Research contributions

Ongoing research in Yangambi is studying how to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development and ensure food security in a changing climate. Developing techniques such as agroforestry can sustainably increase agricultural productivity and incomes of rural households in the DRC.

Forests are full of nutritious food, yet malnutrition is prevalent in much of the Congo Basin. Micronutrient deficiencies are especially problematic for women and young children, and can lead to impaired immunity, increased mortality and morbidity, as well as impaired physical growth and cognitive development in children.
Ongoing research in Yangambi is studying how to develop successful strategies to improve nutrition outcomes by sustainably utilizing local forest foods rich in commonly limited micronutrients.

If they are sustainably managed, forests can become a powerful driver of development for the benefit of local communities and present and future generations.

Yangambi serves as an experimenting ground for innovative models that can enhance the economic, social and environmental values of forests, contributing to livelihoods and food security.

Unsustainable hunting for wild meat represents the most pressing threat for Yangambi’s wildlife. By studying species’ distribution and abundance, as well as the social and ecological factors that explain these trends, scientists are contributing to the development of sustainable wildlife management alternatives.

Tropical forests are one of the world’s most important weapons in the fight against climate change thanks to their ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Research conducted in Yangambi is helping scientists measure carbon uptake by intact tropical forests through periodic censuses in permanent sample plots, and obtain data on greenhouse gas exchanges between the atmosphere and the forest.

Yangambi hosts important ex-situ and in-situ botanic collections that help scientists study the genetic diversity of the Congo Basin’s flora.

An important research program focuses on identifying new wild coffee species and supporting breeding experiments to develop more resistant crops.

Studying local value chains of forest products such as wood fuel and timber contributes to improve forest governance. The informal nature of these sectors and the growth of domestic markets call for new approaches to include small-scale producers in a legal framework to improve the sustainability of their activities.

Yangambi’s remarkable biodiversity offers researchers the opportunity to study how trees can adapt to climate change and weather fluctuations, as well as new techniques to support natural regeneration and sustainable logging.

Yangambi’s research on trees contributes to international conservation efforts such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).