Sustainable Forest Management: The Experience of Tayna 

 Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo 



Jacques VAGHENI KAKULE 



Summary 



This article presents the strategy used by the management of the Tayna Nature Reserve (TNR) in 

 conserving Tayna 's forest and fauna which is part of the Congo Basin forest ecosystem. 



The method of analysis is based on the participation of local communities in every step of the creation 

 and management of this protected area with the aim of fostering good relationships between the reserve 

 and the community. 



In the Democratic Republic of Congo, protected areas have been created and administered without the 

 participation of the population. This situation generated an atmosphere of mistrust on the part of the 

 communities towards protected areas which they consider to be the business of the State. This position 

 led to sabotage, poaching and degradation of these areas due to agricultural activities. The method 

 suggested by the TNR attempts to get round this obstacle. 



This article calls for the democratization and liberalization of the management of the environment with 

 the view of increasing initiatives for the safeguarding of forests and wildlife and reducing conflicts with 

 neighboring communities over the protected areas. 



Key words: Tayna Nature Reserve, participatory community conservation, dialogue committee. 



INTRODUCTION 



Sustainable forest management remains an important global issue since several ecological processes 

 facilitating life on earth depend on forests. To that effect, the Congolese government aims at increasing 

 the surface area of protected areas to at least 15% of the total national territory (2,345,000 square 

 meters) (see Art. 14 of the Forest Code of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), or Law No. 

 01 1/2002 of 29 August 2002). 



Forest ecosystems deserve particular attention as they are home to the largest population of plant and 

 animal species. Tropical forests host about 90 % of all terrestrial species (PNUE, 2000). 



The Tayna Nature Reserve (TNR) is a showcase of experience in forest management regardless of the 

 level of integration of the wildlife component. TNR covers a part of the Congo Basin forest considered 

 by some authors as one of the largest 'lungs' of the planet. Mankoto and Armand (1992) wrote the 

 following about this forest biome: 'Fauna and flora are of valuable interest for science, and the 

 destruction of forests which represent the main source of genetic resources, is a growing concern for 

 humankind'. 



Tayna Nature Reserve is located on the Lubero territory, North Kivu province in the Democratic 

 Republic of Congo. In the course of prospection, patrols and monitoring activities, researchers 

 recorded: 23 gorilla families, 733 chimpanzees sites, 24 for elephants and 78 for buffalos (UGADEC, 

 2007). 



The Reserve was established in the context of armed conflicts: several armed groups, national and 

 foreign, uncontrolled by the government have been active in the area since 1 996. 



Directeur, Radio Communautaire Tayna, Nord Kivu, République Démocratique du Congo 

 Tél. :243(99401 3064) ; Email: vaenijac@yahoo.fr ;Email: radiocomtayna@yahoo.fr 



Nature & Faune Vol. 23, Issue 1 , 22 



