Discover Kivu Ethnobotanical Garden and the local biodiversity

The Kivu Ethnobotanical Garden is located on the Kadjuchu/ Kabare peninsula in South Kivu. Its mission is to document, preserve and promote traditional knowledge of native plants and trees while contributing to the restoration of habitats degraded by domestication.

The Ethnobotanical Garden Kivu constitutes a bridge between the local populations and the authorities in terms of conservation of biodiversity while promoting cultural and ethnic diversity (Shi, Havu, Twa , Rega, Tembo etc).

To achieve its mission, the Ethnobotanical Garden Kivu relies on a multi-ethnic team of volunteers. To date, the garden has 12 volunteers with diverse expertise in the field of nature conservation.

The main mission of the Garden is to contribute to the restoration of forests around protected areas, the conservation of rare, endemic and indigenous plants and trees under threat, and associated traditional knowledge, while offering services various to the local population.

The Ethnobotanical Garden Kivu constitutes the perfect space for the documentation, the valorisation and the transfer of traditional knowledge.

The logo of the Jardin Ethnobotanique Kivu is a strong symbol for conservation: the leaf of the plant species Myrianthus holstii (Moraceae) called Bwamba in Mashi, Tembo and Rega. The fruit of this plant is known as the Mountain Gorilla Pineapple.

The leaf also symbolizes the wild foods on which the local communities around the protected areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo depend. In the mountain forest in particular, the indigenous pygmy peoples (Batwa) also consume it.