19. Salonga-Lukenie-Sankuru Landscape

Figure 19.1. Map of Salonga-Lukenie-Sankuru Landscape (Sources: JRC, SRTM, SYGIAP, WWF-DRC).

Location and area Th e Landscape in brief Th e Landscape lies in the heart of the cen- tral basin of the in the Democratic Coordinates: 0°49’32’’N – 4°13’49’’S; 19°19’23’’E – 22°52’24’’E Republic of Congo, straddling the provinces of Area: 102,847 km² Equateur, Bandundu, Kasai-Occidental and Elevation: 300-700 m Kasai-Oriental. It covers 102,847 km² and is cen- Terrestrial ecoregion: Central Congolese forests ecoregion tered on Salonga National Park. Th e latter has an Aquatic ecoregions: Central Basin ecoregion area of 33,350 km² and is the second largest area Kasai ecoregion of protected forest in the world, but it is divided Protected areas: Salonga National Park, 33,350 km2, 1970 into two separate blocks (Figure 19.1)

Physical environment1 Relief and altitude

Th e relief comprises low-altitude plateaus, ter- Landscape is occupied by low-lying marshy or races and ‘high’ plateaus at an altitude of 300 m fl ooded land. In places, cliff s reaching 80 m high 1 Th is section is largely taken from in the west and 700 m in the east. Most of the line the rivers. Evrard (1968).

184 Geology and soils Monthly precipitation varies very little, but it does decrease slightly between June and August. Th e Landscape lies entirely within the al- luvial basin of the Congo River. Th e youngest Vegetation sediments are from the Pliocene, Pleistocene and Holocene ages; the oldest, which can be seen in Th e Landscape forms part of the central the valleys, are Cretacean. In the east, south and Congolese forests ecoregion and 94% of it is cov- center of the Landscape, the soils are sandy or ered by diverse forest formations (Figure 19.3): sandy-clayey (arenoferrals and ferralsols). Th e val- 23.6% swamp or fl oodplain forests and 70.8% leys are covered with white sands and the marshy terra fi rma forests, which constitute a mosaic of areas are covered by a horizon of organic matter mostly evergreen formations (in the moist low- showing little decomposition. In the lower part of lands) or caducifoliated formations (on plateau the Landscape, in the north and northwest, hy- peaks and crests). Th e diff erent formations in- dromorphic soils are dominant and cover more clude: small expanses of forest with a monodomi- than 50% of the surface area. nance of Gilbertiodendron dewevrei, G. ogoouense or Brachystegia laurentii; semi-caducifoliated for- Hydrology ests of Staudtia stipitata, Greenwayodendron sua- veolens, Scorodophloeus zenkeri, Anonidium manni Th e northern half of the Landscape is drained and Parinari glabra; riparian forests of Uapaca to the northwest by more or less parallel rivers, heudelotii and Parinari congensis; fl oodplain for- notably the Lomela and the Salonga (Figure ests of Oubanguia africana, Scytopetalum pierrea- 19.2), tributaries of the Ruki which joins the num and Guibourtia demeusei; and swamp forests Congo River at Mbandaka. In the southwest, of Entandrophragma palustre, Coelocaryon botry- part of the Landscape is within the basin of Lake oides and Symphonia globulifera. Th e forest fl ora Mai-Ndombe. In the far south, it is drained by is dominated by legumes of the Caesalpiniaceae the Lukenie and Sankuru rivers, tributaries of subfamily and then by Euphorbiaceae and the Kasai, which fl ow into the Congo River at Apocynaceae (Evrard 1968). Species with a high Kwamouth. Most of the Landscape is subject to commercial value include various African mahog- major seasonal fl ooding. anies (Entandrophragma spp.) and various species of ebony (Diospyros spp.). Climate In the south, the Landscape has a transition area between the moist forests and the ecoregion Average annual rainfall is 2,100 mm in the of the mosaic of southern Congolese forests-savan- north and 1,700 mm near Lukenie in the south. nahs represented by islands of savannahs (0.9%)

Figure 19.2. Th e Salonga River.

185 surrounded by forests. Finally, a very important habitat for fauna is formed by the swampy clear- ings rich in mineral salts and elephant baths or ‘botoka njoku’. Several were identifi ed during the ■ Inundatable forest (14.3%) initial survey work for the MIKE program and ■ Dense forest 0-1000 m (82.6%) WCS studies; others have been mentioned by ■ Forest-cultivation mosaic (2%) hunters in socioeconomic studies (WWF, 2006; ■ Savannah (0.8%) WCS, 2005a; WCS, 2005b). Fauna

Mammals Figure 19.3. Main vegetation types (Source: JRC). Th e Landscape is home to the Pan paniscus, a great ape endemic to the central Human populations5 Congolese forests ecoregion, and which lives in Salonga National Park, the only national park in Density and distribution the DRC to contain this species (Figure 19.4). Its fragmented distribution seems to be linked to the Th e relatively low population density in the habitat (Alers et al., 1992; Bila Isia et al., 2000; Landscape is estimated at 2.4 inhabitants/km², Van Krunkelsven et al., 2000; Reinartz, 2003). but there are some large human concentrations in 2 Th is species is limited to the northwest Nine other species of diurnal primates are present, the towns of Oshwe and Dekese and between the part of Salonga National Park and its notably the golden-bellied mangabey Cercocebus two sections of the national park, especially to the conservation status is largely unknown chrysogaster2, the black mangabey Lophocebus ater- north of Monkoto. Th ese densities are strongly at present. rimus, Th ollon’s red colobus Piliocolobus tholloni infl uenced by the presence of the national park, 3 Th e Kasai aquatic ecoregion is very and Wolf’s monkey Cercopithecus wolfi . Th e ripar- which covers 35% of the Landscape. Two popula- rich, with over 200 species of fi sh ian forests also contain Allen’s swamp monkey tions reside entirely or partly within the limits of described, of which 25% are endemic. Allenopithecus nigroviridis. Other species of par- the park: the Kitawalists6 and the Iyaelima7. Some species are associated with the ticular interest are the forest elephant Loxodonta savannah watercourses, while others africana cyclotis, the Tragelaphus euryceros, Ethnic groups are only found in rivers bordered by the giant pangolin Manis (Smutsia) gigantea and fl ooded or fl oodplain forests. Little the Hippopotamus amphibius. Th e Landscape is primarily inhabited by one research has been done in recent decades of the largest ethnic groups of the DRC, the (Th ieme et al., 2005). Birds Mongo8, represented by the subgroups Nkundo 4 In two inventories on the edge of (81% of the Lokolama sector), Ndengese (99% Salonga National Park, 32 species of fi sh Th e avifauna is not yet well known, but 101 of of the Ndengese-Ikolombe-Isolu sector), Iyaelima were identifi ed by Inogwabini (2005). the 228 species typical of the Guinea-Congolese (resident in the southern block of the park) and 5 A lot of these data come from the forests have already been inventoried and the Isolu. Other groups include the Mbole (55.6% fi ndings of socioeconomic studies number should rise to 153 (Fishpool et al., 2001). of the Wini sector), the Twa Pygmies (16.5% of carried out by WWF (2006) (sample: Among the species identifi ed is the Congo pea- the Lokolama sector) and a small population of 836 households) in the Landscape and fowl Afropavo congensis, whose distribution is lim- Ngombe (4.4% in the Luay and Loombo sector). by WCS (2004) in portions of the park ited to the forests in the center and the east of the corridor and the northern limits of its . Activities southern block. 6 Th e Kitawalists are a religious sect Ichthyofauna Agriculture9, hunting and fi shing are quoted of Watchtower origin. Th ey live both respectively as the main economic activities in inside and outside the park and cite Th e aquatic ecosystems form part of two ecore- the Landscape. All the other activities (traditional the 1960s as the offi cial date of their gions: the Kasai ecoregion and the central Congo medicine, gathering, permanent or temporary installation in the area. Basin ecoregion (Th ieme et al., 2005), which have jobs, retirement) concern fewer than 15% of the 7 Th ese are members of the Mongo over 2003 and 300-400 species of fi sh respectively, participants in socioeconomic surveys, except for group. Th eir villages are situated in the but are still very little known4. in Monkoto where 20% of households say that southern sector of the national park, they earn a living from temporary or permanent where they apparently arrived in the jobs. In the territories of Oshwe and Dekese, over 19th century from the province of 20% of households have only two sources of in- Equateur, as did other Mongo groups come: generally agriculture and hunting. in migratory movements just before the Agriculture is practiced year round, but the colonial era.

186 Figure 19.4. Th e bonobo Pan paniscus. the 1970s and beginning of the 1980s, when fi rearms became more accessible and poachers arrived. Political trouble and civil wars also con- tributed to the increase in fi rearms. Other hunt- ing methods include the use of metal wires, nylon thread and liana traps. Men and boys often carry spears, and/or bows and arrows, which are fre- quently poisoned. Th e use of hunting dogs is very widespread. However, old people complain that youngsters are no longer interested in collective hunting with nets or in partitioning game accord- ing to clan membership and age. Growing indi- vidualism and the need for cash are mentioned as the reasons for these changes.

Tr ad e

Formal markets have only been seen in the largest towns and cities, such as Oshwe, Monkoto and Dekese, and even then they are not very big. Th ere is no system of weekly or twice weekly mar- kets as known in other regions of the country. products grown or harvested vary according to the Trade is also hampered by transport and diffi cult season. Fishing is almost entirely limited to the access. Paradoxically, the lack of economic oppor- low-water season (June to August). Men, families tunities elsewhere in the country, as well as the and sometimes entire villages move to temporary high demand for bushmeat, fi sh and certain non- fi shing camps during the low-water season. In the ligneous forest products in the expanding urban communities that practice fi shing, hunting prob- (, Mbandaka, etc.) and mining centers 8 99% in the sector of Ndengese- ably falls off during periods of intensive fi shing. (Kananga, Tshikapa, etc.), encourages people to Ikolombe-Isolu, territory of Dekese, Th e gathering of non-timber forest products travel long distances by foot, bicycle or canoe to western Kasai; 91.3% in the sectors is widespread10, but few inhabitants consider this trade forest products for products of prime neces- of Luay and Loombo, territory of activity as income-generating as the products are sity (salt, soap, medicine, etc.). Sixty-fi ve percent Bokungu, Equateur; 83.7% in the sold very cheaply at the village level. Caterpillars, of households in the Landscape acknowledge that sector of Lokolama, territory of Oshwe, mushrooms and some fruits are off ered on the they barter to obtain products of prime necessity Bandundu; 44.4% in the sector of markets during certain seasons, but these products and manufactured goods. Wini, territory of Boende, Equateur. also contribute very little to household incomes. 9 Most fi elds are polyculture with an It is only in the Dekese territory that households Land use average of 4.5 diff erent products. Th eir mention this activity as generating income11. area varies from 0.5 to 1.5 ha. Th e main Technological changes are reaching even the Salonga National Park covers 36% of the products include manioc, groundnuts, most remote communities. While agricultural Landscape, while concessions account for 26% rice, maize and, to a lesser extent, beans, tools have not developed much, hunting and fi sh- and the remaining 38% can be classifi ed as other gourds, sweet potatoes and sugarcane. ing equipment and methods are changing con- land uses (Figure 19.5). Th e rural complex made Fallow periods vary from 5 to 10 years. stantly. Fishing practices include the building of up of cultivated land and young secondary forests Fields are more extensive to off set dams on small streams by women and the mak- covers only 2% of the surface area of the Salonga portions of the harvest destroyed by ing of traps by both men and women. Th e men Landscape (Figure 19.3). animals or disease. Destruction of fi elds fi sh with hooks and nets of natural or synthetic is also controlled by traps set around fi bers. Meshes are becoming smaller and smaller Logging the fi elds. and some fi shermen would now seem to be us- 10 Over 95% of households include ing mosquito nets. Men and women also fi sh by At present, there are 13 companies with gathering of non-ligneous forest using plant poisons or chemicals such as DDT. logging or prospecting permits in 21 conces- products in their activities, except for Increased fi shing pressure is also connected with sions, which cover 25.7% of the total area of the within the Lokolama sector where the the increase in the number of fi shing instruments Landscape. Most have been inactive for the last fi gure was only 89%. per family, the extension of the fi shing season and few years, but at least one concession is preparing 11 Gathering is mentioned as the third the rise in the number of fi shermen, particularly to carry out biological and socioeconomic inven- biggest source of income by 28% of in the Salonga and Lomela rivers. tories in 2006. With the exception of the Oshwe households in Dekese. Changes in hunting date back to the end of region, industrial logging is severely handicapped

187 by isolation and diffi culties associated with access and removal. Nevertheless, one case of illegal log- ging was observed recently in the northwest cor- ner of the southern block of the park and other cases of illegal logging, albeit on a small scale, ®Ê have been reported on the Lokolo River. Timber ®Ê from this region is fl oated to Mbandaka. ® Other (38%) Reasons for the identifi cation of the Landscape

(1) Th e Salonga National Park region has been Figure 19.5. Main land use types. designated a priority area for conservation Players in the Guinea-Congolese forests (Kamdem Toham et al., 2006). (1) Governmental institutions (2) Although the animal populations are cur- ICCN is responsible for the management of rently threatened by uncontrolled commer- Salonga National Park. Outside the national park, cial hunting and poaching, the immense management is in the hands of MECNEF. size of the forest blocks and the low human (2) International NGOs population density should off er good long • Th e Lukuru Wildlife Research Project (LWRP) term opportunities for conservation of wild- has been working on in the south of life endemic to the central Congolese forests the Landscape since 1992 and currently sup- ecoregion and important species like the for- ports ICCN. est elephant and bongo. • Th e Max Planck Institute (MPI) has been (3) Salonga National Park is an Important managing a research site just outside the west- Bird Area (IBA) according to BirdLife ern limit of the southern block since 2000. International (Fishpool et al., 2001). • Th e Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM) 12 In 1988, following the tropical (4) Th e forests in the Landscape play an impor- has been active since 1997 in monitoring the forestry action plan (TFAP), the IUCN, tant ecological role from the hydrological bonobos and other large mammals in the with fi nancing from the European point of view and with regards to carbon northern block of the national park, in sup- Commission, prepared a regional sequestration. port of ICCN and actions to combat poach- action plan for Central Africa (PARAC) ing. from which the conception of the Conservation • WCS played an important role in the MIKE ECOFAC program derived. Th e Zairian surveys in 2003 and 2004. Th is NGO con- component of this program was to History tinues to focus its resources (CARPE/USAID, be concentrated on Salonga National private donors, UNESCO) on the national Park. A budget of 3.2 million ECU Th e Landscape is centered on Salonga National park and its buff er zone. It is carrying out was written into the fi nance agreement Park, the second largest protected area of tropi- inventories of bonobos and other large mam- for the fi rst phase of the program in cal forest in the world, covering about 33,350 mals. In collaboration with ICCN and local 1990. Th e specifi city decided upon km² of intact forests and representing 36% of the communities, it is working on the settlement for this component was ‘conservation Landscape. Th is national park (category II, IUCN) of disputes related to the limits of the national and management of a forest park was created by presidential decree in 1970, became park. It is also helping to create a GIS unit. through the strengthening of regional a World Heritage Site in 1984 and registered as a • WWF has supported activities in the national infrastructure, the creation of a research threatened World Heritage Site in 1999, but it has park since 1997 through ZSM. In 2004, it ac- station and the start-up of small received little attention from national and interna- cepted the role of ‘Landscape Leader’ under development initiatives’. Due to the tional conservation bodies. At the beginning of the the USAID CARPE program with additional political events of 1991, this program 1990s, Salonga National Park was slated to host fi nancing from the EU. WWF is involved in was never started up. However, in the Zaire component of the ECOFAC program, strengthening ICCN capacities, carrying out 1991 and 1992, the EC fi nanced fi eld fi nanced by the European Commission, but the basic socioeconomic and biological surveys, activities to prepare for the installation political events in 1991 meant that this program exploring the possibilities off ered by com- of a new station in Botsima in the did not start up in Zaire12. However, during the munity joint management and identifying northern block. Cartography of the decades of 1990 and 2000, several organizations new partners to assist in matters concerning region was also carried out on the basis (LWRP, MPI and ZSM) have begun research ac- resources and community management. of satellite images and some equipment tivities in and around the national park and are was installed, but looted shortly working to provide support to ICCN. afterwards (d’Huart, 2003).

188 Direct threats (2) Proliferation of arms Hunting and poaching have been facilitated (1) Trade in bushmeat by the proliferation of arms. Surveys by ZSM, WCS and the MIKE pro- gram, socioeconomic studies and studies on the (3) Limited accessibility capacity of ICCN and direct observation by the Th e Landscape is only accessible by airplane managers of Salonga National Park have shown or boat and access to most of the villages is prob- that uncontrolled hunting on a commercial scale lematic. In the past, merchants and missionaries and poaching in the park are the most serious traveled in vehicles on the roads of the colonial threats to wildlife. Th e demand for bushmeat era and a network of navigable rivers crossed all comes mostly from outside the Landscape, from the Landscape and made travel and trade easier. remote urban and mining areas. During the 1990s, these transport networks dis- appeared following the general economic decline (2) Trade in live animals and the civil war. Bridges have fallen, ferries were Trade in live animals, especially bonobos, is a destroyed during the civil war and roads have de- fact and offi cials based in the Landscape will issue teriorated to such a degree that it is even hard to a certifi cate of legal capture for a live bonobo for ride bicycles on them. Th e State owned boats do the sum of 4,500 Congolese francs (US $10). not run any more and private boats go to some remote sectors just once a year. Th is problem of (3) Ivory trade access is a serious impediment to obtaining basic Th ere is no precise information on the ivory data, carrying out activities (including alternative trade, but ivory hunting continues and several activities to the trade in bushmeat), and moni- cases were recorded in 2005 and at the beginning toring and controlling exploitation of the natural of 2006 in Salonga National Park. resources.

(4) Military poaching (4) Weakness of government departments Apart from hunting by the civilian popula- ICCN capacity is very limited and many war- tions, the national park is also threatened by the dens have received no training, have no specifi c cynegetic activities of troops and armed gangs. knowledge and do not have the means to protect Th is situation is a danger not only for wildlife but the national park. Furthermore, the authority of also for the human populations and undermines ICCN is diminished by its ill-defi ned involvement the authority of ICCN. To compensate for this, in the buff er zone. Outside the national park, the ICCN and its partners are actively lobbying the government agents responsible for management military, as well as provincial and national au- of the natural resources have suff ered considerably thorities. from growing isolation following the war. Th ey have neither the tools nor the knowledge to edu- (5) Destructive fi shing cate the populations in the fi eld on environmen- Th e use of dynamite, poison and nets with tal legislation and methods for managing natural smaller and smaller meshes may contribute to- resources. wards the increasing rarety of certain species of fi sh. (5) Lack of information Other than basic information on the key spe- (6) Lack of regulations for human populations in the cies (elephant, bonobo), there is very little infor- national park mation on the fauna and fl ora. Th e local commu- Th e populations who live in the national park, nities are ignorant of the environmental legisla- either permanently or temporarily, clear land, tion in force in the Landscape. grow crops, hunt and fi sh freely. State of the vegetation Indirect threats Th e forests are basically intact. (1) Collapse of the agricultural sector According to the local communities, the col- State of the fauna lapse of the agricultural sector, following the civil war, would seem to be the most important reason Although data are rare and probably impre- young people are turning to hunting and fi shing. cise, the fi ndings of the MIKE inventories (WCS, 2005a) reveal a worrying absence of elephants in

189 most of the park and densities are extremely low in Environmental education and capacity areas where the species still exists13. Th is phenom- building enon probably extends outside the national park because the local communities in savannah areas No structured environmental education pro- often refer to the elephant and the buff alo as two gram exists for Salonga National Park and the species whose numbers have fallen considerably Landscape. A few rare consciousness raising con- over the last 10-20 years. Even less information cepts are provided by the teams of conservators or exists on the bonobo14 but more recent recon- researchers during their working visits. Th e lack of naissance in the national park has led to several a program does not help promote a good under- new populations being discovered. In general, the standing of disputes, such as questions concern- distribution of the bonobo is very irregular and is ing the limits of the national park. To fi ll this gap, probably infl uenced by the habitat and pressure the Landscape partners are collaborating to defi ne from poaching (Reinartz et al., 2006). Th ere is a and apply an environmental education strategy. protected population outside the national park in the south of the Landscape, between the Lukenie Management in the fi eld of renewable and Sankuru rivers, where LWRP is supporting natural resources eff orts by villagers in the fi elds of conservation and development. (1) At the Landscape level According to villagers in the south of the Basic data are necessary before a zon- Landscape, the cane rat Th ryonomys sp. has ap- ing plan can be produced for the Landscape. peared over the last 20 years15, but the lion seems Socioeconomic studies have been carried out and to have disappeared16. Th e status of other savan- will guide the future establishment of local part- nah species is worthy of special attention. nerships, the choice of indicators for monitoring As for the widespread small-scale fi sheries, living standards and the identifi cation of inter- which export large quantities of smoked fi sh out- ventions in the fi eld of sustainable use of natural 13 In 1989, the number of elephants side the Landscape, nothing is known about their resources. A map on the scale of the Landscape is in the national park was estimated at impact on fi sh populations. being improved at present. 8,300 (>2.2 individuals/km²) (Alers et. al., 1992) and according to MIKE Financing and conservation (2) In the national park surveys in 2003-2004, it was estimated Inventories of large mammals were un- at only 2,000 (WCS, 2005a). It should Th e funding agencies: dertaken within the framework of the CITES be noted, however, as indicated in • CARPE/USAID fi nances activities at the level MIKE program as of 2003. Since the beginning the WCS report, that it is diffi cult of the national park and the Landscape. of CARPE activities in October 2003 and the to compare these surveys given the • Th e EU focuses on the national park, but also European Commission’s program to strengthen enormous potential sources of errors in intervenes at the Landscape level. the management capacities of ICCN and sup- each of them. (WCS, 2005a, p. 98). • UNESCO/UNF has fi nanced some socioeco- port the rehabilitation of protected areas in the 14 In 1998 the density of the bonobo nomic studies (WCS, 2004) and the payment DRC in August 2004, the partners involved in populations in the northern part of the of bonuses to national park staff . the national park have joined forces with ICCN northern block was estimated at 1.15 • UNDP/FEM is going to provide communica- to collect basic data and strengthen management, individuals/km² (Van Krunkelsven tion equipment to the ICCN stations. research and monitoring capacities. Players pre- et al., 2000). A more recent density • Th e Trust Fund of the European Union and viously excluded from this process were incorpo- estimate indicates 0.73 adults/km2 the World Bank (No. 050991) is providing rated. Given the serious threats to this national according to the surveys carried out in equipment to ICCN, through WWF, in addi- park, the partners embarked upon the following both the southern block (3 sites) and tion to the European Union’s own program. interventions: the northern block (8 sites) of the park, • Th e European Union is going to start activi- between October 2000 and May 2002 ties in the Landscape through the ECOFAC In the fi eld of basic data collection: (Reinartz et al., 2006). program. • evaluation of ICCN capacities, including rec- 15 Villagers living between Dekese and ommendations for staff recruitment, the de- the national park say that this species Th ere is no long term funding available, and velopment of infrastructure, equipment and has apparently arrived in their region tourism promotion is unrealistic because of the anti-poaching strategies from the south over the last 20 years. isolation of the area and the weakness of manage- • fi nalization of the basic map 16 In Dekese, villagers talk of the well ment structures. • analysis of threats documented killing of the last lion • socioeconomic studies and surveys (a man-eater) on the savannahs between Lukenie and Sankuru or south of Sankuru in 1999 (WWF, 2006).

190 In the fi eld of training: supported MPI for a feasibility study on export- • creation of the site coordination committee ing ornamental fi sh (Schliewen, 2002). (CoCoSi) Th e CARPE Small Grants Program is sup- • support for ICCN as regards equipment, fuel porting local NGOs whose activities deal with and the training of administrators and war- the management of natural resources and conser- dens vation of biodiversity. Th e fi rst year’s results will allow long term partnerships to be better defi ned In the fi eld of surveillance: and additional resources and/or expertise to be • creating anti-poaching patrols at the six sta- brought in. tions • payment of bonuses to wardens Governance in the fi eld of renewable • creation of new jobs at Etate, Kinki, Beminyo natural resources and Lokofa Governance as regards renewable natural re- In 2006, the partners are going to fi nalize a sources is based on a major ambiguity between strategic management plan for the national park theory and reality. According to the law, owner- with the technical support of USFS. ship and management of the land and its natural resources are a State mandate. Th is situation is (3) In the extraction areas common in Central Africa. In a Landscape char- Many coff ee, palm-oil and rubber plantations acterized by its isolation and the low level of State have been listed, but none are active. Similarly, services, it is very marked indeed: access to and although 25% of the Landscape is allocated to management of resources are usually determined logging companies, no logging on a commercial by the local communities or local authorities, such scale has been observed. Th e moratorium in place as the traditional chiefs. Th e ambiguity between at present on industrial logging also prevents for- the legal situation and the reality means that the mal cooperation between conservation agents and communities come under external pressure from logging companies, but the possibility of collabo- ‘outsiders’ who do not live in the Landscape and rating on biological or socioeconomic studies has who have greater political and economic means to nevertheless been informally discussed. hunt and fi sh on village lands through authoriza- 17 Village lands are separated by tions and the payment of fees17. Most communi- known limits, often based on streams (4) In the rural areas ties describe similar systems of local governance of or rivers. Th e inhabitants have access Although satellite imaging makes it possible the land and its natural resources. rights to the forests on their land for to locate agricultural activities, only fi eld work Salonga National Park could be an excep- agriculture, the gathering of non- makes it feasible to identify the hunting and fi sh- tion given the presence of ICCN, a governmen- ligneous forest products, hunting and ing areas. Some of this information was collected tal authority. In practice, six ICCN management fi shing. Neighboring villages can be during the socioeconomic studies. Additional stations spread over the park are responsible for invited to join in collective hunts, but data will be collected as a part of the biological management of Salonga National Park. However, this practice is disappearing. Outsiders surveys. Two studies are planned to begin work these stations do not operate well due to an in- interested in hunting on these lands with the local communities on improving the suffi cient budget, a lack of suffi cient training18, must obtain the permission of the chief management of natural resources. Meetings were lack of equipment, inadequate staff and poor of the land and pay access fees in cash held with representatives of the communities, infrastructure. Nevertheless, local communities, or munitions. Access to fi shing lodges particularly with a view to resolving disputes con- displaced before and after the creation of the na- is more restricted: some villages even cerning demarcation of the national park. In fact, tional park and excluded from its management, prohibit access completely, while others one of the priority requests by the communities is continue to demand a right of authority over their demand payment. However, the use of to be able to fi sh the rivers that form the bounda- former lands and resources. Th ey still gather fruit seasonal fi shing camps can be extended ries of the national park. During the dry season in and other products in their old fi elds. Th e vague to family members living as far away 2006, a partner institution is going to carry out a policies pursued by ICCN have caused much as Mbandaka. Gathering non-ligneous study on the management systems on these rivers confusion, due to the fact that some coopera- forest products is not regulated unless it in order to put forward recommendations con- tives and individuals have obtained authorization is for commercial purposes. cerning collaborative management between the to fi sh in the park by paying taxes. Another am- 18 Between December 2003 and January local communities and ICCN. A second study biguity concerns the fi shing rights for the local 2004, 54 Salongo National Park will explore the economic feasibility of marketing populations in the rivers forming the limit to the wardens received paramilitary training selected agricultural produce and non-ligneous national park: where does the national park be- in collaboration with the Ministry of products in the Landscape, in order to ease the gin? Midstream or on the bank? Th is exclusion Defense and organized by ICCN with pressure on wildlife and diversify the economic and ambiguity, combined with the feeble capacity fi nancing from ZSM. opportunities of the local communities. GTZ has of ICCN, the civil war and centralized but inef-

191 fi cient governmental structures, have all contrib- Monitoring of renewable natural uted towards the anarchic use of natural resources resources in and around the park. With a view to developing management and MIKE studies carried out in 2003-2004 pro- decision making capacities, a site coordination vided some important basic information that will committee (CoCoSi) has been set up for manage- allow future monitoring of wildlife in the park to ment of the park. It includes ICCN and partner be put into place, particularly for forest elephants. organizations (LWRP, MPI, ZSM, WCS and Th ese inventories of large mammals will continue WWF). It is hoped that in time representation on and a preliminary study on the potential for bio- CoCoSi can be extended to include representa- logical monitoring is planned. tives from the local communities. For the im- Several research institutions are studying mediate future, several wardens have established the ecology, distribution and behavior of the standing committees for local consultation with bonobo. the villages. ICCN is also working with partner A national database managed by ICCN’s organizations to better defi ne the concept of com- SYGIAP (Système de gestion des informations des munity conservation. At the same time, there are aires protégées) already exists for the World Heritage also initiatives from the natural resources sector, Sites and a map of the park and its buff er zone has such as the creation of community forests, which been produced. Th is database will be directly ac- will encourage participation by the local commu- companied by the development of similar capaci- nities at the Landscape level. ties for use in the fi eld. A database at Landscape level is to be completed and will serve to produce a map like the one for the national park. Th e two databases will be the main tools for long term monitoring of conservation activities and sustain- able management of natural resources.

Figure 19.6. Bicycles remain the last available transportation vehicle in many parts of the central Congo Basin.

192