Quantitative ethnobotany of multiple-use species and management of the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (YBR) is confronted to huge challenge for the livelihood of local communities and biodiversity or natural resources conservation. The lack of scientific information on the spatial distribution of useful woody species is a constraint to develop the sustainable management of forest resources. Hence the relevance of this study, carried out in the villages of Yaselia, Lilanda and Bagbanye, located on the outskirts of this protected area of YBR. It aims to identify the most useful woody species and analyse their socio-cultural use value, number of uses based on local community’s commitments as well as to determine their abundance beyond village forests, to contribute to reforestation and conservation policies in the Yangambi landscape. To do this, we combined an ethnobotanical survey with a forest inventory. The results obtained showed that species such as Entandrophragma cylindricum, Petersianthus macrocarpus, Ricinodendron heudelotti, Scorodophloeus zenkeri, ..., , , # Quantitative ethnobotany of multiple-use species and management of the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76hvq](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76hvq)

The study aims to identify the most useful woody species and analyse their use value and cultural value based on local community knowledge, and then to determine the abundance of these high-use-value species in village forests, to contribute to wood resource management and conservation policies in the Yangambi landscape. To do this, we combined an ethnobotanical survey with a forest inventory.

The ethnobotanical surveys on the use of plant species in the villages of Yaselia and Lilanda were preceded by a pre-survey which produced a list of 29 species commonly used by the local population. A survey was then carried out in each village using purposive sampling techniques, based on criteria of length of time in the village, age of respondents and social status. This t...