The human population living in the Itombwe Mountains is dense in some areas and scarce in other places. However, most of the local communities in Itombwe are extremely poor and rely on bush meat poaching, agriculture, pastoralism, artisanal mining to survive.
We proudly acknowledge and respect the local communities in Fizi, Mwenga and Uvira territories and their traditions as customary owners of the forests where the Itombwe Mountains are located. We acknowledge their ability and wisdom to care for natural resources and conserve forests for the continuation of culture and traditional practices.
