Mulungula Pascal Masilya’s scientific contributions

The Congo River is the first largest river in Africa and the second in the world after the Amazon. According to the length, it is the second in Africa after River Nile. The Congo Basin (13% of Africa's total landmass) is made of a huge river network (covering nine countries of Central Africa), which ends up with the second biggest river discharge (50,000 m3/s) on planet earth. This river basin is composed of diverse ecoregions with the highest biodiversity in Africa and the second most important on earth. The humid climate in the basin has led to the formation of a huge rainforest, being the second most important in the world after the Amazon. The Congo River Basin contributes to more than half of Africa's freshwater resources and provides an important part of the riparian populations' livelihood needs by supplying a diverse number of ecosystem services, such as water, food, energy, transport, education and recreation, global climate regulation. Although, the Congo River Basin is still pristine in some primary forested areas, in urban regions, anthropogenic activities have already had nonnegligible effects that highlight the current threats against the conservation and sustainable use of the basin's natural resources. Furthermore, knowledge gaps or the absence about the river basin does not allow a sustainable management and development of the basin. Key research priorities are highlighted in this paper.