Odzala-Kokoua legacy landscape has made significant progress in advancing fundamental ESAP measures and enhancing provisions for environmental and social safeguards. From the former ESAP, 98% of foreseen ESAP measures have been implemented or are well underway. The not yet implemented measures have been incorporated in the updated ESAP which will be tracked for its progress going forward.
Improved stakeholder engagement
- Two elected local community representatives (board members) continue to participate in the Odzala Kokoua Lossi Foundation’s board meetings, where they share northern and southern communities’ perspectives, grievances, and claims with the park management.
- Continued engagement with ASDDs (Association de Surveillance et de Développement Durable) in all villages around the park and strengthening of representation of vulnerable groups (women, Indigenous Peoples, and elders).
- Community Focal Points established to support park and ASDDs with project implementation, reporting on human-wildlife conflict, sensitization on conservation and diffusion of the grievance mechanism.
- Program-level FPIC protocol used in all human-wildlife conflict mitigation projects – giving communities agency over projects implemented in their areas.
- An Indigenous Peoples’ action plan was developed and integrated into operational planning. The plan includes actions related to natural resource access, economic activities support, land rights, governance inclusion, gender equity, human-wildlife coexistence, preservation of cultural practices, access to water, education, and health.
Access restriction mitigation & livelihood support
- 41 out of 57 villages (including 31 of 32 in the immediate park periphery) participated in an extensive participatory mapping initiative to understand community access rights, especially for marginalized and vulnerable population groups as well as to assess land use patterns, cultural sites and human-wildlife conflicts. This mapping exercise will be used to redefine community access to the park zones, and to increase sustainable natural resource access for periphery communities.
- Over 180 people (including 125 women) were supported with fishing permits for traditional sites along the Mambili river and traditional pond fishing in the core zone of the park.
- Over 400 people were supported in sustainable income generation activities (gardening, cacao cultivation, honey, and non-timber forest products).
- Over 2,000 children participating in the environmental education program, fourteen teachers including two indigenous teachers supported, over 4,300 treatments by park clinics, and more than 800 people visiting the park to learn about conservation.
- Park zoning markers were placed along community pathways leading into the park, to allow communities to know when they have transitioned from one park zone to the next and the resource harvesting rights that are in place in that zone.
- Over 20 households’ land ownership mapped to apply for forest resource permits, supporting their rights and continued development.
Improved grievance mechanism
- Memorandum of understanding signed with the local human rights organization Cercle des Droits de l’Homme et du Développement (CDHD) and the Observatoire Congolais des Droits de l’Homme (OCDH), covering social safeguards and human rights training and monitoring missions, as well as third-party support on grievance cases and conflict resolution.
- Internal and external grievance mechanism channels are diversified, with an emphasis on in-person exchange and proactive dialogue.
- Program staff and park periphery communities trained on the program grievance redress mechanism, including village-level focal points.
- Safeguards Manager recruited to oversee extensive implementation of social safeguards.
Improved law enforcement
- Risk assessments undertaken, including implementing recommendations and action plans.
- Pre-briefing, mission standards and safeguards form developed for all authorities participating in joint missions.
- Improvement in occupational health and safety (OHS) standards, strengthened training, mentorship and regular audits of implementation of the African Parks standard operational procedures (SOPs).
- Annual refresher training on human rights for 100% of law enforcement personnel, as well as further training on arrests, body searches, confiscations, and the use of force in line with the African Parks SOPs.
Human wildlife conflict management
- Mbomo village electric fence supporting some 240 hectares of arable land.
Emphasis on elephant-trenches to protect 75 hectare community agriculture plots across nine communities.