Demand for Ecosystem Services by Populations in the Luki Biosphere Reserve in DRC

Abstract

Ecosystems provide essential services to local communities, which in turn offer incentives for the preservation of natural resources, as these resources are crucial to the sustainability and evolution of human societies. So, this study examined the demand for ecosystem services among communities surrounding the Luki Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 361 randomly selected individuals and focus group discussions in 18 villages, complemented by field observations on local resource use (agriculture, charcoal production, wood harvesting, and tree felling). The services provided by the reserve were identified according to citation frequency, perceived usefulness, and level of agreement among respondents. Results indicate that agricultural products (28.5%), charcoal (19.1%), non-timber forest products (17.5%), and firewood (10%) are the most requested. The Chi-square test showed significant associations between dependence on ecosystem services and socio-economic variables such as gender (p = 0.014 < 0.05), education level (p = 0.033 < 0.05), and annual income (p = 0.000 < 0.05), while age was not significant (p = 0.504 > 0.05). Poverty and rapid demographic growth were identified as key drivers of demand and factors contributing to growing pressure on natural resources. The study emphasizes feedback loops between changes in ecosystem service supply and community responses, as well as trade-offs between services and actors. It recommends integrating ecosystem values into agricultural and forestry policies, while raising awareness and educating local communities to promote sustainable resource management.