Sequencing food security in the Congo Basin

Planting and Sequencing the Bosenge tree: A Story of Community, Conservation, and Science

Wise Ancestors and APAGEC-RDC are partnering with the Indigenous Peoples of Botsike Village in Équateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, to restore access to the Bosenge tree, Uapaca guineensis, a critical host species for edible caterpillars that support local food security and income. Commercial logging has reduced access to these trees, forcing community members to travel farther to harvest caterpillars and increasing pressure on subsistence livelihoods. This project reflects Wise Ancestors’ broader approach where communities lead the conservation priorities, while genomic tools and coordinated partnerships support long-term impact.

Wise Ancestors Mission 

Wise Ancestors works at the intersection of genomic science and traditional knowledge to develop community led projects that leverage wisdom held in both Western and Indigenous and Local traditions for biodiversity conservation. We recognize that Western scientific approaches are essential but insufficient to address the current extinction crisis and that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities hold place based knowledges and stewardship practices critical to long term successful conservation of vulnerable species and ecosystems. 

Our Mission is to confront the extinction crisis by braiding Indigenous and genomic knowledge systems with local community leadership and a decentralized online platform to restore and maintain biodiversity at scale.

Each of our projects, called Conservation Challenges, has three primary components, three strands to our braid:

1) Community leadership - guided by traditional knowledge, communities decide on focal species, local initiatives to support that species, and how samples and data will be managed to align with cultural protocols 

2) Genomic analyses - projects typically include generating a reference genome to support conservation decision making and may include biobanking for long term protection of genomic diversity and

3) Decentralized project coordination - our custom online platform provides digital infrastructure to enable transparency and tracking of project stages, invite and coordinate collaborators anywhere in the world who have relevant expertise, and support crowdfunding of Wise Ancestors Conservation Challenges. 

Conservation Challenge #8 - Food Security in Democratic Republic of Congo

Our most recently published Conservation Challenge was developed with Indigenous Peoples of Botsike Village, Équateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo and centers around the Bosenge Tree (Uapaca guineensis). Bosenge is an important host tree for several species of edible caterpillars which are a vital food and income source for the community. Commercial logging, an issue across the Congo Basin, has significantly impacted access to this tree and the caterpillars. Community members describe having to devote significant portions of their day to travel much further to find Bosenge trees and collect caterpillars. In the face of industrialization and climate change, food insecurity is a primary concern.  

To support this community-led effort, Wise Ancestors is collaborating with the Kinshasa-based NGO Association of Indigenous Peoples for Environmental Management in the Congo (APAGEC-RDC), the Africa Biogenome Project and a local liaison from the DRC Center for Biodiversity Surveillance to ensure continued access to this essential resource. The local initiative for this project involves planting a stand of Bosenge trees close to the village, in a location selected by community elders, that will be tended and protected by community members for production of edible caterpillars for both local consumption and economic value. The genomic work will be to generate a reference genome for Uapaca guineensis to support additional research with this tree and enable large scale conservation planning. Despite its importance for local communities, there is no reference genome for Uapaca guineensis nor any other species in the genus Uapaca, leaving a gap in the scientific knowledge that is critical for sound conservation decisions. 

Planning for this Conservation Challenge lasted a year and a half and required multiple trips for representatives from APAGEC-RDC and Wise Ancestors to the very remote Botsike Village in Ingende Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo. Our projects do not proceed without free, prior and informed consent from communities and an important piece of that process is understanding how consent is expressed locally. The peoples of Botsike Village do not typically rely on contracts and signed documents to affirm agreements. Instead, for these communities, consent is established through actions such as gifts and invitations to enter the forest in their territory. Following the first conversation, during which Bosenge was identified as a species of concern, and where the community described current access challenges they face, the project team was invited into the forest with community members to collect saplings for future plantings. On subsequent trips, the team was greeted with an offering of eggs, further indication that the community was ready to proceed with Wise Ancestors and APAGEC-RDC on a conservation project. In May of 2026, Wise Ancestors and APAGEC-RDC announced a partnership with the Indigenous Peoples of Botsike Village and the launch of this Conservation Challenge on the Wise Ancestors Platform. 

All sequencing and conservation work will be transparently communicated on the Wise Ancestors Platform. Scientists, bioinformaticians, laboratories, platforms, and biobank facilities are invited to apply to participate in project activities and receive compensation for completing elements of the research. We aim to raise $27,319 to fund this challenge. Within a year of reaching our funding goal, we'll deliver an annotated reference genome for conservation planning as forest restoration begins. 

Project team statements

On the benefits of the project for the community -

“For the means of subsistence, the production of caterpillars will be increased because with the industrial exploitation of wood almost all the trees have been cut down and this production will serve for food self-sufficiency. APAGEC is pleased to work with Wise Ancestors because its objectives of protecting biodiversity, conserving nature, and promoting traditional knowledge align with Wise Ancestors' mission.”

• Mardoche Bokonga, Coordinator, APAGEC-RDC

_________________________

Addressing cultural context in consent -

  “[Eggs] hold strong symbolic value… Presenting eggs is, according to their culture, a clear and solemn sign of acceptance. The fact that we received eggs from them—a gesture they do not extend to just anyone—therefore constitutes additional and meaningful evidence of their consent.” 

• Jean-Léon Kambale, DRC Local Liaison and Botanist, Wise Ancestors

_________________________

On the importance of generating genomic information for the Uapaca genus-

 "The Bosenge tree, a vital food and economic resource for local communities, would have been sequenced long ago in wealthier nations. This Conservation Challenge for Uapaca guineensis promotes equitable research and highlights the importance of local collaboration and letting the local communities take the lead on which species to focus on.”

• Dr. Solenne Correard, Genomic Director, Wise Ancestors 

_________________________

The importance of building relationship with community partners - 

“We don’t approach this as a one-off, but as a new partnership to support ecosystems and livelihoods.”

• Katie Jones, Community Engagement Director, Wise Ancestors