Living in and from the forests of Central Africa

Since time immemorial, non-wood forest products (NWFPs) such as fruits, seeds, roots, nuts and fungi, have played an important role in the diets and health of people living in and outside forests, in both rural and urban areas. This publication collects knowledge on NWFPs and communities in the forests of the Congo Basin and enhances the importance of such products for food security and nutrition.

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Today, when the age-old balance between man and nature seems to have been disrupted, when food and nutritional security, poverty alleviation and biodiversity and forest resource conservation have become global issues, and when uncontrolled population growth is leading to conflicts over living space and jeopardising the continued existence of forest ecosystems, the phenomenon of climate change is yet another challenge to the creative genius of forest peoples to preserve and sustainably manage forests and the non-wood forest products (NWFPs) found there. This book pays tribute to the unflagging strength and intelligence of the Bantu, Baka-Bandjeli and Bororo-Wodaabe peoples and, by extension, to all the "lords of the forest" of Central Africa. Over the generations, these peoples have developed a body of knowledge that has enabled them to live and from the forests and their biodiversity, while preserving and enhancing them, even before the introduction of classic food and export crops.