By Rosie Pioth BRAZZAVILLE — Conservation authorities in the Republic of Congo have launched a plan to invest in the protection of “high-integrity forests” in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, treating these ecosystems as an asset class. Located in the northern part of the country, Nouabalé-Ndoki is also the first site in the world to be recognized for its ecological integrity under the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Standard this past June. The new initiative aims to fill a funding gap to protect the ROC’s forests by selling high-integrity forest (HIFOR) units, defined as representing “one hectare …