By John Lukas | President, White Oak Conservation Center, Inc.
Okapi Conservation Project staff have been very busy the past few months. In spite of the instability of the situation in the DRC, our dedicated educators have been travelling to various communities around the Okapi Wildlife Reserve organizing seminars to students and local leaders eager to understand the dangers of deforestation and the long term benefits of conservation actions.
This fall our agroforestry team collected rice seeds that will be distributed to new members for planting in the spring. Each farmer in the co-op gives back 50% of the seeds from their first harvest which then is shared with newly joining farmers. A new type of bean seed which provides high levels of much-needed protein was also distributed by our agro-forestry team.
Additionally, our team members distributed indigenous fruit tree seedlings, from our Project nursery in Mambassa, to households in communities along the road through the Reserve. These will provide much needed fruit and shade.
Support for protection of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve has never been stronger from the residents of these forest communities and this is a direct reflection of the commitment shown from individuals and institutions around the world during these past challenging months. We are in a new era of both challenges and possibilities for this important conservation corner of the world.
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