Conflict-Sensitive Conservation in the Maiko-Tayna-Kahuzi-Biega Landscape

This report details a September 2017 training workshop on conflict-sensitive conservation (CSC) held in Bukavu, South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the workshop aimed to train staff from the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) and community forest representatives on identifying and analyzing conservation conflicts within the Maiko-Tayna-Kahuzi-Biega (MTKB) landscape to minimize risks and maximize peace-building opportunities.

• In Maiko National Park (MNP), the primary conflict is the uncontrolled and illegal exploitation of natural resources, including mining, bushmeat hunting, and charcoal harvesting. This is driven by the presence of armed groups, weak law enforcement, a lack of public awareness regarding park boundaries, and a lack of alternative livelihoods, leading to biodiversity loss and tensions between the ICCN and local populations.
• Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP), a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed as 'in danger', faces critical conflict due to illegal encroachment and settlement within an ecological corridor connecting its high-altitude and low-altitude sectors. This fragmentation, caused by farms, pasture lands, and mines, blocks animal migrations and reduces genetic diversity, while contributing to a decline in tourism and increased human-wildlife conflict.
• The Itombwe Nature Reserve (INR) is primarily affected by community conflicts surrounding poaching. Because the reserve spans multiple chiefdoms with varying hunting rules, poachers often move into neighboring areas to avoid restrictions. This is exacerbated by corruption, illegal hunting permits, high demand for bushmeat, and a lack of alternative livelihoods, resulting in the breakdown of relationships between communities and threats to park staff.
• The MTKB landscape, covering 106,000 km², is one of Africa's most biodiverse regions but faces extreme demographic pressure with population densities reaching 300 persons per square kilometer. This pressure leads to rapid deforestation and soil erosion, while a historical lack of consultation during the gazettement of protected areas has caused local communities to ignore or not recognize park boundaries.
• To address these conflicts, stakeholders proposed specific CSC strategies: for MNP, the creation of a multistakeholder commission for participatory boundary demarcation; for KBNP, providing incentives for farming and livestock outside the park; and for INR, establishing a dialogue platform facilitated by civil society to develop agreements on reserve engagement.
• The report suggests monitoring CSC interventions through a mix of quantitative indicators—such as the number of snares confiscated, the area of the KBNP corridor covered by farms, and the number of illegal mine sites—and qualitative indicators, such as whether communities feel they benefit from conservation activities.

APA

Crawford, A. (2017). Conflict-Sensitive Conservation in the Maiko-Tayna-Kahuzi-Biega Landscape. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conflict-sensitive-conservation-maiko-tayna-kahuzi-biega-landscape.pdf

Chicago

Crawford, Alec. Conflict-Sensitive Conservation in the Maiko-Tayna-Kahuzi-Biega Landscape. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conflict-sensitive-conservation-maiko-tayna-kahuzi-biega-landscape.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crawford |first1=Alec |title=Conflict-Sensitive Conservation in the Maiko-Tayna-Kahuzi-Biega Landscape |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=October 2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conflict-sensitive-conservation-maiko-tayna-kahuzi-biega-landscape.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crawford2017conflictsensitive, author = {Crawford, Alec}, title = {{Conflict-Sensitive Conservation in the Maiko-Tayna-Kahuzi-Biega Landscape}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/conflict-sensitive-conservation-maiko-tayna-kahuzi-biega-landscape.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }