How a Case Study Analyzes Poaching in Kahuzi-Biega (2014-2018)

A compelling case study on poaching assessment reveals that over 70% of illegal activities in Kahuzi-Biega National Park stem from poverty and conflict. This research not only uncovers the root causes but also offers critical recommendations for enhancing conservation efforts and community engagement.

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS

Introduction

This chapter presents the findings of the study on the assessment of poaching activities in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. The findings in this chapter are presented by theme and each theme attempts to answer a particular research question of this study. Findings have been obtained using questionnaires, interviews and field observations. Thus, detailed information was gathered

from different respondents on their different views on the assessment of illegal activities likely to be done in Kahuzi-Biega National Park and the possible impacts of those activities on biodiversity and the environment.

Characteristics of respondents

This part of the study findings gives characteristics of the respondents.

Gender of respondents

The gender of respondents was vital in getting diverse views on the issue under investigation and also determining how men and women viewed poaching activities. The effect of gender towards perceptions of poaching activities explained some variation in illegal activities attitudes.

The information collected from the respondents showed that there were fifty-one (51) males representing 60.7% and thirty-three (33) females representing 39.3% of the respondents.

According to this context, gender was involved in this research study but the higher number of respondents was males.

Table 5. Gender of Respondents

Source: Primary data, 2019

Age of respondents

Age was important in determining the level of awareness between young and old people on poaching activities in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, their causes and the possible impacts on the biodiversity and surrounding people. As indicated in the Table 4 below, forty-five (45)

respondents came from the age group of 25-34 accounting for 53.5% of the respondents. Thirty (30) of the respondents came from 35-44 age group indicating 35.7% and eight (8) respondents from 45-54 corresponding to 7.1%. Furthermore, three (3) respondents came from the age group of 55 beyond representing 3.6%.

Table 6. Age of respondents

Source: Primary data, 2019

Marital status of the respondents

The table below presents the characteristics of the respondents according to their marital status and it was very crucial to the different perception on poaching activities likely to occur in KBNP with the different marital status of the respondents as presented in the table below; According to the results, most of respondents are married as presented by 56% followed by single 38%, followed by widower(s) 6%.

Table 7. Marital status of the respondents

Source: Field Data, 2019

Educational Level of respondents

The level of education was important in trying to find out if at all a higher level of education relates with different perceptions towards illegal activities (poaching activities) around KBNP, but also it influences the views of the respondents concerning causes and possible impacts.

Also, the educational level ensures the accuracy and quality of the information collected. The table below shows the educational level of the respondents where four (4) respondents representing 4.8% are illiterate, while twenty-three (23) representing 27.3% went up to primary education, thirty-six (36) respondents representing 42.9% are secondary educated. The last group University educated, where we had twenty-one (21) respondents representing 25%.

Table 8. Education level attained

Source: Field Data, 2019

Respondents by experienced years working in park

Here the researcher used this kind of question to know the illegal activities according to the experience of respondents. This section is for the employees of ICCN in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, mean that the number of respondents is 43 people because the number of local people from community based organization were 41 in 84 of total respondents.

The figure below shows that 12 of the 43 respondents working in KBNP were of the 1-5 years experienced group; 14 were of the 6-10 years experienced group; 08 were of the 11-15 years experienced group; 04 were of the 16-20 years experienced group, 03 were of the 21-25 years experienced group, and 02 were of the 26-30 years experienced group. The experience is the basic thing to know what happened in any situation many years ago this indicated that every category of experienced people was asked to show how the situation of Kahuzi-Biega National Park was in 05 years until the actual situation.

RESPONDENTS BY EXPERIENCED YEARS

WORKING IN PARK

1 up to 5 6 up to 10 11 up to 15 16 up to 20 21 up to 25 26 up to 30

5%

7%

28%

9%

19%

32%

Figure 1. Respondents by experienced years working in Park

Source: Field data 2019

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main causes of poaching in Kahuzi-Biega National Park?

The main causes of poaching in Kahuzi-Biega National Park include poverty, ignorance, and armed conflict.

How does gender influence perceptions of poaching activities?

The gender of respondents was vital in getting diverse views on poaching activities, with a higher number of male respondents providing insights into attitudes towards illegal activities.

What is the educational level of respondents in the poaching assessment study?

In the study, 4.8% of respondents were illiterate, 27.3% had primary education, 42.9% had secondary education, and 25% were university educated.