Published on :
The DRC is the third tropical country in terms of deforestation. The reason: village communities live and depend on the forest. So how to preserve this essential wealth for humanity without impoverishing the locals? This is the challenge of the community agroforestry project developed in the Yanonge sector, in eastern DRC.
From our special correspondent in Kisangani,
From Kisangani, it takes several hours by canoe on the Congo River to reach the village of Ikongo Romain where the vegetation is still dense. ” Around you here you have trees, the forest, there are animals of all species “, describes Patrick.
It is the community relay for the FORETS project supported by Cifor, the international forestry research centre. The role of this agent is to convince local residents to convert to agroforestry. “The least we can do is first have our forest in perpetuity. It is ourselves who will manage, it is for the development and getting the title deed on behalf of the community is an uphill battle.
Yet it is this document that will allow the villagers to legally develop their income-generating activity, continues Patrick. “We’re going to put all our assets in the fund and we’ll see how to distribute it. So we don’t have a foster home. You can even build. We can try to buy a motorized canoe like that to facilitate the transport of our products to Kisangani. You can even see schools that are not well built. »
Learn about conservation and sustainability
It is precisely at school where we teach the youngest conservation, an essential learning, judges one of the customary leaders Sylvestre Ilonga. “Its very important. Because we used the forest in the cacophony, we used it legally, people paid from Kinshasa, [l’argent] returns and the community is not a beneficiary “, emphasizes Sylvestre Ilonga.
But the challenge is also sustainability, says forest engineer Houlda Ruiziki.
Because today everyone uses [de l’argent], but it evaporates. But this time this capital will stay because it will look for investments. There are inventories that we will have to do. All this is to take a photograph. What is really here? Do they have wealth, do they have resources? And with these resources, they are going to make a simple management plan to know how they are going to start using these resources.
In the sector, the younger generation is already convinced.Beat the bell,« Protect the forestis the village children’s favorite song.