Background: This study is the first step of a project addressing the under-researched human-nonhuman primate competition for forest resources.Methods: Ethnobotanical surveys conducted in Lukafu and Mulenga, two villages adjacent to the Kundelungu National Park (K.N.P.), Democratic Republic of Congo, involved 139 purposively selected informants. With a particular emphasis on baboon (Papio kindae Lönnberg)-edible fruit trees, we collected and analyzed information on the most utilized indigenous trees of the area. These included used parts, types of utilizations, acquisition, and perceptions of availability.Results: A total of 26 indigenous tree species, nine of which are baboon-edible, were utilized the most by respondents. Tree products are collected from surrounding miombo woodlands of the K.N.P. mainly for energy (firewood and charcoal) supply and medicinal purposes. Of the nine baboon-edible species, four are used for two or more purposes and three do not have alternative resources.

This article reports the uses of primates in a fast-expanding city, and human-primate interactions in the vicinity of a protected area in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  Surveys in markets, households and restaurants suggested that primate meat is frequently sold and consumed in the city of Lubumbashi.  Carcasses of diurnal monkeys accounted for almost 10% of the total weight of smoked bushmeat sold between March and July 2016 in urban markets, and in 21% of households the last bushmeat consumed prior the date of the survey was of a primate species.  Kinda Baboons Papio kindae, Malbrouck Monkeys Chlorocebus cynosuros and Blue Monkeys Cercopithecus mitis were found illegally kept as pets.  Occasional observations and questionnaire surveys carried out in both the Sector North of Upemba National Park and its neighboring areas, indicated wild populations of these species which were mentioned as “pest primates” by 73% of respondents.  There is no compensation scheme for damages caused by wildlife to crops, and culling problematic animals was listed by a majority (70%) of respondents as the most effective way to repel crop-raiding primates.  Given the current population growth, and considering the increasing spatial overlap between human activities and wildlife, wild populations of these primates are no doubt at risk, but all the three species belong to the Least Concern category on the latest version of the IUCN Red List.  The Blue Monkey is a ‘partially protected’ species in DRC, while the two other benefit from less strict conservation measures and their legal status of ‘non-protected’ remains.  This situation illustrates the necessity of updating legal status and establishing a Red List of species at the country level.

Several studies investigate the human dimension of human-wildlife conflicts, but human attitudes towards forest-dependent animals such as primates in the context of competition for forest resources are still under-researched. We used a semi-structured questionnaire and conducted ethnozoological surveys in order to identify the uses of Kinda baboons (Papio kindae Lönnberg) and the main factors associated with local people’s attitudes towards this frugivorous primate, at the periphery of the Kundelungu National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. This study indicates that Kinda baboons are important to community members, essentially for consumptive uses, namely as bushmeat and medicinal animals. The association between local peoples’ anti-conservation attitudes towards these baboons and mentions of the depletion of co-used indigenous trees has been confirmed statistically, suggesting the perception of baboons as competitors. Also, even though the majority of respondents recognized the vulnerability of baboons to the depletion of co-used indigenous trees, against our hypothesis, most of them were not inclined to use these resources sustainably. However, an association between the frequency of encounters with Kinda baboons and park-adjacent dwellers’ willingness to conserve baboon-edible trees has been established. We therefore support the view that improving the availability of co-used trees through reforestation or agroforestry is likely to alleviate the prevalence of negative attitudes towards tree-dependent animals. Also, in order to gain community support to protected areas and wildlife, pro-conservation campaigns in similar settings should not merely highlight the vulnerability of animals to the depletion of their resources, but also promote the responsible access of local people to protected areas.