Dynamics of Biological Resource Use and Conservation Challenges within the Yaka Community of Kasongo-Lunda, Kwango Province, DRC

Abstract

Biodiversity management in the Democratic Republic of Congo is situated at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge, livelihood needs and conservation requirements. In Kingulu, Kwango Province, the conservation practices and uses of biological resources within the Yaka community remain insufficiently documented. This study aimed to identify the biological resources used locally, describe their food, medicinal and socio-cultural uses, analyse the contribution of traditional knowledge to sustainable management, evaluate land-cover dynamics and propose conservation strategies adapted to the local context. The study combined direct and participatory observation, household surveys, interviews with key informants, biological inventories and remote-sensing analysis of land-use change from 2001 to 2025. Data were collected from 217 households and 100 key informants in selected villages located near forest, savannah and collection areas. The findings show that biological resources support food, health, cultural practices, household income and local environmental governance. Remote-sensing analysis indicates a decline in forest cover from 30.33% in 2001 to 26.94% in 2025, despite a temporary increase to 31.17% in 2013. Local observations also indicate increasing scarcity, and in some cases local disappearance, of species reported by respondents, including Encephalartos laurentianus, Loxodonta cyclotis and Pan troglodytes. The main pressures identified include extensive agriculture, hunting, deforestation, overfishing, felling of host trees and unsustainable harvesting practices. Although Yaka traditional knowledge supports staggered harvesting, domestication, livestock keeping, aquaculture, protection of sacred forests and respect for designated collection sites, these practices remain challenged by poverty, weak management mechanisms and changing environmental conditions. The study highlights the need for integrated conservation approaches that combine community knowledge, ecological monitoring and locally appropriate governance.