As part of its « Alliance for Biodiversity Protection and Development » project, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed a partnership agreement with Sofibanque to support the development of inclusive and sustainable small and medium-sized enterprises in the Haut-Uele province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This partnership aims to improve living conditions for local communities and reduce pressure on natural resources around Garamba National Park and the Kibali gold mine.
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
As part of its « Alliance for Biodiversity Protection and Development » project, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed a partnership agreement with Sofibanque to support the development of inclusive and sustainable small and medium-sized enterprises in the Haut-Uele province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This partnership aims to improve living conditions for local communities and reduce pressure on natural resources around Garamba National Park and the Kibali gold mine.
In the province of Haut-Uele, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the lack of employment opportunities in the formal sector and the poor diversification of business sectors are hampering economic development and damaging biodiversity. Faced with a lack of opportunities, local populations are turning to poaching, illegal logging and artisanal gold mining.
To reverse this trend, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed a partnership between its « Alliance for the Protection of Biodiversity and Development » (APBD) project, implemented by Adam Smith International (ASI), and Sofibanque, a commercial bank based in Kinshasa. The project aims to improve the living conditions of local communities and reduce pressure on natural resources around Garamba National Park and the Kibali gold mine.
USAID’s APBD project will achieve its objectives by mobilizing the resources of public and private partners, in the form of subsidized interventions, partnerships and cost-sharing agreements, or as an intermediary between third parties. These interventions are structured around four components. Improving access to economic and financial opportunities, sustainable private sector development, capacity building for responsible artisanal mining, and integrated and effective management of Garamba National Park.
« By combining the experience and financial products provided by Sofibanque with the expertise of ASI and Global Communities in supporting SMEs, the APBD project aims to demonstrate that supporting local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a powerful way of diversifying the local economy and creating jobs. In addition, it is a means of creating market opportunities that will encourage communities to engage in more sustainable livelihoods and reduce their pressure on the protected areas of Garamba National Park, » said Kevin Kiffer, APBD Project Manager.
The APBD project is the second of its kind to be launched in Haut-Uele province in the space of 7 months. In May 2023, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in the DRC, the Korean Embassy, and the DR Congolese Ministry of the Environment launched the Integrated Program for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) in Haut-Uélé province. Funded by the Republic of Korea ($9 million) and the UNDP ($1 million), the project aims to combat climate change and improve economic conditions for indigenous populations.
Fanta Mabo
Gorilla Ambassador has just addressed the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The non-governmental organisation (NGO) is asking Félix Tshisekedi to do everything possible to get the M23 out of the Virunga National Park, located in the north-east of the DRC. The armed rebel group has set up its rear base in the area of the park occupied by the mountain gorillas, thereby threatening the survival of the primates.
In early January 2023, the East African Regional Force (a military coalition) announced that the M23 armed group had until Sunday 15 January 2023 to leave all its positions in North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and withdraw to Sabyinyo, on the border between the DRC, Uganda and Rwanda, the armed rebel group’s historic position. But this measure, which aims to liberate the eastern DRC, scarred by violence attributed to the M23 rebels, is not met with satisfaction by environmentalists.
In an open letter sent on Sunday 15 January 2023 to DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, Gorilla Ambassador warned of the threats posed by the M23 to the animal species of Virunga Park, following its encampment at Mont-Sabinyo, in the Rutshuru territory (North Kivu). For the deputy director of this organisation, Alain Mukiranya, animal species are threatened by poaching in the Mount Sabinyo region, occupied by the M23. « This rebel encampment at Mount Sabinyo is a danger for the gorillas, which have already been threatened for a long time by war, poaching and habitat loss. The presence of these rebels (M23, editor’s note) will increase the poaching rate because they will hunt and cut down trees to produce charcoal for sale, » warns Alain Mukiranya.
The challenge of preserving biodiversity
Fearing that Virunga Park will lose all its gorillas because of the war waged in eastern DRC by the M23, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Gorilla Ambassador has asked the President of the Republic to use his diplomacy to request that the rebels be quartered elsewhere and not in this World Heritage site.
Created in 1925, Virunga, the oldest natural park on the African continent, has become a collateral victim of the war and violence in North Kivu, even though it is a jewel of Congolese, African and world heritage. The site has been a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) World Heritage Site since 1979. It is a rich ecosystem. According to the park management, more than 50% of Africa’s terrestrial species are represented there.
Fanta Mabo
DRC: Action to dislodge M23 rebels from Virunga National Park
Gorilla Ambassador has just addressed the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The non-governmental organisation (NGO) is asking Félix Tshisekedi to do everything possible to get the M23 out of the Virunga National Park, located in the north-east of the DRC. The armed rebel group has set up its rear base in the area of the park occupied by the mountain gorillas, thereby threatening the survival of the primates.
Le gouvernement RD congolais et la Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) viennent de signer un accord de gestion pour le parc national de Kahuzi-Biega (PNKB), situé à l’Est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC). Ce partenariat public-privé (PPP) offre de meilleures perspectives de conservation pour la riche biodiversité du PNKB, menacée par le braconnage et l’exploitation minière illégale.
Un vent d’espoir souffle sur les 6 000 km2 du parc national de Kahuzi-Biega (PNKB), à l’Est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC). Après trois années de négociation, la Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), une organisation non gouvernementale (ONG) américaine dont l’objectif est la préservation de la nature dans le monde et particulièrement en Afrique, obtient la gestion du PNKB. L’ONG basée au parc zoologique du Bronx à New York aux États Unis, a signé avec l’Agence nationale des aires protégées (ICCN) de la RDC, un partenariat public-privé pour la gestion du PNKB.
À travers ce partenariat, la WCS propose une gestion intégrée. Celle-ci protégera la faune et les habitats uniques du PNKB. Elle reconnaîtra également les droits des peuples autochtones Batwa et des communautés locales en leur permettant d’être des partenaires et des constituants actifs et influents dans la gouvernance et la gestion du parc. « Notre engagement dans ce nouvel accord de gestion est enraciné dans notre expérience à travers le monde. Nous sommes associés à plus de 200 groupes de peuples autochtones et 1500 communautés locales dans la conviction que la nature et les gens sont intrinsèquement liés, tout comme la biodiversité et la diversité culturelle. Nous reconnaissons qu’ils se renforcent mutuellement, sont interdépendants et souvent co-évolués » explique la WCS.
Les défis qui attendent la WCS à Kahuzi-Biega
Le PNKB est un foyer de la biodiversité, perdu dans l’une des régions les plus troublées et peu sûres au monde, l’Est de la RDC. L’insécurité dans et autour du parc est principalement alimentée par l’extraction et le commerce illégal de ses ressources naturelles abondantes et de plus en plus recherchées (faune, bois, charbon de bois, or, coltan, étain et tungstène).
Dans une déclaration datant du lundi 18 avril 2022, les peuples autochtones accusent un responsable du PNKB d’avoir installé un représentant du gouverneur dans la carrière de Bileta situé à l’intérieur du parc. Ce qui, selon eux, favorise l’exploitation minière illicite dans ce site protégé.
Le PNKB a été créé en 1970. Inscrit sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco (Organisation des Nations unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture) depuis 1980, le site est couvert d’une vaste étendue de forêt tropicale primaire et est dominé par deux volcans éteints, le Kahuzi et le Biega, qui culminent entre 2 100 et 2 400 mètres d’altitude. C’est un site où vit l’une des dernières populations de gorilles de montagne.
Boris Ngounou
WCS obtient en fin la gestion du parc national de Kahuzi-Biega en DRC
Le gouvernement RD congolais et la Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) viennent de signer un accord de gestion pour le parc national de Kahuzi-Biega (PNKB), situé à l’Est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC). Ce partenariat public-privé (PPP) offre de meilleures perspectives de conservation pour la riche biodiversité du PNKB, menacée par le braconnage et l’exploitation minière illégale.