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ABSTRACT
The Impact of Human Conflict on Eastern Lowland Gorilla Conservation in Kahuzi-Biega
Nation Park, Democratic Republic of Congo
Omari O. Ilambu
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Kahuzi-Biega National Park was established in 1970 to assure long-term conservation of the Eastern
Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla graueri). This endemic species is “endangered” according to the Primates
Specialist Group, a Species Survival Commission group of the International Union for Conservation of
Nature and Natural Resources. The park is also listed as a World Heritage Site and is managed for
preservation of its flora and fauna. Growing human populations around Kahuzi-Biega National Park and
conflicts over land within the corridor linking the two main parts of the park have led to stress on the small
gorilla population. Attempts to address this problem have not been entirely successful to date. International assistance to improve long-term gorilla conservation within the park by reducing human pressure
through micro-enterprise and community development has been helpful. This paper describes and
analyzes conflict between local community development concerns and park management in the corridor
between the two sectors of the park. Several options are examined to address problems, ranging from doing
nothing, removing all illegal human settlement in the park, significantly involving local communities in
park management, coercive enforcement of existing laws by park officials, to defining rights of access to
natural resources. Three recommendations follow. First, a truly cooperative system of direct collaboration,
negotiation, and mediation between park managers and the local community should be developed. This
will allow local communities to feel ownership of the park and will improve the strained relations. Second,
local communities should be able to develop small tourist activities related to the park, which can offset
benefits of extracting natural resources and crop losses caused by animals leaving the park. Locals can also
be employed in law enforcement activities related to the park, thus providing them a stable source of
income and well-being. Third, establish sustainability in project assistance programs. Projects can be
funded on the basis of collaborative planning between park management and the local community.
OMARI O. ILAMBU received a B.S. from the National Education Institute in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(Zaire), and will receive a Master’s in Environmental Science (2001) from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. His research for the Congolese National Parks Institute focuses on inventories of gorillas and other
large mammals as well as assessment of biodiversity. His current interests include the analysis of habitat fragmentation processes in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and its implication in the land use planning
and management of natural resources. He is author of scientific papers on gorillas and large mammals in eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo. He is associated with the Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, in its Africa
field program.
Omari O. Ilambu, Institute Congolaise pour la Conservation de la Nature, BP 886 Kinshasa XI, Democratic Republic
of Congo. E-mail: omari.ilambu@yale.edu
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