Socio-Economic Impact of the Creation of Protected Areas on the Well-Being of the Riparian Population of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and the Itombwe Nature Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo

The paper analyzes the socio-economic effects of the creation of Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Itombwe Nature Reserve on the daily lives of riparian populations. It highlights negative impacts on household activities such as agriculture, hunting, firewood exploitation, and non-timber forest product collection. Key challenges include declining soil fertility, reduced agricultural yields, scarcity of resources, and human-wildlife conflicts. Efforts should be directed towards reducing these changes through the involvement of local populations in all the protected area conservation processes.