On 22 May 2026, in the village of Rusayu in North Kivu province, the Conseil pour la Terre des Ancêtres (CTA) and CABES brought together 41 participants from five Indigenous rural communities to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity. Against a backdrop of armed conflict, displacement, and mounting pressure on the park’s resources, the workshop opened a rare space for rural women and Indigenous Pygmy peoples to speak freely about how conflict reshapes both their lives and the future of conservation.
Guided by the IPBES Nature Futures Framework, the dialogue surfaced the deep challenges these communities face — loss of livelihoods, gender-based violence, insecure land tenure, and exclusion from decision-making — alongside the traditional knowledge and resilience they bring to protecting the Virunga landscape. The report documents participant testimonies, the perspectives of park management (ICCN) and Indigenous organisations (L’ANAPAC), and a set of co-management recommendations addressed to public authorities, conservation organisations, financial partners, and communities themselves.
Held in adherence to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles, this workshop forms part of CABES’ wider effort to strengthen and mainstream Indigenous voices within the DRC National Biodiversity Platform.
Download the full report below:
