In the dense tropical forest near Wamba in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Makaite has watched as outsiders strip his traditional lands of wildlife to supply a long-distance market for bushmeat that sees it transported 250 miles by road to Kisangani, and at times, a further 950 miles downriver to the capital Kinshasa.
For Makaite and his ancestors, wildlife has for millennia provided an essential source of food and, at times of need, cash. Hunting and eating wildlife are also the foundation of the Efe Indigenous Peoples cultural identity. Today, their food security and way of…
