Likouala

Likouala is Congo's forest frontier—a 66,044 km² department in the remote north bordering the Central African Republic and DRC, home to the largest concentration of indigenous BaYaka (Pygmy) peoples living semi-nomadic traditional lifestyles. The department holds first place in national timber production through six Forest Management Units (UFAs) operated by companies including ITBL and Likouala-Timber. Yet Likouala's significance extends beyond extraction: it anchors the Republic of Congo's REDD+ Emission Reductions Program covering 12 million hectares across Likouala and Sangha departments. This makes the department a test case for whether forest carbon can generate revenues comparable to logging—a potential phase transition from extractive to conservation economy. The BaYaka maintain social systems distinct from surrounding Bantu farmers: traditional access rights based on family lineage, specialized roles as nganga healers and ceremony emcees, and forager-farmer relationships formalized through fictive kinship. Their hunting and gathering territories span hundreds of thousands of hectares, creating conflict with both logging concessions and conservation reserves. The Motaba River communities demonstrate mutualism: BaYaka perform valued specialized tasks for farmer kin while maintaining distinct identity. Likouala's estimated 360,000 population and capital Impfondo remain connected primarily by river—artisanal fishing yields potential of 100,000 tons annually. As global commodity demand reaches these remote forests, Likouala faces the choice: extractive development or carbon economy.