We are thrilled to announce that The Nature Conservancy is partnering with BCI to help preserve a critical region within the bonobo habitat. With The Nature Conservancy’s generous support, we are taking major steps toward establishing official protection for the Lilungu forest and preparing for long-term, sustainable financing through REDD+, in cooperation with local communities.
Lilungu is a haven of bonobo protection. The local Balanga people have strong taboos against hunting bonobos, as well as deep knowledge about the bonobos and their habitat. BCI has worked in Lilungu since 2005, supporting monitoring teams and collaborating with Lilungu residents to address community needs.
Lilungu links a vital habitat corridor between Sankuru Nature Reserve and Lomami National Park to the south and Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve (and other protected areas) to the north. Habitat corridors are hugely important to conservation because they enable bonobos and other wildlife to range freely, promoting genetic diversity and allowing animals access to necessary resources.
What’s new in Lilungu?
BCI recently sent a team to Lilungu to collaborate with representatives from our local NGO partner APBL (Association pour la Protection de Bonobo de Lilungu) and lay the groundwork for the next phase of work. The team was led by Dr. Norbert Mbangi Mulavwa, the scientific director of CREF(Centre de Recherche en Écologie et Foresterie). Mbangi has a long association with Lilingu. He has been instrumental in the development of the site since BCI began operations there, leading multiple trainings for the local monitoring teams.
This summer, after an arduous journey on nearly impassable roads, Mbangi and his fellow team members arrived in Lilungu and engaged in information exchange with APBL and the local teams. The Lilungu teams provided up-to-date reports on the bonobos and APBL’s conservation efforts. After introducing the goals of the current project, Mbangi provided additional training for the trackers. He also assessed the capacity and the material needs of the APBL in order to help them prepare for the next phase of the project. Mbangi had the chance to observe the Iyende bonobo group himself. Thanks to the consistent work of the trackers, the bonobos are so habituated to human presence that one of the bonobos remained relaxed in a sleeping nest for the whole ninety minutes that the team was present. Habituation also brings some challenges—several farmers have reported that bonobos are helping themselves to bananas and other crops! As we move forward, we will continue to find ways for humans and bonobos to live in harmony. The community is excited about scaling up protection of their forest—and so are we!
What’s next for Lilungu?
Participatory mapping with local communities will soon be underway, a very important step in securing designation as a protected area. We’re preparing to conduct updated biological surveys to determine the presence and distribution of the vast variety of species within the Lilungu forest. We will also be reassessing threats to the forest and its wildlife so that we can determine the most effective ways to protect it.
Protecting the Lilungu forest is a longstanding goal, and you can make a difference today! While the support from TNC is a huge boost, we need matching funds in order to help the Lilungu communities safeguard bonobos and their vital habitat. Together, we can make this dream a reality!
Thank you so much for your support.
One of the major challenges of working in the bonobo habitat is delivering equipment and supplies to remote areas of the Congo rainforest. The pandemic made already complicated logistics even harder as travel, resources, and supply chains were constrained. We are delighted to report that perseverance wins the day once again! Earlier this year, our local partner organization, Vie Sauvage, completed a delivery of much-needed supplies to the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve. This delivery was made possible by funding from Carbon Streaming Corporation, SumofUs, and generous donors like you!
The expedition began in the capital city of Kinshasa, where a barge was loaded with cargo bound for the health clinic and the bonobo monitoring teams. After a 12-day journey covering more than 1400 km, the barge docked at Befori, as the river beyond that point isn’t navigable by large vessels. The supplies were redistributed to smaller boats and to land transport (bikes and motorcycles) for the rest of the journey. The dirt roads can be very difficult to traverse, due to lack of maintenance, insufficient bridges, and rain. Thanks to the problem-solving, coordination, and cooperation of our team, all supplies arrived safely in the reserve.
When the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve was founded, we asked the local communities what would bring the greatest benefit to their lives. The overwhelming consensus was that a health clinic was top priority. In this area of the rainforest, healthcare options are limited or nonexistent, and the long, arduous travel to distant facilities can put patients at great risk. We established the Bonobo Health Clinic in 2007 and have been working hard to meet the needs of the Kokolopori community. The difficulties of the past couple of years have caused significant hardship for the clinic. We are so glad to report that, in this shipment, the health clinic received medications, laboratory equipment, and essential medical supplies. These items can truly mean the difference between life and death, and their arrival is making an immediate impact in the community.
The shipment also included necessary equipment for our bonobo monitoring teams. They are the heroes in the field, trekking large distances and braving all sorts of weather in order to observe and protect the bonobos. These backpacks, ponchos, boots, and headlamps will help them stay safe and dry so that they are able to do their lifesaving work.
We’re so grateful to you, our supporters, for keeping the health clinic and monitoring teams going strong. Your generosity helps save lives.
As we approach the 53rd Earth Day this week, we are reminded of the role that our work continues to play in protecting bonobos and their habitat:
"For Earth Day 2022, we need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). It’s going to take all of us. All in. Businesses, governments, and citizens — everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A partnership for the planet." [earthday.org]
Earlier this year, a team of representatives of BCI and our partner Vie Sauvage spent 15 days visiting and consulting with residents of Kokolopori and Likongo. We are laying the groundwork for securing the longevity and long-term prosperity of the Bonobo Peace Forest via REDD+ funding. An important step in this process is ensuring the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of local communities involved—enabling those impacted to control the way conservation and development projects are designed, implemented, monitored and evaluated.
The aim of these meetings was to raise awareness on REDD+ and its implications for communities of the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve and the Likongo community-based reserve project. The outreach team explained to the communities why they needed to learn about REDD+, how they could build on their own experience of interacting with nature and forest resources, how they could responsibly shape the future of their communities and how the issue of forest degradation and related greenhouse gas emissions is a topical issue of the utmost importance for the future of humanity. These concepts were delivered in French, and the local languages of Lingala and Longando.
The workshops drew more than 570 participants from 47 villages, and represented youth, women’s associations, members of administrative councils, and regional and village notables. The outreach team addressed concerns from the community about REDD+ projects and documented the priorities for conservation, livelihood, and sustainable development activities at Kokolopori and Likongo. Most significantly, these meetings confirmed that the communities with which BCI has been working for over two decades remain firmly committed to protecting their irreplaceable forests and the wildlife within.
We would not have been able to reach this point without our generous supporters. As always, thank you for standing with us…and please help BCI and our partners by spreading the word about our mission!
Dear Friend,
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has sounded the alarm on climate change in its recent report. The message is clear: Climate change is real, it's happening now, and it's caused by humans. As global temperatures rise due to greenhouse gas emissions, sea level will continue to rise, and temperature and precipitation extremes will intensify. But there is hope! If we drastically cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net zero CO2 emissions by the middle of this century, we can halt and possibly reverse the rise in temperatures.
Approximately 11% of carbon emissions are due to deforestation and forest degradation. BCI and our partners in the bonobo habitat have been creating and implementing solutions to protect forests for over twenty years. The Bonobo Peace Forest encompasses vast areas of irreplaceable rainforest in the Congo Basin. Peace forest communities--through their conservation programs--are protecting their own forests from logging and other harmful activities, helping to keep carbon out of the atmosphere and turn back the tide of climate change. None of this would have been possible without the support of our generous donors.
Building upon this foundation, we have been working to bring greater, sustainable benefits to our partners who perform this valuable work. Through the REDD+ mechanism, our partners will be empowered to continue and expand their conservation, forest management, and community development programs for decades to come. Stay tuned for more developments on this front in the coming months!
As always, thank you for standing with us.
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