It is home rare and endemic species that include the endangered bonobo, the vulnerable forest elephant, golden cat, giant pangolin, Congo peacock, and numerous other rare primates, amphibians, reptiles and birds with over 300 known tree species. And environmentally, the Maringa-Lopori-Wamba forest landscape is known to be a critical carbon sink and biodiversity area found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).This landscape is an invaluable resource for over 800,000 individuals in this remote rural part of DR Congo. However, due to the increasing population following the high fertility rate among inhabitants and immigrants, this landscape was already succumbing to pressure because the surging population depended on it for livelihood needs, including food, fuel, medicine, income and shelter. However, following intervention by different players among them Africa Wildlife Forum (AWF) with support from USAID and active involvement of local residents for the past 10 years, the Maringa-Lopori-Wamba forest landscape is slowly getting back to its natural position.“We started with micro-zoning so as to create protected areas, then mapped all areas including community forests, areas for agricultural production, and logging concessions among others,” said Hugues Akpona, the AWF country manager in the DR Congo.However, to manage these blocks sustainably, Akpona says, “our approach is to partner with local communities, leaders, organisations and everywhere we go we try to be part of all the decision making processes in raising the conservation agenda.”In the DRC, the Africa Wildlife Foundation works in MLW and Bili Uele where they are involved in improving the effectiveness of protected area management partnering with local wild life authority, the ICCN that is supported technically as well as financial.The support includes setting up management units, surveillances, performance business plans, ensuring the use of new technologies, managing community conservation strategy among others. Akpona underlines the change AWF has brought to this remote area and to its poverty stricken populations supporting the bordering communitiesin the development of agriculture through initiative like distribution of improved seeds, good agricultural practices and other income generating activities.One of the major project undertaken by AWF was to ensure accessibility of the MLW landscape to the Capital Kinshasa by establishing Congo shipping project. The 500-ton green ship found no reliable transportation for the residents in the landscape but now they are able to transport their harvests and the ship brings back manufactured products from the capital.The shipping project has provided a reliable way for the residents on its 11 port stop-over on the Congo River and ensures Maringa-Lopori-Wamba stay connected to the rest of the world while increasing production and access to the markets.The Africa Wildlife Foundation realized another important component in the landscape which is gender balance. This required empowering women achieved through partnering with RFDR (Reseau des Femmes oeuvrant pour le Developpement Rural) to raise production, do literacy classes and develop alternative income generating activities for women and make sure women are also part of decision making processes.“The landscape is very remote with no TV, no telephone and people don’t know about laws,” says Akpona…

KIGALI, Rwanda (PAMACC News) - Reconnu à travers le monde pour son implication dans la conservation, African Fondation Wildlife (AWF) appuie la RDC dans ses efforts de conservation depuis quelques années. Ces interv. Entions techniques et financières ont été engagée pour aider l’Institut congolais pour la conservation de la nature (ICCN) à relever le défi de la gestion de certaines aires protégées, notamment dans le paysage Maringa Lopori Wamba, l’un de grands espaces qui héberge les éléphants de forêt et les bonobos. Le Manager Pays de l’Awf, Hugues Akpona, l’a fait savoir lors de la 16ème réunion des parties membres du Partenariat pour les forêts du Bassin du Congo (PFBC), qui se déroule à Kigali au Rwanda. « Notre intervention dans le Domaine de chasse et Réserve de Bili Uélé parait aujourd’hui comme une résurrection de ce site. Nous avons renforcé les capacités du personnel en termes de formations, d’appui aux patrouilles et la mise en place de la technologie pour la surveillance (Smart service tracker) toute fois nous sommes à mi-parcours, au moment venu, nous pourrons évaluer avec l’ICCN et en améliorer les faiblesses», a – t – il révélé. A l’échelle nationale l’Awf intervient dans l’a-mélioration de l’efficacité de la gestion des aires protégées, en mettant un accent particulier sur le développement local . Outre son appui à l’ICCN, African fondation wildlife accompagne les communautés riveraines des aires protégées de la RDC dans la mise en place des forêts communautaires, ce qui favorise selon son manager, la meilleure gestion des forêts. « Appuyer la gestion des aires protégées sans appuyer l’homme serait une gabegie. Nous aidons les communautés dans le développement de l’agriculture. Pour y arriver nous leur distribuons des semences améliorées et renforçons leurs capacités dans l’amélioration des pratiques agricoles pour assurer un meilleur rendement, ce qui a un impact positif sur la gestion des sites de l’ICCN », a précisé Hugues Akpona. Le manager de l’Awf reconnait tout de même les difficultés d’ordre infrastructurelles rencontrées durant l’exécution de différents projets. « L’aspect business de nos interventions dans les différents sites est buté aux conditions du milieu. Pas de routes, ni électricité, bref, l’enclavement de sites présente un défis pour lesquels nous devons étudier les moyens pour les surmonter », a – t – il fait remarqué. Pour l’année 2017, l’Awf entend maintenir le même rythme d’investissement tout en recadrant certains aspects.

KIGALI, Rwanda (PAMACC News) - The involvement of local communities in forest conservation actions at all levels is key to the success of conservation and sustainable use of wildlife resources in the Central African region, experts say.According to African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), engaging local communities in natural resource management enhances conservation activities including the fight against poaching and wildlife trafficking.“The local forest communities are key drivers to the fight against illegal and wildlife trafficking and thus the need to empower them in readiness to conservation challenges,” says Manfred Epanda, AWF Coordinator in Cameroon. In a paper presented at a side event at the Congo Basin Forest Partnership meeting in Kigali November 22, 2016, Epanda emphasised on the need to adequately sensitise and educate the local population on the importance of conservation to their wellbeing.“Studies by the AWF has shown the direct relationship between the level of education of the population and attitudes towards conservation,” he said.According to the studies, the involvement of the local people in the conservation process will enhance conservation by some 11.40 percent, pointing out much resources including wildlife and money can be saved by improving the attitude and knowledge of local people towards conservation.Experts agree there is a direct relationship between the natural resource potential of a region and the socio-economic wellbeing of the population who rely on these resources for cash and subsistence income.“The local populations directly rely on their natural resources for survival, but the exploitation of these resources must be done sustainably,” says Richard Eba’a Atyi of CIFOR.“We do not discourage hunting by the local population as a source of food. The law is against hunting in protected areas and hunting for commercial purposes. This is what the AWF and other partners are against,” says Jef Dupain, Regional Director West Africa, AWF.Conservation experts also called for reinforcement of wildlife trafficking laws in the Congo Basin forest region to curb increasing illegal poaching activities, especially in protected areas.Manfred Epanda cited the case of the Dja Faunal Reserve in Cameroon known to be ivory trafficking hotspots, necessitating the reinforcement of the wildlife law and continuous education and involvement of the local population in the protection process.“ The co-management of protected areas with the local people permit for mastery of the local reality like culture, language, people and provide the opportunity for the population to identify with the project,” he said.The Dja Faunal Reserve he explained is a UNESCO world heritage site that is facing significant challenges although numerous conservation initiatives are presently ongoing in and around the reserve.Unfortunately, it attracts the attention of traffickers because it is one of the last remaining refuges for wild apes and many other endangered species in the region, Epanda explained. Chimpanzees are totally protected wildlife species by the 1994 wildlife law, which stipulates that anyone found in possession of parts of a protected wildlife species, is considered to have killed the animal experts said. The aim is to protect animals like the chimpanzee that are facing serious threats from…

KIGALI, Rwanda (PAMACC News) Conservation experts at the 2016 Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) conference have called on the private sector to play a leading role in protection and sustainable management of forests and the entire biodiversity in the Central Africa region.Speaking on the first day of the conference, Andrea Athanas, Program Design Director at African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) said that with the growing population amid the changing climatic conditions, people continue to invest so as to improve production and create space for settlement, thus putting pressure on wildlife habitats. “Massive investments are coming in this region that has put pressure on land and water resources, and this has huge implications on wildlife in particular,” Athanas said. “We need to sit with the private sector and engage in constructive solution creation,” she added.So far, it has been observed that with over 500 delegates attending the 16thgeneral assembly of CBFP, the private sector is minimally represented with only companies in eco-tourism and forest sector in attendance. Jef Dupain, the Regional Director, Central and Western Africa at the AWF also underlined the importance of bringing on board the private sector, because, many times the private sector is willing to participate in conservation but, often, they do not understand well the roles they can play because of lack of information.It is believed that the private sector can reinforce the conservation of wildlife resources and habitat, while re-investments in communities can enable those societies live side by side with wildlife and have economic opportunities through access to value chain and achieve economic growth.According to Athanas, AWF is already working with the private sector in landscapes where the organisation operates in sectors of palm oil production, mining, dam and road construction among others.This, said Athanas, has created space for the companies to move in a way that is compatible with wildlife conservation. The experts meeting at the CBFP seeks to create groupings that will include international NGO’s, development partners, private sector, government and local community based organisations with representatives to meet in a council.The 5-day meeting is expected to produce concrete outputs of direct relevance and value to CBFP members and practitioners in the field as well as key recommendations addressed to policymakers on a limited and well-focused set of crucial issues.