The community conservation approach in the Nkuba area
Solución completa
Installation of trap cameras for wildlife monitoring
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (DFGF)
Nkuba Conservation Area (NCA) is a community conservation area straddling the border between North Kivu province in the Walikale territory, and Maniema province in the Punia territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Located between two major national parks, including Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Maiko National Park, the area covers an estimated total surface area of 2,457.9 km2. Created in 2012, the NCA is an initiative that essentially aims at scientific research and nature conservation, especially of Grauer's gorillas, a fully protected species according to IUCN status. The zone is in fact a set of community forestry initiatives oriented towards a management mode known as a separate management entity entrusted to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund "DFGF" by the local communities for a renewable 25-year period. Various forms of support for communities in terms of building socio-economic resilience to mitigate threats to biodiversity.
Last update: 30 Sep 2025
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Contexto
Défis à relever
The Nkuba Conservation Area initiative has provided solutions to poaching problems that were endangering the lives of Grauer's gorillas, and to other threats to biodiversity such as illegal fishing by poisoning.
Ubicación
Walikale, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
West and Central Africa
Procesar
Summary of the process
The various stakeholders are involved in decision-making concerning the management of the area and the beneficiaries of the various benefits. They meet as the Comité de Conservation de Nkuba Conservation Area (COCONCA), which includes on the one hand the conservation area management committee and, on the other, the community members of the UTDPE. To this end, the community participates in all meetings aimed at making decisions in terms of recruiting agents, setting the conservation premium, selecting scholarship beneficiaries, types of local development support, etc., through its representatives on the UTDPE.
Building Blocks
Existence of a memorandum of understanding defining stakeholders' rights
The existing memorandum of understanding defines the rights of community members with regard to site management. These include rights relating to access to the conservation premium, school scholarships, support for socio-economic resilience (agriculture, livestock, fish farming, etc.), field activities, access to the multiple-use zone, etc.
Enabling factors
Respect for rights as defined in the memorandum of understanding has led to community involvement in all conservation activities initiated in the area.
Lesson learned
With a view to respecting the various rights recognized to local community members, a Nkuba Conservation Area Committee (COCONCA) has been set up, bringing together both community members and the conservation area management committee, so that all stakeholders can participate in decision-making on site management.
Collaboration with Union des Terriens pour le Développement et la Protection de l'Environnement (UTDPE)
UTDPE is a local organization that brings together land chiefs and other customary authorities who must take part in the meetings where decisions are made.
Enabling factors
Collaboration with UTDPE in site management has fostered a form of participatory management at the Nkuba site.
Lesson learned
The members of the UTDPE are also representatives of the various stakeholder families in the area.
Impacts
The Nkuba Conservation Area initiative has had a positive impact on the conservation of Grauer's gorillas and biodiversity in general by local communities. Community support in terms of building socio-economic resilience has contributed enormously to mitigating threats to ecosystems and biodiversity. Through this support, community members are sensitized to adopting responsible behaviors in favor of biodiversity, and are recruited as rangers and initiated into strengthening patrols. There is also a scientific team in charge of monitoring biodiversity and habitats. In the event of disputes, traditional conflict resolution mechanisms such as customary sanctions, out-of-court settlements, inter-partner dialogues, etc. are planned and implemented.
Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries are members of local communities, scientific and technical collaborators, as well as members of civil society and environmental activists.
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 1 – No poverty
SDG 12 – Responsible consumption and production
SDG 13 – Climate action
Story
The Nkuba Conservation Area is a community conservation initiative that brings together several local community forest concessions (CFCLs). Governance of the Nkuba Conservation Area is entrusted to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund organization, represented by its DRC Program Director. The area is managed for scientific research purposes, for the protection of gorillas and the conservation of biodiversity in general, with the aim of contributing to the improvement of living conditions for the surrounding populations and the well-being of local communities, notably through the elaboration and implementation of a Simple Management Plan (PSG). The governance authority was established on the basis of a memorandum of understanding signed with the community grouped within the Union des Terriens pour le Développement et la Protection de l'Environnement (UTDPE). The legal basis for the site's status is the memorandum of understanding signed with the community, and the provincial decree granting CFCL status to the area.
Various forms of support are provided to the communities, including scholarships for young people and children, and various forms of assistance for agricultural and livestock activities. Cultural and spiritual values are promoted in the outlying forests of the conserved area, through cultural rites to offer manna to the ancestors (Kutambikiya), with strict respect for the sacred forests around the conserved area, the sacred tombs used to delimit the ancestral entities of each family, etc., which are attributes on which cultural values are based. Traditional dance days and initiation periods for young people are also included in the planning of community activities around the zone.
