State of the Rainforest 2014

forest, and there is a generally high awareness of the importance of preserving the ecosystems to maintain sustainable livelihoods. ‘We can’t kill gorillas, leopards, lions, eagles and jackals. We can’t cut sacred trees like theMwatati, Kilondolondo, Bigoa, Musuku… everyone knows that!’ exclaims the assembly of comité de base members in Mwenga. During the period of gestation for forest animals, called Pombo, it is forbidden to hunt or set up traps. The traditional hunting ban is respected by the communities. Between February and April it is forbidden to discharge any chemicals into the rivers, as this is the period when fish move from big rivers to smaller streams to spawn. Moreover, sacred sites serve as the equivalent of nature reserves, as no or very limited human activities are allowed there. The ancestral cultural practice of Lusembe strictly forbids cutting trees in these areas or in riparian zones. These traditional practices of species conservation are threatened by other hunting methods which disregard traditional conservation practices. ‘Many animals disappeared. ‘The “calibre 12” [referring to armed groups with 12-caliber rifles] started hunting them and the animals fled. Now there are fewer of them, and they are less accessible’, says an old Pygmy in Kakolokelo. The traditional chief, the Mwami, plays a central role in establishing conservation rules and exceptions to these. When a Mwami puts a ban on something, the community must respect it. Infringement of traditional interdictions is punished by the Mwami, who is empowered to inflict musombo on the transgressor. In the traditional

the villagers explained. Hunting, harvesting and some agricultural activities are carried out daily in the forest and neighbouring areas. The ecosystem services that the local people benefit from goes beyond the goods that the forest provides. As the group of trailsmen from Bionga put it: ‘The air in the forest is different from in the village, it’s better for the body. There is a closeness, a special psychological dimension about being in the forest. We feel at ease here, and whoever is used to it will always have the urge to come back to the forest.’ ‘In the forest we find the resources to send our children to school’, adds a group of women in the village of Kakolokelo, close to Bionga. Kakolokelo is located right on the road. It was established there by the government, which displaced indigenous peoples from the forest to more accessible areas, within the framework of a vast national education campaign. However, the forest is quite far away from the houses in Kakolokelo, and this poses several challenges for the villagers. For example, only the youngest and strongest carry on hunting activities today. ‘We learn hunting through traditional knowledge handed down from our fathers and we hunt following that tradition. A good hunter uses his spear and his dog. The older member goes first and then the little brothers follow, so that they can learn how to track, how to kill, and how to get the meat from the animal’, a group of young villagers told us. ‘Musombo!’ For indigenous groups and local communities, traditional knowledge and practices are how they protected the forest. Several practices from the past are still utilized as conservation management tools in the

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STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014