Posted on May, 25 2001

The tropical moist forests of southwestern Central African Republic (CAR) are the country's last stronghold of highly diverse forest habitats. In this region, the government of CAR and WWF have collaborated to create the Dzanga-Sangha Dense Forest Special Reserve and the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park.

Together, these two areas protect 4,500 km2 of intact moist tropical forest that contains high densities of important forest wildlife. It is also the homeland of the Ba'Aka forest people.

Sustaining life in the forests

Home to several groups of indigenous peoples, the 4,200 km2 Dzanga-Sangha National Park is an important reservoir for much of Africa's dwindling biological diversity.

Through an innovative programme of collaboration with local people and government authorities, WWF is providing technical advice and logistical support to protect not only one of the continent's last great remnants of dense forest, but also the way of life of some of the last forest-dwelling peoples in Africa.

Two-thirds of Dzanga-Sangha National Park is now classified as a Special Reserve, a new type of protected area in the CAR developed through WWF's influence in order to accommodate the needs of traditional peoples in the region. As a result, forest foragers such as the Ba'Aka are able to remain and maintain traditional lifestyles and, should they choose, receive support that would help them prepare for changing social conditions.

The Ba'Aka have developed a strong awareness of the seasons and moods of the forest, and how they influence its plants and animals. Living within the Special Reserve, pygmies retain the rights to hunt and gather medicinal plants, fruit and other wild foods. Certain species such as elephant, gorilla and chimpanzee cannot be hunted as these are protected under national legislation.

The knowledge these people have accumulated over generations is being put to use in managing the reserve and its wildlife. Some of the Ba'Aka are employed as research assistants for ecological studies on elephant, gorilla and medicinal plants. Sharing their knowledge with WWF contributes to a greater understanding of the often fragile links within the forest ecosystem, and is invaluable for planning and management purposes. As the same time, the Ba'Aka appreciate that their accumulated knowledge is important to the outside world.

Realizing that current levels of hunting are unsustainable, the Ba'Aka are helping reduce these pressures by supporting the establishment of a no-hunting zone in the remainder of the park - an area known as Dzanga-Ndoki. This move will help reduce threats from bushmeat hunting, an activity largely carried out by outsiders working with logging companies and diamond mines.

In return, the Ba'Aka are employed by the programme as tourist guides, sharing their understanding of the forest with outside visitors. A revenue-generating mechanism has been established in which 40 per cent of all tourist receipts go to a village association, which includes the Aka people, while another 50 per cent pays the salaries of local employees of the park and reserve. In this way, 90 per cent of the conservation dividend goes to the local people most affected by the park and reserve.

In addition to preserving the option to continue traditional practices, several programmes have been developed to help pygmies adapt to a changing, modernized society. Literacy and numeracy skills for adults and pre-school programmes for Aka children have been supported by WWF. Assistance is also provided to Ba'Aka labourers working for logging companies where they are often cheated out of their correct wages due to their inability to read or to count the little money they earn.

The WWF project has also supported a health care programme primarily targeted at the Ba'Aka people, as well as other marginalized people in the region. A "barefoot doctor" programme has brought basic health care and health education to remote Ba'Aka camps, as well as to fishing villages along the Sangha River, situated far away from the reaches of the national health care system.

A particular focus of this programme is to validate traditional knowledge of treating ailments through traditional medicines. One successful programme has been in the treatment of chigoe fleas that lay eggs in the soft feet of children and can often cause crippling. Traditionally this was not a problem as the Ba'Aka moved from one forest camp to another but, with the advent of wage labour, these movements have been reduced to seasonal forays. Traditional cures for this ailment - such as a mixture of palm oil and the root of a particular forest shrub ground together and applied to infected areas - have also been discarded as people have become more settled. WWF health care staff have helped revive this practice, not only eradicating chigoe fleas from certain villages but again reinforcing the validity of Ba'Aka traditional practices and encouraging the Aka to continue the use of their traditional knowledge.