Travel Guide Réserve De Luki

Located in the Mayumbe near Boma, the Luki biosphere reserve was established in January 1937 by the Belgian authorities in order to protect the primary subéquatoriale forest. Extending over 33 000 hectares, the Luki reserve is one of three biosphere reserves recognized by UNESCO in the DRC since 1979. It houses a primary subéquatoriale forest surrounded by secondary forests, savanes and agroforestry farms. As the population's pressure on natural resources is very strong, there is little left to the forest of the past, outside the reserve itself, threatened by illegal cuts, travelling agriculture and poaching. With 7 000 people living there and 65 000 in the surrounding area, the reserve must make nature coexist with men. The biosphere is divided into several territories: a central area where human interference is minimal; a concentric zone that serves as a reserved tamponet for research, training and environmental education, and tourism and leisure activities. The role of a biosphere being: - conservation of the diversity of natural and semi-natural ecosystems and landscapes; - the creation of ecologically sustainable areas of land and resources; - provision of logistical support for research, monitoring, education, and training in conservation and sustainability. Small projects are launched in villages bordering the reserve to make villagers less dependent on forest resources. These projects are based on agroforestry, environmental protection and the maintenance of existing populations. Plants in this area are grown for traditional food (bananas, cassava, rice, corn… and to generate revenues (such as palm oil, coffee and cocoa). Following a collaboration between WWF and the scientists at the Royal African Museum in Tervuren, a research laboratory was established to study and map the ecosystems of the region.