species (GBF Target 6) The DRC commits to reducing introduction and spread rates of invasive alien species by at least 50% by 2030 through pathway control, prevention, eradication and control in priority areas [§110]. Priority species include water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Lantana camara and Mimosa pigra. The NBSAP references an estimate of USD 4 billion per year in IAS-related agricultural damage; the source citation for this figure is not provided in the available material. Estimated budget: USD 11 million. Measurability assessment: Measurable commitment. A quantitative threshold (50% reduction) with a 2030 deadline.

Objective 7 — Pollution reduction (GBF Target 7) The DRC commits to halving pollution from all sources by 2030, prioritising industrial and artisanal mining pollution (mercury and cyanide contamination notably in Haut-Katanga, Kasaï and Lualaba), hydrocarbons and petroleum pollutants, domestic and industrial waste, pesticides and hazardous chemicals, and plastic waste recovery [§110]. Measures account for cumulative effects. Estimated budget: USD 20 million. Measurability assessment: Measurable commitment. A quantitative threshold (50% reduction) with a 2030 deadline.

Objective 8 — Climate change and biodiversity (GBF Target 8) The DRC commits to implementing nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches for climate change mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction by 2030, including protection and sustainable management of the Central Cuvette peatlands (approximately 145,000 km², estimated 30 billion tonnes of stored carbon) [§110]. The NBSAP references the DRC's NDC commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 21% by 2030; that figure belongs to the Nationally Determined Contribution and is not part of the text of this national commitment. Estimated budget: USD 30 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Implement measures" sets no quantified resilience or mitigation threshold within the national commitment text.

Pillar B — Sustainable Use, Valuation and Equitable Sharing (Objectives 9–13.2)

Objective 9 — Benefits from wild species (GBF Target 9) The DRC commits to policy, technical and administrative measures ensuring that management and use of wild species deliver social, economic and environmental benefits for Indigenous Pygmy Peoples, local communities and other vulnerable populations by 2030 [§110], linked to sustainable livelihoods from non-timber forest products, bushmeat, fisheries and ecotourism. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Guarantee that management provides benefits" carries no quantified beneficiary or value threshold.

Objective 10 — Agriculture, forestry and fisheries (GBF Target 10) The DRC commits to sustainable management of agricultural, aquacultural, fisheries and forestry areas by 2030 through mainstreaming biodiversity-friendly practices adapted to local contexts, emphasising resilience, productivity, food and nutritional security, and biodiversity conservation [§110]. Combined budget across the four productive sectors: approximately USD 35 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Significantly strengthen and mainstream" does not define a quantitative coverage or compliance rate.

Objective 11 — Nature's contributions to people (GBF Target 11) The DRC commits to integrated plans, programmes and projects restoring, preserving, enhancing and strengthening nature's contributions to people by 2030, including regulation of air, water and climate, soil health, pollination and reduction of disease and disaster risks, based on nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches [§110]. Estimated budget: USD 18 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Restore, preserve, enhance and strengthen" sets no quantified ecosystem service threshold.

Objective 12 — Urban biodiversity (GBF Target 12) The DRC commits to substantially increasing the area, quality and connectivity of green and blue spaces in urban and peri-urban areas by 2030, with equitable access provisions and integration of biodiversity into urban planning, aligned with a new Urban Planning Code in process of adoption [§233]. Estimated budget: USD 13 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Substantially increase" defines no areal or quality threshold.

Objective 13.1 — Genetic resources and ABS (GBF Target 13) The DRC commits to effective legal, policy, administrative and capacity-building measures ensuring fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources, digital sequence information (DSI) and associated traditional knowledge, in line with the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing, by 2030 [§110]. Estimated budget: USD 8 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Guarantee fair and equitable sharing" carries no percentage or value threshold.

Objective 13.2 — Local economic valorisation (nationally added; no direct GBF Target equivalent) The DRC adds a commitment — explicitly identified as absent from the KMGBF framework — to significantly increasing the value of biodiversity elements (micro-organisms, plants and animals) through national programmes promoting local and sustainable transformation, drawing on traditional and industrial value-added techniques, with a focus on local communities and vulnerable groups [§108][§110]. This is one of two nationally originating commitments in the NBSAP. Estimated budget: USD 12.5 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Significantly increase the value" defines no quantified value-addition threshold.

Pillar C — Integration into Public Policies and Governance (Objectives 14.1–17)

Objective 14.1 — Biodiversity mainstreaming (GBF Target 14) The DRC commits to fully integrating biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, planning, environmental and social impact assessments and national accounting across all sectors at national, provincial and local levels by 2030 [§110]. Estimated budget: USD 8 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Fully integrated" carries no measurable mainstreaming index or coverage threshold.

Objective 14.2 — Specific pressures including armed conflict (nationally added; no direct GBF Target equivalent) The DRC adds a commitment to reducing specific pressures affecting biodiversity — notably armed conflicts, bush fires, droughts, floods, pests and zoonotic diseases — through prevention, mitigation and ecological restoration policies by 2030 [§108][§110]. See the flex section above for fuller treatment of this commitment's context and significance. Estimated budget: USD 8 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Pressures are reduced" sets no quantified reduction threshold for any named pressure.

Objective 15 — Business accountability (GBF Target 15) The DRC commits to legal, administrative and policy measures by 2030 incentivising large enterprises, transnational corporations and financial institutions to implement environmental and social safeguard frameworks; monitor, assess and report on biodiversity dependencies and impacts across supply, value and investment chains; inform consumers; and comply with ABS provisions [§110]. Estimated budget: USD 10 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Incentivise large enterprises" sets no coverage or compliance rate.

Objective 16 — Sustainable consumption (GBF Target 16) The DRC commits to ensuring that populations have access to the means to make sustainable consumption choices regarding biodiversity products by 2030, through enforceable policy and regulatory frameworks, improved access to education, information and substitution solutions, and support for sustainable biomass energy and waste reduction, recycling and recovery [§110]. Estimated budget: USD 12.9 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Populations have access to means" carries no consumption-footprint metric or percentage target.

Objective 17 — Biosafety (GBF Target 17) The DRC commits to legal, technical and administrative measures preventing biotechnological risks and responsibly managing products derived from modern biotechnology by 2030, aligned with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety [§110]. A national biosafety law and framework have been adopted; implementation remains at an early stage [§282][§396]. Estimated budget: USD 6 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Prevent biotechnological risks" carries no quantified risk-reduction threshold.

Pillar D — Mobilisation of Financial Resources and Incentives (Objectives 18–19)

Objective 18 — Harmful incentives (GBF Target 18) The DRC commits to identifying, mapping and assessing incentives — including subsidies — harmful to biodiversity by 2027, and eliminating, phasing out or reforming them starting with the most damaging by 2030, while strengthening positive incentives [§110]. The NBSAP notes that subsidies for fossil fuels and certain forms of industrial agriculture are associated with habitat loss and ecosystem service degradation [§288]. Implementation runs across three periods: identification and mapping (2025–2026), progressive reform and monitoring (2027–2028), and evaluation and adjustment (2029–2030). Estimated budget: USD 15 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. The 2027 identification and 2030 reform timelines are process milestones; the objective does not specify a quantitative reduction in harmful incentive volumes or values.

Objective 19 — Finance mobilisation (GBF Target 19) The DRC commits to mobilising substantial financial resources from all sources — national and international, public and private — for NBSAP implementation by 2030, with seven staggered sub-milestones: private investment and community contributions by 2025; a training and skills transfer plan for IPLCs, women and young people by 2025; a national resource mobilisation strategy with an operational monitoring mechanism by 2026; innovative financing mechanisms (green bonds, payments for ecosystem services, biodiversity credits) with a clear regulatory framework by 2027; national biodiversity financing plans with clear 2030 targets by 2028; and improved synergy between biodiversity, climate and desertification financing by 2029 [§110]. Estimated cost of the resource-mobilisation framework itself: USD 8 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Substantial resources" is undefined; USD 366.4 million is a needs estimate, not a mobilisation commitment.

Pillar E — Strengthening Capacities, Equity and Inclusion (Objectives 20–23)

Objective 20 — Capacity building and technology transfer (GBF Target 20) The DRC commits to developing and strengthening scientific research, innovation, monitoring and value-addition capacities in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use by 2030, supported by North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, and by identification, securing and valorisation of traditional knowledge of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities in accordance with national legislation [§110]. Estimated budget: USD 5 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Developed and strengthened" carries no quantified capacity metric.

Objective 21 — Knowledge, data and information (GBF Target 21) The DRC commits to establishing an intra- and cross-sectoral collaboration mechanism by 2030 guaranteeing equitable access to reliable data, traditional knowledge and information for decision-makers, practitioners and the public, operationalised through a modernised national Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) [§110]. Estimated budget: USD 20 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Guarantee equitable access" carries no quantified access or data coverage threshold.

Objective 22 — Participation of IPLCs (GBF Target 22) The DRC commits to guaranteeing the full and effective participation of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities in biodiversity decision-making by 2030, through legal, policy and administrative measures across natural resource management sectors, respecting IPLC cultures and securing rights over lands, territories, resources and knowledge [§110]. Estimated budget: USD 20 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Full and effective participation is guaranteed" sets no participation rate or representation threshold.

Objective 23 — Gender equality (GBF Target 23) The DRC commits to ensuring gender equality in biodiversity policy implementation by 2030 through gender-responsive approaches enabling women and young people to benefit from equal opportunities, access to land and natural resources, and full, equitable and informed participation and leadership at all levels of decision-making [§110]. Estimated budget: USD 7 million. Measurability assessment: Directional aspiration. "Gender equality is ensured" carries no quantified participation rate or representation threshold in the objective text.

Sources:

  • §25 — Executive Summary > Strategic Axis 1: Conservation (baseline figures)
  • §26 — Executive Summary > Strategic Axis 2: Restoration
  • §28 — Strategic Axis 4 > "One Health" approach
  • §39 — Strengthening the legal and institutional framework
  • §40 — Legal framework > PNAT
  • §108 — Chapter III > Objectives 13.2 and 14.2 (national additions)
  • §109–§110 — Chapter III > Full text of the 25 national objectives
  • §111, §117–§121 — Chapter III > Dual strategic framework (strategic axes and pillars)
  • §141 — Restoration > Bonn Challenge, AFR100
  • §188 — Rational use of wild species > Domestication programme
  • §233 — Urban green/blue spaces > Urban Planning Code
  • §282 — Biosafety > Cartagena Protocol
  • §288 — National Objective 18 > Justification
  • §396 — Annex 2.1 > National biosafety framework status

The Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor (Couloir Vert Kivu-Kinshasa) was created by Decree No. 25/01 of 15 January 2025 as a community reserve — a legal category introduced for the first time into the DRC's protected area regime [§172]. The Corridor covers approximately 544,270 km² across nine provinces (Bas-Uele, Équateur, Ituri, Kinshasa, Maï-Ndombe, Mongala, Nord-Kivu, Sud-Ubangi and Tshopo) and 42 administrative territories, including more than 100,000 km² of primary forests and approximately 60,000 km² of peatlands [§172]. The NBSAP describes it as "currently the largest community-managed protected area in the world" [§73].

The Corridor's governance model integrates conservation, landscape connectivity, participation of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities, ecological zoning based on free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), and the possible recognition of conserved community territories as OECMs [§173][§174]. It contributes directly toward closing the approximately 351,000 km² gap between the current 14.94% protected area baseline and the 30x30 target [§25].

Beyond its areal contribution, the Corridor introduces an institutional innovation into the DRC's conservation architecture: the community reserve as a formal protected-area category, distinct from national parks and other existing types. The NBSAP positions the Corridor as a laboratory for decentralised, multi-stakeholder governance adapted to complex ecological and security conditions, including in conflict-affected territories across its nine-province footprint [§359].

Sources:

  • §25 — Executive Summary > Strategic Axis 1: Conservation (30x30 baseline and gap)
  • §73 — Chapter II > A central actor in international commitments
  • §172 — Box 3.4: The Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor (Decree 25/01 of 15 January 2025)
  • §173 — Main objectives of the Green Corridor
  • §174 — Key elements for implementation
  • §359 — Chapter IV > Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor as local implementation example

4. Delivery Architecture

Legal and regulatory framework

The NBSAP is anchored in the Environment Act and the Nature Conservation Act. Implementing texts across forestry, agriculture, mining, land use planning, ABS, biosafety and other sectors remain to be adopted [§39]. A new Urban Planning Code is in process of adoption, into which the NBSAP calls for biodiversity requirements to be integrated [§233]. Revision of the Forestry Code is identified as necessary to reflect recent commitments and land-tenure challenges [§222]. The most significant legal instrument created during the NBSAP cycle is Decree No. 25/01 of 15 January 2025 establishing the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor as a community reserve — the first use of that category in DRC law (see dedicated section above) [§172].

Territorial and strategic planning

The National Land-Use Planning Policy (PNAT) is the principal instrument into which biodiversity considerations are to be integrated across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems [§39][§40]. A National 30x30 Strategy — with nine components covering vision and principles, spatial analysis, OECM recognition, risk and safeguards, management effectiveness, governance, sustainable financing, monitoring and expected outcomes — is to be developed to guide conservation coverage expansion [§156]–[§171]. Both instruments are aligned with the National Strategic Development Plan (PNSD 2024–2028) on its environmental and governance axes [§92].

Conservation programmes

The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) leads protected area management and is identified as the principal implementing agency for the 30x30 strategy. The Protected Areas Network Support Programme (PARAP), conducted by ICCN and WWF, provides a spatial planning foundation for network consolidation [§139]. The Central Cuvette peatlands (approximately 145,000 km²) are to be integrated into the national protected areas network or recognised as OECMs [§152][§158].

Restoration

The 8-million-hectare restoration commitment is linked to the Bonn Challenge (pledged 2014), reaffirmed through the AFR100 initiative (100 million hectares across Africa) and the Pan-African Agenda for Ecosystem Restoration (200 million hectares, adopted 2018) [§141]. The DRC participates in the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) [§144].

Climate and cross-sectoral integration

The NBSAP is to be articulated with the DRC's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement and with the National Adaptation Programme of Action and the National Action Programme to Combat Desertification [§125]. The REDD+ mechanism, implemented through PIREDD (Integrated REDD+ Projects) among other instruments, serves as both a sectoral programme and a source of climate finance [§41][§54][§297]. A "One Health" approach integrating human, animal and environmental health is to be operationalised in contact zones between humans, animals and ecosystems [§263][§265]. The Local Development Programme for the 145 Territories (PDL-145T) is the broader development framework within which adaptation measures are embedded [§208].

Finance instruments

The National REDD+ Fund (FONAREDD) is the principal environmental financing instrument, supported by the CAFI Initiative (Central African Forest Initiative). The Okapi Fund (Fonds Okapi) is identified as the existing mechanism on which foundations for a national biodiversity trust fund are to be built [§300]. The BIOFIN Initiative (Biodiversity Finance Initiative) is the instrument for developing the national resource mobilisation plan [§54][§302]. A National Authority for the Carbon Market has been created [§298]. Finance figures are reported in Section 6.

Knowledge and social inclusion

The Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM) and the BioSE-DRC platform are the national knowledge-governance infrastructures for NBSAP monitoring, reporting and dissemination at all levels [§121][§313]–[§317]. The Family Code (revised) and the Parity Act (Loi sur la parité) provide the legislative foundation for gender-equality commitments, supplemented by a national "Gender and Biodiversity" action plan to be developed [§329][§330].

Sources:

  • §39 — Strengthening the legal and institutional framework
  • §40 — Legal framework > PNAT
  • §41 — Policy coherence and cross-sectoral coordination
  • §54 — Mobilisation of financial resources
  • §92 — Vision 2050 (alignment with PNSD 2024–2028)
  • §121 — Strategic Pillar E (CHM, BioSE-DRC)
  • §125 — Alignment (NDC, NAPA, UNCCD, Paris Agreement)
  • §139 — Spatial planning > PARAP
  • §141 — Restoration > Bonn Challenge, AFR100, Pan-African Agenda
  • §144 — UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
  • §152, §158 — Protected areas > Peatlands
  • §156–§171 — 30x30 Strategy components
  • §172 — Box 3.4: Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor
  • §208 — Climate change resilience > PDL-145T
  • §222 — Forestry Code revision
  • §233 — Urban Planning Code
  • §263, §265 — "One Health" operationalisation
  • §297 — Environmental funds (FONAREDD, CAFI, PIREDD)
  • §298 — National Carbon Market Authority
  • §300 — Okapi Fund
  • §302 — BIOFIN
  • §313–§317 — Box 3.9: Modernising the CHM
  • §329–§330 — Gender legislation and action plan

5. Monitoring and Accountability

Governance architecture (unresolved at adoption)

The NBSAP identifies the absence of a dedicated steering structure as a principal obstacle to implementation of previous plans [§37][§383]. It calls for the establishment of a permanent steering and coordination body with five consolidated functions: strategic steering and governance; operational coordination and facilitation; monitoring, evaluation and reporting; resource mobilisation and technical support; and awareness-raising, training and capacity building [§385]. Six institutional options remain under active consideration as of the 28 July 2025 validation date: (1) strengthening MEDD's Directorate of Sustainable Development with an integrated NBSAP unit; (2) creating a body attached to the Prime Minister's Office or Ministry of Planning; (3) attributing coordination to ICCN; (4) formalising the current Task Force as a permanent committee with a dedicated budget; (5) creating an entirely new autonomous body by decree; or (6) a combined approach [§386]. The NBSAP describes the rapid operationalisation of this body as "an urgent priority to initiate coherent implementation from 2025." As of the date of adoption, a decision among these options had not been recorded in the available source material.

Implementation phasing

Implementation is structured in two phases: 2025–2027 concentrates on six "umbrella" or structuring objectives — Objectives 1 (spatial planning), 3 (protected areas), 14.1 (mainstreaming), 19 (finance), 21 (knowledge) and 22 (IPLC participation) — selected on criteria of ecological urgency, technical feasibility and expected socioeconomic impact; 2028–2030 broadens to remaining objectives based on lessons learnt and resources mobilised [§45][§46][§361][§364]. The phasing is aligned with the PNSD 2024–2028 deadline [§361].

Decentralised delivery

Provincial and territorial biodiversity plans aligned with the NBSAP — with quantified targets, monitoring indicators and budgets — are to be developed, supported by provincial universities, research centres and local collectivities [§42][§357]. Provincial biodiversity coordination units involving provincial governments, ICCN, NGOs, local communities and economic actors are to be established [§357]. Provincial nodes of the CHM and territorial relays for the BioSE-DRC platform will support subnational data collection and dissemination [§423]. Local Community Forest Concessions (CFCL) and the concerted management of Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega are cited as positive precedents [§356].

Monitoring framework and baseline emergency programme

The NBSAP acknowledges that for most identified indicators, data are "absent, obsolete or difficult to mobilise" and that national collection and processing capacities remain limited [§58][§387]. A 12-month emergency baseline programme (2025–2026) is proposed, with an indicative budget of USD 3.15 million, broken down across data mapping (USD 150,000), development of guides and training (USD 365,000), collection and monitoring infrastructure (USD 800,000), field collection and partnerships (USD 900,000), awareness-raising and communication (USD 400,000) and project coordination (USD 400,000) [§435]. Strategic measures include consolidated national databases with standardised formats for interoperability with Global Forest Watch, UN Biodiversity Lab and IUCN, and participatory monitoring with local communities under FPIC [§388].

Reporting cycle and adaptive management

Annual implementation reports — aligned with budgetary cycles and produced by MEDD in collaboration with sectoral ministries, provinces and partners — integrate a feedback mechanism enabling strategic adjustments [§45][§362]. Progress is to be integrated into national communications to the CBD (in line with decision 16/4), the SDGs, the UNFCCC and donor reports [§53][§372][§392].

Sources:

  • §37 — Main challenges > Absence of a dedicated steering body
  • §42 — Territorial deployment and local governance
  • §45 — Progressive phased implementation
  • §46 — Structuring and catalytic objectives
  • §53 — Monitoring, evaluating and adjusting capacity building
  • §58, §387 — Absence of baseline data
  • §356 — Policy harmonisation (CFCL, Virunga, Kahuzi-Biega precedents)
  • §357 — Translation of NBSAP to territorial levels
  • §361 — Progressive implementation
  • §362 — Continuous evaluation and adaptation
  • §364 — Structuring or "umbrella" targets
  • §372 — Capacity monitoring and evaluation mechanisms
  • §383–§386 — Steering and coordination body: lessons learnt and options
  • §388 — Strategic measures for data collection
  • §392 — CHM serving transparency, accountability and participation
  • §423 — Annex 4.1 > Provincial nodes of CHM and BioSE-DRC
  • §435 — Annex 4.3 > Concept note budget (USD 3.15 million)

6. Finance and Resource Mobilisation

The NBSAP presents two financial estimates. A consolidated target-by-target table gives a grand total of USD 366.4 million across the 25 national commitments for 2025–2030 [§339]. A separate figure of USD 379.5 million is referenced for priority actions, explicitly noted as excluding long-term investments in institutional reforms, infrastructure and transformation of productive practices [§54][§374]. These totals have different scopes and are presented in different parts of the document; both are described as "indicative" benchmarks for planning and policy dialogue rather than "definitive financial commitments" [§128][§339].

Within the consolidated table, the largest allocations are assigned to sustainable management of agricultural, aquacultural, fisheries and forestry ecosystems (USD 35 million), climate resilience (USD 30 million), ecosystem restoration (USD 25 million), protected area expansion (USD 25 million), the national knowledge-sharing mechanism / CHM (USD 20 million), IPLC participation (USD 20 million) and pollution control (USD 20 million) [§339].

The DRC is structurally dependent on external finance: protected area management draws 85% from external sources, 7% from the national budget and 8% from ICCN's own revenues [§295]. The share of the national budget actually allocated to biodiversity cannot be isolated across sectoral accounts. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has allocated USD 22.6 million for biodiversity and USD 29.4 million across biodiversity, climate change and land degradation for the 2022–2026 period [§304].

FONAREDD — the National REDD+ Fund — is the primary domestic environmental financing instrument, endowed with USD 500 million for 2021–2026 under the second Letter of Intent with the CAFI Initiative; as of 31 December 2023, USD 252.8 million had been mobilised, of which 99% came from CAFI, with USD 34.8 million transferred to implementing agencies during 2023 [§297]. The Congolese Fund for Nature (FOCON) illustrates historical under-capitalisation: an ambition of USD 50 million was largely unmet, with less than USD 15 million mobilised as of 2018 [§54]. A national biodiversity trust fund is to be built on foundations laid by the Okapi Fund (Fonds Okapi) [§300].

National Objective 19 places particular emphasis on innovative instruments. "Bonobo credits" — a species-linked biodiversity credit mechanism — are referenced as an innovative private-finance channel, with a presidential round table on the instrument held in Kinshasa in July 2025 under the high patronage of President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo [§54][§300]. A National Authority for the Carbon Market has been created and a carbon tax is referenced as under consideration [§298]. Payments for ecosystem services (PES), green bonds, environmental levies, REDD+ climate finance and debt-for-nature swaps are identified as complementary channels, described as "still little used" [§298][§54][§374].

Under National Objective 18, the NBSAP commits to a phased reform of harmful incentives: identification and assessment by 2027; progressive reform beginning with the most damaging by 2030. Priority actions include mapping harmful subsidies by sector, developing a reform roadmap, establishing fiscal incentives and ecological compensation mechanisms, and creating a national incentives observatory, at an estimated total of USD 15 million [§287][§290][§292].

Sources:

  • §54 — Chapter III > Mobilisation of financial resources
  • §128 — Box 3.2: Methodological note on budget estimates
  • §287 — National Objective 18 (incentive reform)
  • §290 — National Objective 18 > Estimated financial requirements
  • §292 — National Objective 18 > Implementation approach
  • §295 — National Objective 19 > National public funding limited
  • §297 — Environmental funds (FONAREDD, CAFI)
  • §298 — Under-utilisation of innovative mechanisms
  • §300 — Priority actions (Okapi Fund, Bonobo credits)
  • §304 — GEF allocation 2022–2026
  • §339 — Estimated financial needs by target (grand total table)
  • §374 — Chapter IV > Mobilisation of financial resources

7. GBF Target Coverage

GBF Target 1 — Spatial planning

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 1 commits to participatory, integrated and biodiversity-respectful spatial planning across all priority areas by 2030, structured through a five-phase sequence (diagnostic mapping, participatory zoning, legal designation, operational management, monitoring) aligned with the National Land-Use Planning Policy (PNAT). Rights of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities are a stated precondition for any zoning decision. Implementation is led by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Land Affairs, with environmental and social impact assessments coordinated through the Agence Congolaise de l'Environnement. Estimated budget: USD 7.5 million.

GBF Target 2 — Ecosystem restoration

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 2 commits to effective restoration of at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water and coastal-marine ecosystems by 2030, with a sub-commitment to restore at least 8 million hectares — originally pledged under the Bonn Challenge in 2014, reaffirmed through AFR100 and the Pan-African Agenda for Ecosystem Restoration. The estimated sequestration potential is 0.76 Gt CO₂, equivalent to USD 2.5 billion in economic benefits. Implementation combines active reforestation and assisted natural regeneration with passive approaches in protected areas. FONAREDD, CAFI and REDD+ are the primary funding streams. The NBSAP does not specify the total area of degraded ecosystems from which the 30% threshold is derived.

GBF Target 3 — Protected areas and OECMs (30x30)

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 3 commits to conserving at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water and coastal-marine areas by 2030 through ecologically representative, connected and equitably governed protected areas and OECMs, including recognition of indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCAs). Baseline: 14.94% terrestrial/inland waters; 0.5% marine/coastal. The gap to 30% is quantified at approximately 351,000 km². The Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor (Decree 25/01, January 2025; 544,270 km²), which introduces the community reserve as a formal legal category, is the primary new conservation instrument. A national 30x30 strategy with nine components is to be developed. Estimated budget: USD 25 million.

GBF Target 4 — Species recovery and genetic diversity

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 4 commits to urgent management measures reducing human-caused extinction of threatened species, promoting recovery, and preserving genetic diversity in wild and domesticated species by 2030. Recovery planning covers flagship species including great apes, the okapi and the forest elephant. The NBSAP's per-target analysis references more than 800 IUCN-listed threatened species in the DRC; this figure is not confirmed by a specific section citation in the available source material and should be treated accordingly. The commitment combines in situ and ex situ conservation with human-wildlife conflict management protocols.

GBF Target 5 — Sustainable use of wild species

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 5 commits to legal, administrative, health and technical measures ensuring rational, sustainable, safe and legal harvesting and trade of wild species by 2030, structured around CITES compliance and an integrated ecosystem-based approach. The explicit inclusion of a health dimension — reducing pathogen spread risks at the human-wildlife interface — reflects the NBSAP's One Health framing. Customary sustainable-use practices of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities are recognised and protected. A national programme for domestication of wild animal and plant species for food, medicinal or economic use is proposed [§188].

GBF Target 6 — Invasive alien species

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 6 commits to reducing introduction and spread rates of invasive alien species by at least 50% by 2030, through pathway identification and control, prevention, eradication and control in priority areas. Priority species identified include water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Lantana camara and Mimosa pigra. The NBSAP references an estimate of USD 4 billion per year in IAS-related agricultural damage; the source citation for this figure is not included in the available material. Estimated budget: USD 11 million.

GBF Target 7 — Pollution reduction

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 7 commits to halving pollution from all sources by 2030, with explicit prioritisation of mining-related mercury and cyanide contamination (particularly in Haut-Katanga, Kasaï and Lualaba), hydrocarbons and petroleum pollutants, domestic and industrial waste, pesticides and hazardous chemicals, and plastic waste recovery. The Minamata Convention anchors mercury reduction measures. Cumulative effects are explicitly included in the measurement framework. Estimated budget: USD 20 million.

GBF Target 8 — Climate change and biodiversity

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 8 commits to implementing nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches for climate change mitigation, adaptation and disaster risk reduction by 2030. A primary instrument is the protection and sustainable management of the Central Cuvette peatlands (approximately 145,000 km², estimated 30 billion tonnes of stored carbon). The NBSAP's NDC — which commits to a 21% greenhouse gas emission reduction by 2030 — provides the broader climate policy context; that figure belongs to the NDC and is not the content of this national commitment. Estimated budget: USD 30 million.

GBF Target 9 — Benefits from wild species

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 9 commits to policy, technical and administrative measures ensuring that management and use of wild species deliver social, economic and environmental benefits for Indigenous Pygmy Peoples, local communities and other vulnerable populations by 2030. The NBSAP links implementation to sustainable livelihoods from non-timber forest products, bushmeat, fisheries and ecotourism.

GBF Target 10 — Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 10 commits to sustainable management of agricultural, aquacultural, fisheries and forestry areas by 2030 through mainstreaming biodiversity-friendly practices adapted to local contexts. The Agricultural Investment Plan and the Forestry Code are both referenced for revision to integrate biodiversity considerations [§220][§222]. Agroforestry projects of the Hanns Seidel Foundation at Mampu, Gungu and Ntsio in the Kinshasa region are cited as implementation examples integrating soil revitalisation and forest ecosystem protection [§27]. Combined budget across the four productive sectors: approximately USD 35 million.

GBF Target 11 — Nature's contributions to people

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 11 commits to integrated plans, programmes and projects restoring, preserving, enhancing and strengthening nature's contributions to people by 2030, encompassing regulation of air, water and climate, soil health, pollination, and reduction of disease and disaster risks. Implementation is grounded in nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based approaches at watershed, coastal and urban scales. Estimated budget: USD 18 million.

GBF Target 12 — Urban biodiversity

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 12 commits to substantially increasing the area, quality and connectivity of green and blue spaces in urban and peri-urban areas by 2030, with equitable access provisions and integration of biodiversity into urban planning. Implementation is linked to a new Urban Planning Code in process of adoption and to the rehabilitation of urban parks, riverbanks and wetlands in Kinshasa and provincial capitals. Estimated budget: USD 13 million.

GBF Target 13 — Genetic resources and ABS

Tier 1 — Addressed. The DRC treats this target through two national commitments. Objective 13.1 commits to legal, policy and capacity-building measures ensuring fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources, digital sequence information (DSI) and associated traditional knowledge under the Nagoya Protocol by 2030. National ABS legislation exists; a national bioprospecting strategy is to be operationalised; the ABS Clearing-House (ABS-CH) platform is referenced for publication of FPIC documents, Mutually Agreed Terms and ABS permits [§238][§239]. Estimated budget: USD 8 million. Objective 13.2 — a nationally added commitment with no direct KMGBF equivalent — commits to increasing the value of biodiversity elements through local sustainable transformation programmes drawing on traditional and industrial value-added techniques, focusing on local communities and vulnerable groups [§108]. Estimated budget: USD 12.5 million.

GBF Target 14 — Biodiversity mainstreaming

Tier 1 — Addressed. The DRC treats this target through two national commitments. Objective 14.1 commits to full integration of biodiversity and its multiple values into policies, regulations, planning, environmental and social impact assessments and national accounting across all sectors at national, provincial and local levels by 2030. Objective 14.2 — a nationally added commitment — commits to reducing specific pressures including armed conflicts, bush fires, droughts, floods, pests and zoonotic diseases through prevention, mitigation and ecological restoration policies by 2030 [§108]. This constitutes the DRC's formal institutionalisation of armed conflict as a biodiversity driver requiring dedicated policy response. Combined estimated budget: USD 16 million (USD 8 million each).

GBF Target 15 — Business and financial institutions

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 15 commits to legal, administrative and policy measures by 2030 incentivising large enterprises, transnational corporations and financial institutions to implement environmental and social safeguard frameworks; monitor, assess and report on biodiversity dependencies and impacts across supply, value and investment chains; inform consumers to promote sustainable and responsible consumption; and comply with ABS provisions. Estimated budget: USD 10 million.

GBF Target 16 — Sustainable consumption

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 16 commits to ensuring populations have access to the means to make sustainable consumption choices regarding biodiversity products by 2030, through enforceable policy and regulatory frameworks, education and information access, substitute solutions, traditional knowledge, support for sustainable biomass energy, and waste reduction, recycling and recovery systems. Estimated budget: USD 12.9 million.

GBF Target 17 — Biosafety

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 17 commits to legal, technical and administrative measures preventing biotechnological risks and responsibly managing products derived from modern biotechnology by 2030, aligned with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. A national biosafety law and framework have been adopted; the NBSAP notes that implementation remains at an early stage and that a national biosafety framework must still be operationalised [§282][§396]. Estimated budget: USD 6 million.

GBF Target 18 — Harmful incentives

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 18 commits to identifying, mapping and assessing subsidies and incentives harmful to biodiversity by 2027, and eliminating, phasing out or reforming them starting with the most damaging by 2030, while strengthening positive incentives. The NBSAP notes that subsidies for fossil fuels and certain forms of industrial agriculture are associated with accelerated habitat loss [§288]. Implementation is staged: identification and mapping (2025–2026), progressive reform and monitoring (2027–2028), and evaluation and adjustment (2029–2030). Priority actions include a national incentives observatory and a sectoral reform roadmap. Estimated budget: USD 15 million.

GBF Target 19 — Finance mobilisation

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 19 commits to mobilising substantial financial resources from all sources for NBSAP implementation by 2030, with seven staggered sub-milestones spanning 2025–2029. Key instruments include FONAREDD (USD 500 million 2021–2026 allocation; USD 252.8 million mobilised as of 31 December 2023), the Okapi Fund, the CAFI Initiative, the GEF (USD 22.6 million biodiversity allocation 2022–2026), the Green Climate Fund, and bilateral donors. A National Authority for the Carbon Market has been created; "Bonobo credits" — referenced at a July 2025 presidential round table — are cited as an innovative biodiversity finance channel. The BIOFIN Initiative is developing the national resource mobilisation plan. Estimated cost of the Objective 19 framework itself: USD 8 million.

GBF Target 20 — Capacity building and technology transfer

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 20 commits to developing and strengthening scientific research, innovation, monitoring and value-addition capacities in biodiversity conservation and sustainable use by 2030, supported by North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, and by identification, securing and valorisation of traditional knowledge of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities in accordance with national legislation. Estimated budget: USD 5 million.

GBF Target 21 — Knowledge, data and information

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 21 commits to establishing an intra- and cross-sectoral mechanism by 2030 guaranteeing equitable access to reliable data, traditional knowledge and information for decision-makers, practitioners and the public, operationalised through a modernised CHM and the BioSE-DRC platform. The CHM is to be transformed into a national biodiversity data showcase, an interconnected database, and a public monitoring dashboard. Indicative investment includes USD 3.5 million for interoperable data infrastructure, USD 2.5 million for CHM modernisation and USD 3 million for monitoring of threatened species [§319]. Total estimated budget: USD 20 million.

GBF Target 22 — Participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 22 commits to guaranteeing the full and effective participation of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples and local communities in biodiversity decision-making by 2030, through legal, policy and administrative measures across natural resource management sectors, respecting IPLC cultures and securing rights over lands, territories, resources and knowledge. The NBSAP commits to applying the Mo'otz Kuxtal voluntary guidelines and FPIC principles [§368]. Priority actions include participatory mapping, land and territory security, mediation mechanisms and dedicated monitoring. Estimated budget: USD 20 million.

GBF Target 23 — Gender equality

Tier 1 — Addressed. National Objective 23 commits to ensuring gender equality in biodiversity policy implementation by 2030 through gender-responsive approaches, covering equal rights and equitable access to land and natural resources, and full, equitable and informed participation and leadership of women and young people at all decision-making levels. The Family Code and the Parity Act (Loi sur la parité) provide the legislative foundation; a national "Gender and Biodiversity" action plan is to be developed [§329][§330]. Estimated budget: USD 7 million.