TITLE:
Baulu Conservation Concession as an Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measure (OECM): Loma Group, DRC
AUTHORS:
Loïc Nanfack, Nicolas Bayol, Florence Palla, Marine Olivier, Serge Alexis Kamgang, Loïs Danielle Mabicka, Jean-Hilarion Nankia Tatang
KEYWORDS:
Post-Industrial Logging, Conservation Concession, NTFP, IUCN Red List Conservation, Wildlife, RECCE, Surveys, Hunters
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.16 No.1,
December
18,
2025
ABSTRACT: This study examines the adequacy of the Baulu Conservation Concession (Democratic Republic of Congo) with the normative framework of OECMs of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Located in the Congo Basin, this 277,131-hectare concession, recently converted from industrial logging to a conservation model, represents a critical case study for reconciling ecological integrity and local development. The assessment is based on the secondary analysis of two complementary field studies: 1) a wildlife ecological analysis through participatory surveys of 80 hunters and reconnaissance walks (RECCE) over 24 km, and 2) an economic potential assessment through socioeconomic surveys of 160 households. These data were interpreted according to one of the eight criteria defined by the CBD for the recognition of OECMs and synthesized in a SWOT analysis. The study reveals a marked dichotomy. Ecologically, the concession has a notable species richness (43 species recorded), including 26.1% of threatened species (CR, EN, VU on the IUCN Red List) such as the Bonobo (Pan paniscus) and the Congo Peafowl (Afropavo congensis), confirming its global biological importance. Biodiversity indices (Shannon
H
′
= 2.43) indicate a complex and relatively preserved forest ecosystem. Socio-economically, local communities exhibit extreme dependence on natural resources (slash-and-burn agriculture: 38%, NTFP collection: 30%), widespread economic insecurity (median income