STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014
57
context Musombo is like a ‘spiritual’ death penalty, where both the
individual and the family come to experience increased mortality and
severe misfortunes. Only the Mwami can revoke the punishment for
such rule infringements.
‘We want community conservation’
The local communities and the indigenous groups feel it is important
to maintain these traditional forest management practices. As
Richard Miniota argues, ‘ICCN [the national conservation authority]
can’t be everywhere. We need to set up a system of co-management
between local communities and the authorities.’
This is a crucial aspect for the next steps of the Itombwe participatory
process. The DRC national conservation law in its present form does
not include co-management of protected areas. The outer limits
will soon be defined and validated out of this unique participatory
experience. The next step of integrating the communities in the
protected areamanagement will be a critical one: ‘We want community
conservation. If you come with other forms of conservation, even
recognized by the land tenure law, we will oppose. We will conserve
as our ancestors used to conserve. The rights of local populations
must be recognized and respected’, declares Richard Miniota.
Community conservation needs to be acknowledged within the
Nature Conservation Law, so that Itombwe can become the first
example of a community-based natural reserve that benefits both
the environment and the rights of the local communities. Local
communities from Bionga, like their neighbours, are already
preparing for this, gathering in management committees and
keeping alive their traditional knowledge despite the difficulties. It is
now the duty of national and international civil society organizations
to push community conservation forward.
Atangela
Lukechi
Kalamba
Isoga
Namko
Mangwa
Msiri
Bionga
Communities dependent on
forest resources in Bionga
Source: based on a map by Blaise Mudodosi, 2010; information by local
communities in the chiefdom of Wamuzimu with technical support from the
Laboratory of Indigenous Peoples, Africapacity and Rainforest Foundation Norway
South Kivu
Village
Road
Trail
Hunting
Artisanal mining
Gathering
Fishing
Fish pond
Sacred site
Activities in the forest
Itombwe Natural Reserve
Infrastructure
Agriculture
Proposed reserve limit
Proposed multiple use zone
Proposed zone with
integral protection
0
1
2 Km
D
EMOCRATIC
R
EPUBLIC
OF
THE
C
ONGO
