Mushrooms and Caterpillars at Risk: Non-Economic Loss and Damage Facing Women and Youth in Yangambi – Why Climate Justice Must Listen to Them?
In the forests of Yangambi, in the Congo Basin, non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as wild mushrooms and edible caterpillars are deeply embedded in everyday life. For women and young people, these resources are not only sources of food and income; they underpin social roles, unpaid care and labour, intergenerational knowledge, and dignity. As climate change intensifies, their decline reveals a form of loss and damage that goes far beyond measurable economic impacts. Climate variability in Yangambi has increasingly disrupted access to forest resources. Flooding and unpredictable rainfall patterns often prevent women from reaching traditional harvesting sites, especially during critical seasons. In a survey conducted by MKAAJI MPYA asbl in July 2025, one mother explained: “When the water cuts off the path to the forest, I have to give up the harvest. I stay at home, empty-handed.” These moments represent non-economic loss and damage: loss of autonomy, loss of daily food sources, and loss of women’s ability to fulfil socially expected roles within their households. Rising temperatures further undermine forest-based livelihoods. Mushrooms, which depend on specific soil humidity and microclimates, no longer appear according to traditional seasonal calendars. Women collectors report confusion and frustration as long-held ecological knowledge becomes unreliable. One harvester noted: “Mushrooms no longer appear when we expect them. It is too hot during the rainy season, or too cold when it should be warm. Everything has changed.” (MKAJI MPYA, 2025). As the IPCC (2022) confirms, rising temperatures are altering biological cycles of species dependent on moisture, eroding not only biodiversity but also cultural knowledge systems tied to these cycles. Edible caterpillars, another cornerstone of food security and youth income, are similarly affected. Climate stress weakens host trees, reducing caterpillar availability and forcing collectors to walk longer distances for uncertain returns. A young collector shared: “Before, we came back from the forest with full basins. Today, we walk farther, for longer, and sometimes we return almost empty-handed.” (MKAAJI MPYA, 2025). This increased effort translates into growing unpaid labour for women and youth, time poverty, and reduced opportunities for education or alternative livelihoods. These climate impacts are compounded by deforestation and forest degradation. While communities are often blamed for forest loss, they remain largely excluded from afforestation, reforestation, and climate finance programs that could strengthen local resilience. The lack of accessible afforestation funds or inclusive restoration initiatives in the Yangambi sector deepens vulnerability. Scientific evidence shows that forest degradation amplifies local climate extremes by disrupting evapotranspiration and temperature regulation (Ellison et al., 2017). Yet women and youth, those most dependent on healthy forest ecosystems, are rarely prioritized as beneficiaries or decision-makers in climate and forestry investments. The resulting losses are deeply non-economic. CIFOR (2019) highlights that biodiversity loss leads to the erosion of traditional knowledge when practices can no longer be exercised. In Yangambi, young people report that certain mushroom species known to previous generations are no longer found. This loss of knowledge undermines identity, cultural continuity, and the transmission of skills between generations. Moreover, resource scarcity increases social risks. As collection sites become more distant or unsafe, women face heightened exposure to insecurity and gender-based violence. UN Women (2025) notes that climate-related scarcity often increases risks for women as they struggle to meet household needs under worsening conditions. These impacts remain largely invisible in climate policy frameworks focused on infrastructure or macroeconomic losses. Despite these challenges, women and youth in Yangambi are not passive victims. They observe environmental changes, adapt harvesting strategies, share information across communities, and organize informally to cope with emerging risks. However, resilience should not be mistaken for limitless capacity. Without institutional recognition and financial support, these local efforts remain fragile. The central demand of this blog is clear: climate justice mechanisms, particularly Loss and Damage frameworks, must explicitly recognize and address non-economic losses affecting forest-dependent women and youth. Mushrooms and caterpillars are not minor forest products; they are foundations of food security, unpaid labour systems, cultural identity, and local economies. Access to Loss and Damage funding, inclusive afforestation programs, and community-led forest restoration must prioritize those who bear the hidden costs of climate change. Recognizing these realities in national and international climate policies is essential, not only to restore ecosystems, but to protect dignity, knowledge, and the livelihoods of women and young people in Yangambi and across the Congo Basin forest. Submitted by:Gervais MuderhwaProjects Officer and Director of the Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Department,MKAAJI MPYA asbl