Critical Interconnections Between Cultural and Biological Diversity in the Congo Basin

Abstract In this chapter, we explore the interconnections between biological and cultural diversity in the Congo Basin. This chapter focuses on the worldviews, human-nature relationships, knowledge systems, livelihood strategies, and governance regimes of people living and working in the basin: farmers, pastoralists, fishermen, and hunter-gatherers, documented from a range of disciplinary perspectives. The peoples of the Congo Basin can be broadly grouped into hunter-gatherer groups of “Pygmy” ancestry, farmers of Bantu origin, and pastoralists of Nilotic origin. Worldviews and human-nature relationships differ considerably between and within these three groups, with hunter-gatherers’ worldviews being more egalitarian and emphasizing unconditional sharing, which the other groups do not do. The languages spoken in the Congo Basin, which are over 400, convey detailed vocabulary and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) systems, intricately linked to different habitats, biodiversity, and their uses and management. In many parts of the Congo Basin, though, changing social aspirations and traditions have meant that younger generations acquire less traditional ecological knowledge than older generations possessed. Traditional farming, fishing, hunting, and gathering practices are changing, driven by increased market demand for some products and globalization. These occur alongside changes in techniques used, the erosion of traditional governance systems, and weakened enforcement of customary rules, which have led to biodiversity loss, negatively impacting the food security, health, and livelihoods of the peoples depending on them. A diversity of governance arrangements and policies regulates access not only to land and natural resources, but also markets, differing in their socio-ecological impacts. In general, though, local communities have little power and agency in most arrangements, making recognizing their needs, voice, rights, and well-being imperative.