Survey of Wild Fruits Consumed by Animals in the Forest Block of Ubangi Eco-region, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in Gbado-Lite city (Province of North Ubangi) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, among 74 hunters and bushmeat sellers in order to inventory the wild fruits consumed by animals in the forest block of the Ubangi eco-region. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire containing questions that could provide information on each plant species and its main consumers. The results reveal that the majority (41.8%) of respondents live in the Kaya neighborhood. 27% of female informants live in the Mbanza neighborhood, 10.8% in the Pangoma neighborhood, and 9.7% in the Lite neighborhood. The majority of respondents were men (89.1%), while women accounted for only 10.9%. As for marital status, married people (70.2%) and widowers (14.8%) are the most represented. Hunting and the sale of bushmeat (44.5%) and agriculture (41.8%) are the main activities carried out by the respondents. The diversity of the wild flora is composed of 19 species of fruit plants, distributed in 19 genera and 16 botanical families. The main families of wild fruit plants consumed by wildlife are Malvaceae, Meliaceae, and Urticaceae. As for the wildlife, the animals inventoried belong to five classes, mammals (76.9%), Reptilia (7.8%), Aves (7.8%,) and Polyplacophara (7.8%). The fauna studied is composed of 12 families of wild animals, the most abundant of which are Bovidae (27.5%), and Nesonyidae (10.0%). It is necessary that chemical and pharmacological studies be carried out on these plant taxa in order to evaluate their medicinal and food values. The domestication of these plant species should be part of the subsequent studies to ensure the sustainability of the wild fauna. Thus, the integration of local wild edible fruit plants into agroforestry systems is the best solution to combat their disappearance in the Ubangi ecoregion, which is faced with traditional slash-and-burn agriculture.