Centre of Excellence for the African Great Lakes’ Natural Capital
CAFRINAT
Centre of Excellence for the African Great Lakes’ Natural Capital
CAFRINAT is an international centre of excellence for the African Great Lakes’ Natural Capital, founded at Ghent University.
Video: Adam Amir, At Films - folkfilmmaking.org
CAFRINAT is an international centre of excellence for African Great Lakes Natural Capital and was founded at the Faculty of Bio-Science Engineering of Ghent University. The general research, education and societal goals of CAFRINAT focus on the sustainable management of natural capital in areas of conflict in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
CAFRINAT uses an interdisciplinary thematic approach to connect all relevant disciplinary knowledge at Ghent University. Through cooperation with academic and non-academic partners in the African Great Lakes region and around the globe, the network unites and expands upon a diverse base of regional and international expertise to face the challenges that lie ahead.
CAFRINAT has formed a truly cross-disciplinary network to help achieve the following long-term goals:
​
-
Facilitate and stimulate interdisciplinary interaction and identify opportunities for collaboration;
-
Build a basis for the development of local, contextualized research and policy agendas;
-
Become a visible center of excellence at Ghent University with one single point of contact;
-
Raise awareness locally and globally.
Interviews Kahuzi-Biega National Park, November 2019
​
During November 25 to 28, 2019 a team of six researchers from Ghent University (Belgium), Université Catholique de Bukavu (four persons), and Institut Supérieure Pédagogique (two persons) (DR Congo) organized a field-based CAFRINAT activity. During this week we held ca. 18 interviews and focus group discussions with various stakeholders regarding Kahuzi-Bièga National Park (PNKB). PNKB is a ca. 6000 km2 large national park (founded in 1970) and is situated in South-Kivu in eastern DR Congo. It comprises both montane and lowland tropical forest with a large degree of endism among which the eastern lowland ‘Grauer’ gorillas. The stakeholder groups included different levels of PNKB management, park rangers, representatives of the local population living in the surroundings of PNKB (chefs de groupement, chefs de villages, chef de Pygmées), provincial ministry of tourism and environment, animal breeders, directors of local schools, research center LWIRO, MONUSCO, etc.
The information obtained from these interviews and discussions are currently being processed and will result in an actualized document describing the current perception regarding, among others, ecosystem services and values, ecotourism, threats, knowledge gaps and research needs of PNKB.