DIACHRONIC CHANGES IN PROTEIN ACQUISITION AMONG THE BONGANDO IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Abstract

A comparison of data obtained in the 1970s, 1980s, and 2000s revealed diachronic changes in protein acquisition among the Bongando people living in the Wamba region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The main protein source changed from bushmeat to fish due to depletion of the game animal population. This shift occurred for two main reasons. First, hunting pressure around sedentary villages had increased even before the 1980s. Second, a civil war in the 1990s resulted in changes in the structure of cash earning in this region, consequently accelerating commercial hunting for cash income. To preserve the ecosystem and ensure a stable protein supply, it is important to promote the aquaculture and animal husbandry that have been implemented by some local nongovernmental organizations.