Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo – Revitalization of village by young people in co-existence with wildlife ―Japan Wildlife Conservation Society―

<p>The village Mbomo, where the headquarters of Odzala-Kokoua National Park is located in north-western Republic of Congo, has suffered worsening agricultural damage caused by forest elephants over the past several years, leading to food shortages and poverty. In order to establish a way of life coexisting with wildlife in the village, where agriculture is the main means of livelihood, the project tried to train young leaders to work on village development by increasing tolerance against wildlife damage and creating source of income. However, the relationship between the park authority and the villagers was not good due to crop damage by elephants and employment problems, and it proved difficult to find leaders. Young people in the village had not completed school years and had no intention to learn a trade. In the first year, one step was taken for activities to generate an independent source of income for villagers through trial cultivation of crops that can be harvested in a short period of time, painting classes to identify talents who can paint pictures that can be sold as souvenirs for tourists, and beekeeping seminars with a view to running a beekeeper training school in the next year. These activities will gradually spread to other families through the local custom of working together as a family unit, and will continue to help build a village that can coexist with wildlife.</p>