This is Open Access Book and this book is the 2025 Congo Basin Assessment Report, which synthesizes existing scientific knowledge, including that of Indigenous peoples and autochthonous communities, on the functioning of and threats to the Congo Basin and its ecosystems. As such, it is the first of its kind and constitutes the primary product of the Science Panel for the Congo Basin (SPCB). The book offers a meta-analysis of published materials on the Congo Basin, synthesizing all available knowledge on various aspects of the Congo Basin ecosystems; it collates peer-reviewed published materials from past and ongoing research. However, far from being a simple compilation of dispersed published materials, the book brings together diverse knowledge from various areas of scientific inquiry assembled in a coherent set of new meta-knowledge necessary to guide future decisions that will impact the entire Congo Basin. Structurally, the book first assesses the past and present ecological conditions of the Congo Basin before assembling available knowledge to suggest the trajectories the Congo Basin is likely to take if current trends (business-as-usual models) remain constant. With this latter feature, the authors of Congo Basin scientists provide scenarios to help policy-makers ensure that economic activities have less detrimental impact on the sustainability of essential ecological functions and the vibrancy of the cultural diversity of the Congo Basin. Congo Basin in this book includes both the Congo Basin and the Ogooué Basin; as such, the book covers what is also known as Central African Forests.

This book contributes to SDGs by synthesizing scientific and Indigenous knowledge to advance climate action (SDG 13), protect terrestrial ecosystems (SDG 15), ensure clean water and sustainable use (SDG 6), promote responsible economic practices (SDG 12), foster sustainable communities (SDG 11), and encourage partnerships (SDG 17) for the Congo Basin's preservation.

Bila-Isia Inogwabini is a National Geographic and UNESCO Award-Winning Biodiversity Scholar affiliated with the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala (External Resource) and the School of Management, Catholic University of Congo (Kinshasa). With a 30 year-long experience in Biodiversity Conservation Research, Humanitarian and Sustainable Development Programs, Inogwabini published multiple dozens of peer-reviewed articles and books. He is currently Science Officer for the Science Panel for the Congo Basin.

Bonaventure Sonké is Professor of biodiversity of African rainforests and a plant taxonomist based at the University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon. He has been working on the dynamics of forest in Central Africa for more than 35 years during which he described more than 70 new species to science; he co-authored over 140 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. He is also one of the three Co-Chairs for the Science Panel for the Congo Basin.

Lydie-Stella Koutika is a soil scientist with over 30 years of experience in applied research on agroecosystems in South America, Europe, and Africa. She has authored numerous papers on soil management, carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Over the past decade, her work has focused on improving and expanding soil knowledge in Central Africa to address climate change, land degradation, food insecurity, and biodiversity loss—contributing significantly to the scientific community and the livelihoods of local farmers. She is one of the three co-chairs for the Science Panel for the Congo Basin and an editor-in-chief of this report.

Lee JT White, CBE is an honorary professor at the University of Stirling (UK). He has over 40 years of experience in the tropical rain forests of Africa; he was director of Gabon’s National Parks Agency and Gabon’s Minister of Water, Forests, Sea and Environment. He publishes widely on the natural history and ecology of the African rain forests and has 125 publications. He is the Special Envoy of the Science Panel for the Congo Basin and an editor-in-chief of this report.