WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN CONGO

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the conservation of fauna and flora is ensured by the Congolese Institute for the conservation of Nature (ICCN). To achieve its strategic objectives in these vast jungles around 9 National Parks and more than 250 Nature Reserves, ICCN works in collaboration with various local and international organizations.

Two management methods are currently in force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

- Anti-poaching (Police Conservation)

- Community Conservation (Non-Police Conservation).

In the near future, it would be necessary to consider other management methods as ratified in the National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy (SNCB). This is to enable ICCN's effectiveness in the sustainable management of the biodiversity of the DRC

ABOUT US

HISTORY OF CAF RDC ASBL

The Community Ranger's Association of Congo, CAF RDC asbl in acronym is an environmental organization under Congolese law created since January 7, 2020 in Goma city under the leadership of Mr. Jean-Claude MUHINDO NDAKASI.

CAF RDC asbl is initiated by individuals concerned about and denouncing the degradation of Congolese Community Reserves and National Parks, global warming and the precarious situation of the socioeconomic standing of local communities with a view to a global development of participatory conservation strategies and non-police force for the Rehabilitation and sustainability management of our Natural Resources, aquatic biodiversity and the maintenance of fundamental ecological balance.

CAF RDC asbl intends to achieve this through various Conservation projects, community development projects and economic security projects carried out in and around the member conserved areas with a conviction that the involvement of both of us in the process of sustainable conservation of our Natural Resources and the fight against global warming is a key and urgent element for the social and economic well-being of humanity in the "Conservation-Development" apprCoach.

OUR SLOGAN

For the defense of rights of trees and animals

OUR VISION:

Guarantee to present and future generations a green Congo free from global warming and an adequate living condition for local communities.

OUR MISSION:

• Contribute to the improvement of the socio-economic standing of the neighboring communities of the Congolese Community Reserves and National Parks members
• Transformation of deforestation into afforestation and restoration of endangered floral species in and around the conserved areas
• Support for nature protectors (Rangers)

• OUR FIELD OF ACTIONS
• CAF RDC asbl (Club des Amis de la Foret / Community Ranger's Association of Congo) has a national vocation. 
• CAF RDC asbl's field of action extends over the entire extent of North Kivu province in particular and the entire Democratic Republic of the Congo in general. It may extend even outside the country in the event of a project carried out in collaboration with one of its international partners.

CONSERVED SITES 

1. Mususa Forest Reserve

2. Luviru Narural Reserve

3. ITAV-Butembo

4. Kandole Community Reserve

5.Virunga National Park

6. Kahuzi-Biega National Park

7. Kundelungu National Park

TARGET GROUP

'' CAF CONGO focuses on the well-being of pygmies and neighboring communities of Congolese conserved areas and their involvement in the management of income from local natural resources''

OUR SPONSORS

• The Parmer Family Trust, special thanks to Mrs LAUREINE YVONNE PARMER (California / USA)
• M. ONDREJ VITEK ( Czech Republic)

OUR CLAMED INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

• IRF (International Ranger Federation)
• Thin Green Line Foundation
• Lead Ranger Program
• GRAA (Game Ranger's Association of Africa
• Wild Response NGO
• LEMU
• Global Conservation Corps ''GCC''
• Global Conservation Solutions ''GCS''
• Gardes Nature de France

OUR LOCAL PARTNERS

1. Hydrolique Sans Frontiere «HYFRO asbl»

2. SOPROFOLU asbl

3. RFM-ITAV asbl

4. MENAMO asbl

5. RPVA adbl

5. Association des Jeunes Amis de Gorilles «AJAGO asbl»

6. Association of Widows and Orphan of Rangers `` AVOR asbl ''

7. RECK asbl

STORY FROM THE FOREST

The Congo Basin forest in Central Africa is the second largest tropical forest after the Amazon rainforest. It covers nearly three million km2 and is shared between six countries, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Due to the overexploitation of wood, particularly by foreign companies, deforestation is significant1. The damage is ecological with a decrease in biodiversity but the consequences are also economic with the loss of long-term financial resources.

In 2013, the Congo Basin had a forest cover of over 268 million hectares. It has more than 170 million hectares of dense humid forest and more than 116 million hectares of other types of forest cover (open forests, wooded savannas).

The forests of the Congo Basin form one of the last reserves of biodiversity where primary forests are interconnected and allow biological mechanisms without disturbance5.

To the north and south, the forests become a mosaic of wooded savannas, dry forests, savannas and meadows. In the west, the Congolese forests are gradually giving way to the forests of Guinea, which stretch from western Gabon and Cameroon to southern Nigeria and Benin; these forest areas share many similarities, and are sometimes known as the Guinean-Congolese forests. To the east, the forests of the Congolese lowlands end in the mountain forests that cover the mountains bordering the Albertine Rift, a branch of the East African Rift System. Congolese forests are one of the world's ecoregions3.

The Congo Basin forest is the second largest rainforest in the world, spans six states, and contains a quarter of what remains of the rainforest on Earth. With an annual loss of 0.3% during the 2000s, the region has the lowest rate of deforestation of all major forest areas.

Low population pressure, difficult access and lack of infrastructure have helped protect the forest cover in this region of the world for a long time. According to Ernst et al. (2013), annual deforestation fell from 0.13% in the period 1990 to 2000 to 0.26% in the period 2000 to 2005. However, the increase in demographic pressure leads to an increased demand for agricultural products and wood. of fire collected at the expense of forest cover. The practice of slash-and-burn cultivation and the extension of agricultural land has been analyzed as one of the main factors of deforestation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has nine national parks and some sixty hunting grounds and reserves, managed by the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), covering 10.47% of the territory. 

These parks allow the conservation of rivers, rivers, forests, animals, lakes, volcanoes, mountains and plains.

UNESCO World Heritage sites are indicated using PM, and Ramsar sites with R.

9 National parks:

- Garamba National Park (PM)

- Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PM)

- Kundelungu National Park

- Maiko National Park (PM)

- Mangroves Marine Park (R)

- Lomami National Park

- Salonga National Park (PM)

- Upemba National Park(R)

- Virunga National Park (PM, R)

All these national parks present a rich biodiversity which, when well managed, should increase the national economy and improve the socio-economic standing of local communities and thus contribute to the development of the country.

 WHO WE ARE

Created on January 7th, 2020, The Community Ranger's Association of Congo ''CAF RDC asbl'' is a Synergy of 3 Community Reserves, 4 Environmental Associations and 1 National Park for Conservation of Grauer Gorillas, Pangolins, Zebra, Chimpanzees, Okapis, Elephants,... in the Democratic Republic of the Congo:

The role of CAF (Community Ranger's Association of Congo) in Congolese Conservation areas is to:

1. Gather the Congolese community Rangers around a common vision and in the'' Community conservation approach''

2. Promote brotherhood and exchange of experiences between colleagues in order to make them very effective in their work of Anti-poaching

3. Ensure Fundraising of conservation projects in favor of local communities

4. Strengthen the organizational management capacities of member community reserves

5. Analyze the environmental problems linked to global warming in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

6. Enforce the millennium clauses on the sustainable management of natural resources

7. Develop a peasant conscience on the merits of conservation, protection of the environment and respect for the public good,

8. Build up a database on primates and other forest wild animals of local communities

9. Identify the socio-economic conditions of the neighboring communities of the Conserved Areas, the victims of the depredation of wild animals and provide appropriate solutions to their problems,

10. Promote and rehabilitate the almost forgotten tourist sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

11. Popularize the forestry code in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

OUR ADDRESSES

The field activities coordination office is located in Goma city commune of Karisimbi avenue OSSO N ° 234 in the North Kivu province Democratic Republic of the Congo. It can be transferred to any other place by decision of the CAF General Assembly.

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT US ?

Thanks for reading us.

I am hoping for your good collaboration and your kind support. We thank you in advance.

For any support to the Community Ranger's Association of Congo ''CAF'', please feel free to contact us:

- E-mail: ndakasijc@gmail.com ; caf.rdc@gmail.com

- Telephone: +243 994692636