2nd International Conference on Biodiversity in the Congo Basin 

Challenges for the future

6-10 MARCH 2023
KISANGANI, DR CONGO

Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité

Practical information

When

March 6-10,  2023

Important dates

May 31, 2022                  abstract submission deadline for participants requesting financial support to attend
June 30, 2022                 general abstract submission deadline
June 30, 2022                 early bird registration deadline (400 USD)
November 30, 2022       registration deadline (450 USD)
 

Venue

Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité (CSB), Faculty of Science – University of Kisangani (UNIKIS), Kisangani, Tshopo Province,  DR Congo

Languages

The meeting will be held in English and French.  English spoken presentations will have slides in French and vice versa. Simultaneous translation will not be available.
 

How to apply for a grant to attend the conference ?

Grants to attend the conference will be available to cover registration costs, travel expenses, accommodation and  a moderate daily subsistence allowance. Only candidates from countries in the Congo basin and adjacent countries are eligible. Applicants will  have to submit an abstract for an oral or poster presentation about one of the conference themes before May 31 2022. By the end of August, successful applicants will be notified.

Registration

Registration fee:

– free

  • for African participants, residing in Africa,  whose abstract (poster or oral presentation) is accepted by the scientific committee .
  • for local participants wishing to attend the sessions without having submitted an abstract or without accepted abstract. They should also register. However, they will have no right to free meals and coffee breaks.

.- 50   USD for African participants, residing in Africa, who have not submitted an abstract or whose abstract has not been accepted by the scientific  committee
– 400 USD (early bird registration)
– 300 USD (early bird registration for students)
– 450 USD (full registration)
– 350 USD (registration for students)

 
Payment options will be communicated once the registration is complete.
An invoice will be issued for paid registrations.
Registration fees cover a program book, entrance badge, refreshments, lunches and local transportation between accommodations and the conference venue.
 
Attention : please use the same order for your names as on your passport or other identity document.
 
There will be no hard-copy, personal invitations to the conference.

An official invitation for administrative or visa purposes will be sent to those participants whose participation is confirmed by the scientific committee and for which payment (if applicable) has been received. 

Only cancellations sent to congobiodiv23orgcom[@]naturalsciences.be before December 1, 2022 will be refunded.

The organising committee reserves the right to relocate or cancel the conference, or reassign some or all presentations to online
sessions in the event of special circumstances.

 

Travel and Accommodation

For the moment there are no direct international flights to Kisangani.
Domestic flights from Kinshasa or Goma to Kisangani are around 350 USD, from Lubumbashi around 680 USD, including taxes.  How to purchase tickets for domestic flights will be communicated later.
 
Travellers need an official invitation letter from the University of Kisangani when applying for a visa. The official invitation will be sent to those participants whose participation is confirmed by the scientific committee and for which payment (if applicable) has been received. Such a letter does not imply any financial obligation on the part of the conference organisers. Please check visa requirements with the Congolese Embassy in your country of residence.
 
Updates on Covid-testing and other Covid-measures for travellers can be found here (in French) or on the information platforms of your  country of residence.
 
In case of an overnight lay-over in Kinshasa or Goma, accommodation and transport to and from the airport  will be organised (120- 200 USD). A local contact person will be available.Transportation to and from the airport in Kisangani will be organised free of charge.
 
Hotel rooms in Kisangani will be reserved by the organizers. Prices will be around 60 USD per night per person, breakfast included. Requests to be accommodated in the same hotel will be met whenever possible.
 
Lunches and refreshments will be provided during the conference days.  Dinner expenses vary from 5-25 USD at the hotels or nearby restaurants.
 

Vaccinations

For participants coming from abroad, pre-vaccination against yellow fever is mandatory, otherwise you will be refused entry into the country. The vaccination must be done in an approved centre (hospital, tropical medicine centre) authorized to provide the vaccine and to issue the international vaccination booklet. This must be presented to the health control authorities at the airport, both on entry and exit. Vaccination against typhoid fever, tetanus (coupled with polio and diphtheria), hepatitis A and hepatitis B as well as meningitis are recommended but not mandatory.

In the absence of a malaria vaccine, it is highly recommended that travellers take anti-malarial treatment before, during and after their stay in the DR Congo.

Additional administrative costs

Please consult the website of the DR Congo embassy in your country of residence.  You may need a document, the ‘Engagement de Prise en Charge’, from the Direction Générale de Migration (DGM), which UNIKIS, via CSB, can provide. This document costs 80 USD per person. 

This DGM document is linked to the legalized invitation that you will also need for your visa application. This invitation costs USD 20 per document, but it can be issued for several people at the same time.  If necessary, UNIKIS, via the CSB, will provide you with this invitation.

Therefore, please take into account an additional cost of 20 to 100 USD, depending on your case. The CSB will advance these costs, but you will have to reimburse these expenses after your arrival in Kisangani. 

In addition, for participants arriving in Kisangani for the first time, there is a form to be filled in at the DGM at the airport, for a fee of USD 20 per person (to be paid by you upon arrival). 

Extra activities

Although the city center of Kisangani is generally safe, going out after dark is not recommended. Since the provided invitations relate only to the participation in the conference, it is not allowed to extend your stay for touristic or scientific purposes or to leave the city center during the conference. The possibility to visit the Biosphere Reserve in Yangambi is being explored. Costs and modalities will be communicated at a later date.
 
Under current national law and international protocols (CITES, Nagoya, …) it is not allowed  to export biological materials out of the DRC  without official permission and documentation. 

Photography

Photographers appointed by the Conference organisers will photograph the Conference and its participants. Conference participants agree to be photographed by registering for the event. However, if a participant does not wish to be photographed, he/she should inform the organising committee before the start of the conference (6/03/2023).