Conflict-sensitive, community-based conservation in Eastern DRC

Main purpose
Biodiversity conservation / restoration,
Reduced human-wildlife conflicts,
Effective conflict mediation and resolution mechanism

Other expected benefits
Increased stocks for fishing and hunting,
Food security,
Entry point for dialogue and mediation between conflicting groups

Conflict context
Established in 1925 as Africa‘s first national park, Virunga National Park, expanded over the following 12 years to include some of the most diverse habitats of the Albertine Rift. PNVi, together with the contiguous Queen Elizabeth, Rwenzori Mountains, Semuliki and Bwindi Impenetrable Parks in Uganda and the Volcanoes Park in Rwanda, form the Greater Virunga Landscape, one of the most biodiverse landscapes in the world. Managed by the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), it was declared a World Heritage Site in 1979. During the recent civil conflicts in the DRC, Virunga National Park has been illegally settled by people looking for farmland and access to Lake Edward‘s valuable fishery. This in-migration has strained the park‘s natural resource base, with resultant over-fishing leading to a near-collapse of the Lake Edward fishery. The Congolese military has operated in the park for years, working to expel various armed groups of rebels from PNVi, but in the process have become engaged in a number of illegal activities, including fishing, poaching, charcoal production and firewood collection. In 1994, due to conflict and the subsequent collapse of the institutions managing the park, it was listed as a World Heritage Site in Danger; its status has not changed.

Peace and security contributions
Interventions in the two parks were identified to have improved relationships between communities and conservation actors, while also resulting in positive biodiversity benefits.

Reported elements of good practice

Good practices for the design and implementation of these conservation-based NBS included a participatory approach to activity design that engaged community members and relied on their insights, needs and priorities; integration of a thorough understand of conflict actors, causes, impacts and dynamics into project design and informed by consultations with relevant stakeholders; and long-term relationships with communities, built on trust and multi-year support for their continued development and well-being.

Reported challenges

Security challenges were the primary challenge – while the interventions were designed to be conflict-sensitive, there was only so much that the partners could do in a volatile context like the eastern DRC. To ensure staff safety, there were many during implementation in which plans had to be cancelled or adjusted due to insecurity and threats to staff safety.