Surveillance et mise en application de la loi par les écogardes dans le Domaine de chasse de la Lwama-Kivu : un outil simple de collecte de données pour l’efficacité des aires protégées dans la conservation de la biodiversité à l’Est de la RD Congo.

Abstract

Central Africa has the second largest tropical rainforest in the world. These forests contain a great diversity in terms of their fauna and flora. Despite this diversity, both in forest and savannah areas, several threats weigh on them to the point of making these habitats vulnerable. This is especially the demographic explosion and poverty, the abusive exploitation of natural resources and sometimes the low existence of surveillance personnel of protected areas coupled with the manifest scarcity of funds allocated to the surveillance of their physical integrity.Effective management of DCLK depends on information on legal habitat use by humans, ecological and behavioral needs of key species, and trends in resource availability and ecological processes. To achieve this, a ranger-based surveillance system, using basic protocols for data collection that guide protected area staff in site management was adopted. This program was launched in 2012 and allowed the collection of detailed information on illegal activities, the main species of key flora and fauna of the DCLK. Law enforcement oversight by environmental guards is a simple and cost-effective tool that can be maintained in the DCLK as well as other protected areas in DR Congo with limited external support. It provides fleet managers with information that encourages them to react appropriately to threats weighing on the ecosystem. This information about the distribution of illegal activity determines targeted patrol coverage to address specific threats. The system's bottom-up approach to ranger enforcement includes a strong capacity building component and empowers field staff in park management activities.