RESTOREID: Laying the Foundations for Social Science Research in Congo

To reach Yangambi, we take a ferry to cross the river, buying some bananas along the way, and after five hours on a dirt road, we enter the Yangambi territory. Colonial houses and the herbarium, dating back to 1933, make up the surroundings. Near the market area, we spot the cogeneration station, for green energy production.

Over the next days, a team of researchers from the Kisangani Center for Biodiversity Conservation, Médecins du Monde Belgium (MDM-Be), and the Institute of Research for Development (IRD) organized a preliminary visit, allowing local authorities, institutions, development actors, and neighboring communities of the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve to meet The goal is to understand the context, lay the groundwork to write up a contextualized research protocol, and begin social research for the RESTOREID consortium.

Research is not new to Yangambi. During the colonial era, the National Institute for Agronomic Studies of the Belgian Congo (INEAC) was established, now known as the National Institute for Agronomic Studies and Research (INERA). Next to INERA also the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a key player in the “Yangambi Landscape” as locals call it, focusing on reforestation, agroforestry practices, and conservation of flora and fauna. One of the main partners is the University of Kisangani, which is also part of the RESTOREID consortium.

 

 

The population of Yangambi is diverse. The Turumbu people, whom the Belgians encountered and displaced to create the INEAC, represent one group, while many others, who identify today as the diaspora, arrived later to work and settle here. The diaspora primarily resides in Yangambi's neighborhoods, and much of the reforestation work occurs on plots inherited by the families of the first workers. This set-up counts as compensation for years without wages. Plots are used to plant trees, especially acacias, alongside species requested by the community, such as caterpillar trees or fruit trees, mixed with crops like cassava or rice. However, this mix, particularly the acacia, doesn't always satisfy local farmers.

INERA maintains research plots for some native species, such as Autranella congolensis. An INERA engineer guided us to one of these plots and explained that while the most valued tree is Afrormosia (still found in the Yangambi reserve), Autranella has multiple uses, from making paddles to constructing railway tracks and serving pharmacological and dietary purposes (oil). During the visit, we passed by children and mothers who had been up early to collect caterpillars to sell and cook. We are guided, from soil to foraging, in a postcolonial landscape in what at times shares the affect of an open-air colonial museum.

 

 

A few kilometers from Yangambi lies the village of Weko, where we met with a group of hunters who shared their observations about the decreasing biodiversity, the difficulty in spotting certain animals, their hunting practices and their views on CIFOR’s projects. Hunting—or more precisely, trapping—also occurs in farmland, where rodent populations have increased since the introduction of certain trees species and crops.

The “Yangambi Landscape” is rich, not only historically and ecologically, but also in terms of fauna, human presence, soil quality, and CO2. The relationships and ways people inhabit this landscape—particularly in connection to efforts aimed at restoring the land, its people, soil, air, and biodiversity—are at the heart of our scientific curiosity.