conservation and development
in a post-conflict region
democratic republic of congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo has
the largest forested area in Africa, an
abundance of natural resources and
one of the most important biodiversity
areas on the planet.
One region—the Maiko Tayna Kahuzi-Biega (MTKB)
Landscape—covers 10.6 million hectares (26.2 million acres)
and stretches from the biodiversity-rich Congo Basin to the
Albertine Rift. The MTKB Landscape is home to 6 million people
who depend heavily on its natural resources for their livelihoods.
It is also home to a range of iconic and endangered species,
such as the eastern chimpanzee, the forest elephant, Grauer’s
gorilla, the okapi and the Congo peafowl.
Political instability following many years of civil unrest has
exacerbated environmental threats to the region, including new
agricultural settlements, clearing-and-burning practices,
poaching, wildlife trafficking and illegal mining.
resilient
Degradation and overuse of natural resources are undermining
climate change mitigation efforts as well as economic
development and stability in the region. Unplanned exploitation
and extractive activities endanger its forests, minerals, rivers
and wildlife.
As an implementing partner of the USAID-funded Central Africa
Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), Conservation
International (CI) heads the consortium that is assisting local
communities and national park authorities in
transitioning the MTKB Landscape—also known
as Landscape 10—into a region where conservation
training and well-managed ecosystem services
foster sustainable economic development while
safeguarding biodiversity.
Members of this consortium include WWF, the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS), the Jane Goodall Institute
(JGI), and the Union of Associations for Gorilla
Conservation and Development in Eastern DRC
(UGADEC). Although no longer part of the consortium,
the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) was
a founding member.
CI and its partners promote local and national
governance of natural resources aimed at preventing
deforestation and biodiversity loss within the landscape.
Primary activities include land-use planning, managing
protected areas, monitoring biodiversity and threats,
building capacity and engaging in small-scale
development projects.
Current conservation efforts in the MTKB Landscape
trace their history back to 2002 when, despite an
ongoing civil war, 13 local traditional leaders created a
land-use plan that focused on harmonizing conservation
and development by laying out community-based
nature reserves and economic development zones.
to financing a project in the Tayna and Kisimba-Ikobo
reserves for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and
Forest Degradation “plus” conservation, the sustainable
management of forests and enhancement of forest
carbon stocks (REDD+).
A key goal of this project is to establish long-term
financing through an endowment mechanism that
allows for the fair and legal distribution of carbon rights
and revenues from carbon credit markets.
The Tayna Center for Conservation Biology, located near
the Tayna Gorilla Reserve, is the nation’s first
community-run university licensed to confer five-year
degrees. It has trained more than 500 students in
conservation biology, geology, economics, medicine,
communications and information technology. The center
creates local technical and scientific capacity, which in
turn leads to alumni employment.
Ultimately, the MTKB model serves as a national and
global example of integrated conservation and
development in a region emerging from war and
instability. CI envisions that the MTKB Landscape will
transform into a vast network of protected areas and
healthy ecosystems where forests, wildlife and other
natural resources will revitalize both communities and
the economy.
human well-being
c
reating local technical and
scientific capacity
n supporting the nation’s first community-run university
n
ecosystem services
This land-use planning model was then strengthened
through a partnership with the Congolese Wildlife
Authority (ICCN) and local NGOs, who share
the responsibility of managing the region. This
successful collaboration has yielded a cascade of
community associations.
The MTKB Landscape comprises the Maiko and
Kahuzi-Biega National Parks and several communitybased reserves. CI aids the ICCN in managing the
national parks by training park staff, collaborating with
law enforcement, holding stakeholder meetings,
monitoring biodiversity and demarcating park limits.
demonstrating
how healthy
ecosystems
benefit human
well-being in
the Democratic
Republic of Congo
avoiding carbon emissions
through REDD+
n
corridor creation that reduces
erosion, improves freshwater
provisions and secures watersheds
n
Democratic
Republic of
Congo
In 2009, CI pioneered a landmark five-year agreement
through which the Walt Disney Corporation committed
For more information contact:
Benoît Kisuki Mathe, Country Director, AMFD-DRC, [email protected], +243 813 813 778
www.conservation.org
Photos left to right: © CI/photo by Russell A. Mittermeier; © CI/photo by John Martin
healthy ecosystems
r emoval of illegal and unsustainable
pressures on 10.6 million hectares
(26.2 million acres) of ecosystems
n protecting critical, iconic species
n