livelihoods | WCS Congo Blog

Building a Constituency for Conservation in the Ndoki landscape

Posted on December 10, 2018

Conservation of wildlife requires the active support of local people. Ensuring that families tangibly benefit from the protection of wildlife populations is key to garnering support and building a local constituency for conservation. Finding ways to improve the wellbeing and secure the cultural identity of traditional and Indigenous Peoples is a challenge everywhere. In isolated places like northern Republic of Congo families have limited access...

A passion for wildlife

Posted on December 20, 2017

by Zanne Labuschagne

Talk to Gaston Abea about wildlife and you will see his face light up. He exudes enthusiasm in every task he tackles and it is quickly clear that he is extremely passionate about his conservation work in the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park. Abea has been part of several projects working to protect northern Congo’s wildlife over the past 17 years. Born in the village of Bomassa,...

HONEY PRODUCTION STRENGTHENS LIVELIHOODS IN NORTHERN CONGO

Posted on December 7, 2017

by Germain Mavah

The harvest and sale of honey produced by wild bees generates income, and reduces pressures on families living near the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in northern Congo to turn to killing wildlife as a source of cash income. Finding ways to increase incomes and improve the living standards of families living in isolated areas is a challenge throughout the world. However, it is especially important in...

A growing engagement

Posted on April 1, 2016

by Tim Rayden

Say 'Congo' and most people will think of thick, impenetrable forests. Few people realise that one third of Congo's surface area is covered by savannah. The WCS Batéké project works in the area around the Lefini reserve in central Congo. Trees cover only about 20% of the landscape, meaning that the wooded areas are increasingly under pressure from a growing human population. The reserve was...

Mapping out a long term solution

Posted on March 15, 2016

by Sam Nziengui Kassa

The formal gazettement of the Ogooué-Leketi National Park (OLNP) in south-western Congo is a primary objective of WCS Congo’s Bateke Plateau project. The protection of the OLNP would create a trans boundary protected area of half a million hectares. The area is regarded as a priority site for the protection of great apes, and is of considerable ecological significance due to its location in the...

Sustainable agroforestry

Posted on August 16, 2015

by Diane Detoeuf

Nested in the Batéké Plateau of Southern Congo, the Lefini Wildlife Reserve is surrounded by villages and agricultural land. The reserve is under pressure from unsustainable hunting and demand for fuel wood yet remains a key potential tourism site for the country. On the northern border of the reserve, people living in a small village called Mpoh, well aware of the importance of conservation for...