In a first for the DRC, a homegrown NGO will co-manage a wildlife reserve

In a groundbreaking move for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a local NGO named Strong Roots Congo will partner with the country's wildlife authority, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), to jointly manage Itombwe Nature Reserve in South Kivu province, according to a report by Mongabay's Elodie Toto. This marks the first time a homegrown organization will take on co-management duties in the nation's conservation sector.

Dominique Bikaba, the founder of Strong Roots Congo, expressed her excitement about the partnership, stating, "It is an honor." She added that the government likely selected her organization due to their successful work in a biodiversity corridor and their commitment to putting local communities at the forefront of conservation efforts.

Strong Roots Congo has already secured nearly 600,000 hectares of community land to establish a crucial wildlife corridor, which connects Kahuzi-Biega National Park with Itombwe Nature Reserve. Their goal is to ultimately secure 1 million hectares of land. This development follows the DRC's recent adoption of a National Forest Policy that acknowledges the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities to manage forest areas, a significant shift as many protected areas in the country have historically been established through the forced displacement of Indigenous populations, leading to increased conflicts between local communities and park authorities.