FACTORS AFFECTING THE BOUNDARY DEMARCATION IN THE KAHUZI-BIEGA NATIONAL PARK, KIVU, D. R. CONGO

The Kahuzi-Biega National Park is one of the world heritage sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its legal boundaries were not negotiated with local communities. Confl icts arose between park offi cials and surrounding communities. The German- Congo bilateral conservation project enhanced recognition of boundary demarcation in some communities, but not in others. This paper analyzes the factors positively or negatively affecting the boundary demarcation process. The participation of leading traditional chiefs to demarcation missions positively affected the boundary demarcation in proportion to the number of health centers and agricultural projects sponsored in the area. In contrast, written complaints lodged against the park from a particular category of "urbanized natives" hampered the boundary demarcation. Such complaints were correlated with the number of interferences of local communities' interests by the park. Law enforcement tended to reduce the number and length of challenged boundary sections

VULNERABILITY OF HABITUATED GRAUER'S GORILLA TO POACHING IN THE KAHUZI-BIEGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC

Kahuzi gorillas lived without any major disturbances since their habituation started in 1970. The wars from October 1996 to May 1997 and from August 1998 to June 2003 in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo led to a large-scale slaughter of gorillas. The results of this study based on interviews with ex-poachers suggest that when habituated and non-habituated gorillas are exposed to similar poaching-pressures, the habituated gorillas are more likely to be killed than the non-habituated. The estimated ratio of killed habituated gorillas was as high as 71% vs. 42% for non-habituated gorillas. Habituated gorillas were 1.6 times more susceptible to poaching than their non-habituated counterparts. It is recommended that habituation should not be expanded, although already habituated families should be maintained as such