Perceptions sociales et adaptation au changement climatique dans et autour de la Réserve de Biosphère de Yangambi (RBY) en République démocratique du Congo

Abstract

The aim of this article is to demonstrate that local perceptions of climate change and the adaptation strategies developed by communities living near the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (RBY) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are influenced by autochthony or ancestral ties to the land and the low social acceptability of nature conservation actions. This low level of social acceptability applies to all the projects carried out in the area. To this end, documentary sources, individual interview surveys and focus groups were used to gather the relevant data. After analysis, it was realized that the construction of the perception of climate change is influenced by two main factors. On the one hand, autochtony, which refers to local communities' sense of belonging to their ancestral land, of which an area of 225,000 hectares is occupied by RBY, and on the other, the low level of social acceptability of the said reserve, including the scientific projects carried out in and around RBY.

Keywords

• climate change
• adaptation
• local communities
• Africa
• biosphere reserve
• perception