Biodiversity and biosecurity
Why One Health matters
in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Silverback Grauer Gorilla in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, DRC @Robert Carrubba
From rainforest loss to zoonotic spillovers: discover why DRC is a global One Health hotspot, and what actions are taken to protect the health of people, animals and ecosystems.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the second-largest country in Africa and has the fourth largest population. It holds 60% of the Congo Basin rainforest, the second largest continuous tropical forest in the world. Despite its wealth of natural resources, DRC is one of the poorest economically. It has endured wars, exploitation, and corruption. The Congolese government has difficulty exercising political and social control over this vast territory. At present, fighting continues in the east. The rapidly growing population relies tremendously on the forest and its rich biodiversity. However, thousands of square kilometers of forest are lost each year due to small-scale agriculture and charcoal production, cutting into the previously unbroken forest. This, combined with large quantities of live animal and animal product trade, increases the human-wildlife interface. These factors make the One Health approach – the close interconnection of human health, domestic and wild animal health, and environmental health – particularly relevant in the DRC – one of the world’s megadiverse nations hosting a remarkable number of endemic species of plants and animals, as well as diverse ecosystems.
One Health has been proven as a sustainable approach to tackle zoonoses, diseases that can be transmitted between humans and other species. Roughly 60% of emerging infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic. High biodiversity in rodents, bats and birds, tropical evergreen forests, and a high population density are all characteristics of pathogen hotspots for emerging and zoonotic disease spillovers. Conflicts and infrastructure deficiencies render comprehensive disease surveillance and access to health services for humans and livestock extremely challenging.
The Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Forest Management program
The German Cooperation, through GIZ, is implementing the Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Forest Management Program (BGF) in DRC, in close collaboration with Congolese partners, notably the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and the New Climate Economy and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation. The program operates in the regions of Kinshasa, South Kivu, and Maniema. Since the end of 2022, BGF has a One Health component that aims to systemically implement a long-term development strategy linking environmental, human, and animal health. Initiatives strengthen governance, e.g. by training decision makers, and coordination across sectors, e.g. by supporting the national One Health platform, which is composed of staff from public health, livestock health, agriculture, environment, and other ministries. Activities include research in the One Health domain, and raising awareness and building capacity among local communities using the One Health guidelines.
Photographer: Dr. Cintia Garai
DRC needs modern laboratories with the capacity to analyze complex samples. In South Kivu, BGF supported the One Health laboratory of Lwiro Natural Science Research Center adjacent to the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the only One Health laboratory in the region, now functioning on an advanced level. BFG supported the multisectoral survey of zoonotic tuberculosis, which researches the dynamics of TB transmission by analyzing samples collected from humans, cattle, wild animals including gorillas, and the environment (soil swabs).
This short film, produced by BGF, illustrates the efficacy of the One Health approach in DRC.
DRC is globally important regarding One Health
DRC has a long history of recurrent infectious disease epidemics including measles, Mpox, cholera, yellow fever, and chikungunya. The country has reported a total of 16 outbreaks of the highly dangerous Ebola Virus Disease, and sporadic Marburg disease.
Mal- or undernourished children are often the hardest hit by infections, especially if not vaccinated against childhood diseases. A simultaneous infection with another pathogen is often fatal.
Additionally, climate change, unplanned urbanization combined with high human mobility linked to armed conflicts and cross-border trade creates an environment favorable to the proliferation and transmission of vector mosquitos and has been leading to a rise in chikungunya, yellow fever, and other mosquito borne diseases of the region. Some of these diseases could be easily controlled by clean water and sanitation infrastructure and investment in early childhood vaccination, while other diseases need a more complex approach.
The German Epidemic Preparedness Team
To assist in the response to the Mpox and Ebola outbreaks, BGF and other GIZ programs in DRC collaborated with The German Epidemic Preparedness Team (SEEG), which is integrated into the Global Program for Pandemic Resilience, One Health (GV PROH) of GIZ.
The Mpox outbreak in 2024, resulting from a spillover event that led to a new clade, is an insightful demonstration of the fragile balance between human, animal and environmental actors. While environmental pressures and cultural practices pushed wildlife and humans together, conflict and political instability disrupted health service delivery, displaced communities, and gave rise to new risk groups and behaviors.
The four SEEG deployments coordinated in the eastern DRC and in neighboring Uganda in 2024/2025 aimed to pinpoint gaps in services and knowledge. They addressed the issue primarily on two fronts: by supporting community leaders in pushing back against misinformation, oppressive stigma, and cultural resistance, and by providing healthcare workers with theoretical and hands-on training to manage Mpox cases and reduce transmission. SEEG’s use of One Health approach aims to address the challenges of zoonotic outbreak response holistically and sustainably to reduce the effects of infectious disease and build resilience of communities, regions and countries against future epidemics or pandemics.
Conclusion: One Health lessons from DRC
Today, due to international mobility, infectious diseases can spread in under 12 hours over countries and continents. Mpox, for example, spread into nearly 100 countries between 2022 and 2026. The resulting loss of life and negative economic impact can amount to enormous sums for nation states and globally.
The One Health approach is especially effective when the interaction of a variety of factors creates the need for a comprehensive and interdisciplinary strategy. Furthermore, it has been endorsed by numerous multilateral and implementing cooperation organizations, and has been proven cost efficient.
DRC is globally important for the management and understanding of zoonotic diseases due to its ecological and socio-economic characteristics. The implementation of the One Health approach in DRC not only benefits the people living there, but furnishes a compilation of knowledge, lessons, and best practices, which are internationally applicable.
Dr. Ute Eilenberger
Dr. Cintia Garai
Evelyn Keeney-Ritchie
Lisa von Stebut
April 2026