Edible insects and their host plants: ethnobotanical insights from Kahuzi-Biega National Park, DRC

Edible insects can be an important source of food and income in Central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Our understanding of the species consumed, and their hosts, has increased in the past few years, but no study has focused on mountain regions, which are floristically and culturally different from lowlands. We organised focus-group discussions with village elders in 27 villages around the montane region of Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the DRC and gathered data on host species’ relative abundance in the park. Respondents mentioned consuming 12 species of insects, with some differences in species cited across elevations. Overall, Imbrasia obscura (Saturniidae), Imbrasia epimethea (Saturniidae) and Epidonta brunneomixta (Notodontidae) were the species most cited. Respondents mentioned 29 host plants (26 trees, two palms and one shrub), some of which are rather abundant in the park. Ten of the tree species were found to have timber value. Results suggest that there is room for regulated harvesting of edible insects inside the park, but future work is needed to identify the best harvesting strategy. Another option is to increase the abundance of host trees outside the park, in e.g. agroforestry systems, something which is of high interest among respondents.