SALONGA CONSERVATION INITIATIVE, INC. (SCI) AND THE BONOBO AND CONGO BIODIVERSITY INITIATIVE (BCBI)
A holistic approach for conserving Africa’s largest tropical rainforest park and bonobo habitat
YOU CAN HELP…
the Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest expanse of protected lowland forest, the Salonga National Park,
- Support field teams that find and monitor important bonobo populations.
- Provide GIS navigational training and material support to guards who protect bonobo and wildlife rich areas.
- Support primary education and adult literacy in local communities neighboring bonobo populations. Provide employment and market opportunities to local villagers.
- Spread the word about this vast pristine wilderness and intact ecosystem that protects the bonobo, provides a haven for forest elephants and diverse plant and animal species, and shelters the headwaters and fisheries of seven river systems from whence millions of people obtain their sustenance.
INTRODUCTION
Salonga National Park represents hope and the greatest chance for long-term success in the conservation of the endangered bonobo. Twenty years ago, the region was largely controlled by armed poachers and ivory hunters, its wildlife and people suffering in the wake of decades of civil unrest and war. National and international scientists, as well as community leaders, have transformed Salonga into a biodiversity “hope-spot.” Surveys over this 33,000 km2 unexplored rainforest confirmed that at least 40% of Congo’s wild bonobos live in Salonga, alongside other endangered species such as the forest elephant. Working in partnership with park co-managers (WWF and ICCN), the Bonobo and Congo Biodiversity Initiative (BCBI), a 22-year-old project recently adopted by SCI, helps protect one of the richest bonobo sectors in the park. With boots-on-the ground, BCBI builds the scientific and biomonitoring capacity of park guards and managers, provides monitoring data to inform park management strategies, and provides community education and commerce to local villages. SCI supplies funds to support law enforcement patrols via grants to the WWF co-management structure.
PROJECT DETAILS
As home of the world’s largest population of wild bonobos, Salonga National Park is critical to the protection of the species. Despite success in recent decades, significant gains still need to be made in understanding wildlife/forest dynamics and distribution, the training and recruitment of guards, and community engagement. SCI contributes to each of these program areas. By conducting surveys BCBI researchers monitor bonobo and elephant dense regions and assess changes in population levels that might come from poaching or natural environmental variation. Guards not only serve as the front line of defense against illegal hunting, but if trained they are proxy researchers recording thousands of animal observations that collectively could indicate major changes in animal populations. Theirs is a necessary and dangerous job in the face of armed poachers, harsh and physically demanding field conditions. SCI supports their jobs by providing biomonitoring training, patrol rations, logistics, and field material needs. As with Salonga’s fauna and flora, the human element of the ecosystem must be woven into lasting conservation strategies. SCI supports primary schools and adult literacy programs, and in 2022, SCI will offer a grant to support a strategy-building analysis of how to foster a meaningful conservation partnership between the park and local stakeholders.
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES
Your tax-deductible support to SCI will help support wildlife monitoring, bonobo and biodiversity protection and the guards on the frontlines (ensuring training and support), and community outreach programs in the Salonga National Park.
WHY THE BONOBO TRUST ENDORSES THIS PROJECT
The work BCBI has been under the careful stewardship of Dr. Gay Reinartz and the BCBI team for many years. Her commitment to community partners, and to leveraging the international conservation community, has been instrumental to the success of Salonga National Park. As home to the largest wild population of bonobos, it is critical that people around the world know about the park, support it, and that Salonga continues to thrive as a safe haven for bonobos and other endangered species.
