Each year, hunting, mainly driven by commercial interests, results in more than 5 million tonnes of wild meat being taken from these forests. Wildlife depletion in the region threatens not only the Okapi wildlife reserve, but also the survival, cultural identity and the ancestral food and knowledge systems of the Mbuti people.
The Mbuti peoples’ hunting techniques, such as net hunting, had been generally sustainable as catches had been primarily used for their own consumption. However, in recent years, the Mbuti peoples’ hunting practices and livelihoods have been under pressure due to the country’s urbanization and population growth, in addition to violations of their territorial rights.
In 2017, a consortium of international partners led by FAO launched the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme, which brings together 15 countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to reduce threats to wildlife.
Globally, the programme’s aim is to improve wildlife hunting regulations, increase the supply of sustainably produced meat products and farmed fish, empower and strengthen the management capacities of indigenous peoples and rural communities and reduce demand for wild meat, particularly in towns and cities.
Indigenous peoples and rural communities are at the heart of the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme and their equitable participation and rights-based inclusion is essential. The programme in the country is working to reduce the threats to biodiversity and to the Mbuti people both within and outside the Okapi reserve.
