 Vast, complex, invaluable, irreplaceable. These are the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC. The forests of the Congo Basin stretch over 2 million square kilometers, an area three times the size of France, making this the second largest tract of tropical forest in the world. These forests harbor a rich diversity of plants and animal life. They provide food and income for millions of people. And they store immense amounts of carbon, carbon that is released into the atmosphere if these forests are cleared. Which means that these forests are of immense importance not only to the DRC and its neighbors, but to the health of the entire planet. The role of the DRC to contribute to global efforts is not in the fight against climate change, it is crucial for its forest capital. So the DRC is employed to be, not to be involved in the implementation of this process. Yet the forested landscapes of the DRC are undergoing irreversible change, largely because of human activities. If the DRC is in a country with an important family agriculture we have about 8 million agricultural crops. These agricultural crops practice a subsistence agriculture since they are in enclave areas and they also practice a technique called agriculture itinerant sobriety. Slash and burn agriculture, uncontrolled logging and poaching use up huge quantities of natural resources. But they don't significantly contribute to economic and social development. The effects of these activities go beyond forests alone. Forests form part of a broader landscape comprising a mix of ecosystems and activities. All parts of the landscape are connected so changes to one part cause changes elsewhere. There is no waste in the least amount of waste. This means that people who are disappointed by the waste come to inflate the number of farmers and make the agricultural itinerant sobriety. The DRC has a great potential, a great agricultural surface but in front of this threat we can see with our population increase of 3-4% we can see an important trend. And for the DRC the solution started not in the forest but right here in a classroom at the University of Kisangani. These young people are studying sustainable forest management and biodiversity management as part of a program led by Saifor, the FAO and other partners. The program was set up in 2004 in response to findings that robust data on DRC's forests and landscapes remain sparse and that the country had very low capacity to conduct research and manage forests sustainably. In addition, Congolese institutions in charge of agriculture, forests, environment and tourism employ less than 5% of the competent staff required for the jobs, even though several thousands of agents are on the payroll. By learning more about the forest and the impacts of human activity and by applying that knowledge to manage landscapes more sustainably, these students and agents are doing more than getting an education. They are setting their country on a new course.