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Bat held in the hand with a glove

HIOH launches the INFORBIO research project on forest management and zoonoses surveillance

First field mission establishes small mammal monitoring for pathogen surveillance in the Central African Republic

INFORBIO is a multidisciplinary project that combines participatory forest management by indigenous communities, agroforestry, the establishment of mobile health clinics, and the development of an early warning system for zoonotic disease surveillance through a multifaceted One Health approach. The overarching goal is to safeguard forests as natural barriers against the spread of zoonotic diseases while improving livelihoods in remote areas of the Central African Republic (CAR) and Cameroon.

WWF Germany coordinates the project in partnership with WWF offices in the CAR and Cameroon, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and various local and international partners. 

Bat held in the hand with a glove

In the INFORBIO project, HIOH scientists will regularly monitor the health of bats and rodents – potential reservoirs of various pathogens. This surveillance forms a central pillar of the comprehensive early warning system for zoonotic diseases in Central Africa. ©HIOH

Following the launch of INFORBIO in October 2024, HIOH has now officially begun its fieldwork under the project with a first six-week field mission in the CAR. Within the project’s broad scope, HIOH is responsible for establishing an early warning system for zoonoses in three target landscapes: the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas (CAR), Campo Ma’an National Park (Cameroon) and Lobéké National Park (Cameroon). This ambitious goal will be achieved by regularly collecting multiple sample types – from wild animals, bushmeat, and the environment – which will be analyzed in local laboratories over the next five years. 

During the first field mission in October 2025, a research team from HIOH’s “Ecology and Emergence of Zoonotic Diseases” research group, together with their Central African colleagues from the WWF CAR One Health Unit, laid the groundwork for regular pathogen monitoring. This effort complements wildlife mortality surveillance and great ape health monitoring that have been ongoing for more than a decade in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas (DSPA). 
 

Group photo of eight people outdoors

The INFORBIO team: HIOH scientists and their partners from WWF Central African Republic with local assistants who support the field activities. ©HIOH

At the outset of the mission, the team met with representatives of several local communities – both indigenous and non-indigenous – to present the project and jointly identify suitable sites for small mammal sampling, ranging from dense rainforest to village peripheries and residential areas. Using live traps set at these locations, the researchers captured more than 200 rodents and bats – including mice, giant pouched rats, and other rodent species relevant to disease transmission, as well as various bat species – and collected minimally invasive samples, such as swabs and small blood droplets. In addition, blowflies were collected at all sites as a complementary tool for pathogen detection.

Regular testing of small mammals, combined with monitoring of local wildlife mortality (carcass monitoring), gorilla health monitoring, and testing of bushmeat hunted and sold locally, will form the backbone of a comprehensive surveillance system for zoonotic pathogens.

Four people in the rainforest setting up live traps, wearing shirts with the WWF and HIOH logos

Setting up live rodent traps in the rainforest. ©HIOH

After six weeks in the field, the research teams can report encouraging results for this first INFORBIO mission: all communities consulted expressed strong interest and a willingness to actively participate in the years ahead. The sites selected for long-term surveillance were carefully chosen, taking into account local knowledge, topographical features, and safety considerations – particularly to minimize the risk of dangerous encounters with elephants. The diversity of small mammals captured, especially bats, was remarkably high during this pilot phase. At the same time, the HIOH team trained their local scientific partners from WWF in safe animal trapping and sampling methods, enabling them to work independently in the future and expand surveillance activities to additional locations nearby.

Two people wearing white protective clothing and equipment for taking samples

During the entire sampling procedure, scientists wear personal protective equipment. ©HIOH

In the following months, the team will examine the collected samples for selected zoonotic pathogens, some of which are known to cause recurrent outbreaks in the local population, such as monkeypox virus, the causative agent of mpox. The fully equipped molecular laboratory in Bayanga (DSPA), jointly established by the WWF and HIOH and recently ceremonially inaugurated, will be ideal for these analyses. The results of this systematic sampling will help to identify areas at higher risk of pathogen transmission and improve our understanding of spillover dynamics. These insights are an important step towards the development of effective early countermeasures.

Several people are standing in a semicircle between wooden huts, watching two others set up live traps

Interested audience: To study the diversity and health of rodents near human dwellings, the scientists also set up live traps in the villages in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas. ©HIOH

Project name: INFORBIO – INtact and effectively managed FORests and BIOdiversity as natural barriers to mitigate climate change and risk of pathogen spillover

Research locations: Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas (DSPA), Central African Republic; Lobéké National Park (LNP), Cameroon; Campo-Ma'an National Park (CMNP), Cameroon

Focus areas: Forest protection and restoration of degraded landscapes, strengthening local and indigenous communities, biodiversity monitoring, One Health approach & development of an early warning system for zoonoses, governance, sustainable use and protected area management
 

Consortium: WWF Germany (coordination), WWF Central African Republic, WWF Cameroon, University College London (UCL) with Project Bwanga, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), local authorities, research institutions, and community representatives

Duration: 2024–2030 (6 years)

Funding: International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

HIOH lead scientists: Lorenzo Lagostina and Livia V. Patrono

Further Information

INFORBIO project homepage
FAO web story on the INFORBIO project launch
A shield for the world – video by WWF Germany
ZUG project management agency

Two people are walking one behind the other on a narrow path through the rainforest

On the right track: defining a transect for small mammal trapping. ©HIOH

A person is kneeling on the floor in front of a bucket

Simple live trap for small rodents. ©HIOH

Three people are examining a trap

Local assistants supported the scientists during trapping (here: Sherman trap for the live capture of small mammals). ©HIOH

Two people setting up nets in the rainforest

How to catch live bats: Fine-mesh mist nets set in the flight path over water allow the scientists to safely capture bats for research. ©HIOH

Two people with flashlights, freeing a bat from a net

Bats, gently entangled in the loose pockets of the mist net, are carefully retrieved for sampling. ©HIOH

A mouse is lying on a table; it is being measured, and a photo of it is being taken with a cell phone

Captured rodents are temporarily anesthetized to collect samples and take pictures and basic measurements (e.g. length of body and tail). ©HIOH

A sample is taken from a mouse's fur using a cotton swab

Minimally invasive sampling: Taking skin swabs. ©HIOH

In a laboratory, a mouse is held by a hand wearing a blue glove, and a sample is taken from its mouth using a swab

Non-invasive sampling included the collection of oral, rectal and skin swabs, blood, and ectoparasites (here: oral swab). ©HIOH

A bat is held by two gloved hands

The initial species diversity estimated among the captured animals based on morphological examinations was high and included iconic species such as this giant roundleaf bat (Macronycteris gigas), the biggest African insectivorous bat. ©HIOH

A bat is held by three hands, with its wing outstretched

Blood droplets were taken from all live captured animals for serological analyses. ©HIOH

A person in protective gear is dissecting a bat on a table

While most rodents and bats were released after minimally invasive sampling, a small fraction of the animals underwent a full necropsy. This allowed the scientists to collect samples from all major organs that will be tested for the presence of pathogens. ©HIOH

Five people are standing in front of a wooden wall, with buckets lined up in front of them

Field assistants from the village of Yandoumbe (from left to right: Robert, Denis, Mopande, Michel and Julienne) who provided critical support to the activities, including placing and monitoring daily more than 200 traps to capture small terrestrial mammals. ©HIOH

Stephanie Markert

Press contact

Dr Stephanie Markert