Save Endangered Bonobos in the Congo Rainforest

First off, let us offer a heartfelt thank you to our generous Global Giving supporters. You helped us make October’s Bonus Day one of our most successful ever! Thanks to your donations, our project ranking was elevated to Superstar status, affording us greater opportunities for exposure to corporate donors, features in GlobalGiving’s communications, and opportunities for training.

Support from our donors over the years has helped us lay the groundwork for our Bonobo Peace Forest—an integrated network of grassroots, community-managed reserves in the bonobo habitat. The activities initiated at our pilot site, the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, have “gone viral”—inspiring three neighboring communities (Lingomo, Nkokolombo, and Likongo) to establish their own reserves. We have dubbed the dynamic leaders of these communities “Les Trois Mousquetaires” or “The Three Musketeers.” At Lingomo, Cosmas Bofangi manages conservation programs through the NGO Conservation of the Resources of Lingomo. Roger Afelende, founder of the Association for Conservation of Bonobos in the Source of Lomako, leads community conservation efforts at Nkokolombo. Finally, at Likongo, Jean Gaston Ndombasi—a provincial Environmental Inspector—heads the NGO Debout Likongo pour la Conservation et le Développement.

These biodiversity-rich sites are situated near the territorial capital of Djolu and are particularly vulnerable to logging and the bushmeat trade. For that reason, the hard work that residents have put into protecting them is all the more urgent and commendable. The energy and devotion of Ndombasi and his community has recently paid off: just this September, Likongo received an arreté from the Ministry of the Environment, signed by the Prime Minister, granting 50,000 hectares as a community forest. This is an important step toward securing greater protection for the area. 

Earlier this year, Bofangi, Afelende, and Ndombasi traveled to Kokolopori to meet with BCI President Sally Jewell Coxe, our team and other partners in the field. The meetings offered us the chance to talk in-depth about the future and how we can improve the odds for bonobo populations. One of the top priorities will be to map the limits of all three forests, which in actuality form one large forest bloc; this will allow the three communities to coordinate their strategies and pursue other goals such as expanding legal protections like the arreté granted to Likongo. It will also support the creation of more habitat corridors for bonobos to travel safely through different regions. Supporting animal husbandry and agricultural programs in the region will also help to mitigate the illegal hunting of bonobos for bushmeat markets.

We at BCI are so thrilled to work in partnership with our wonderful Three Musketeers and their communities. We are proud of the Peace Forest that our loyal supporters have helped create to protect the bonobos, and yet we are even more gratified to see our strategies inspiring others. As Deni Béchard uncovered in Empty Hands, Open Arms, the true measure of our program’s success lies in its self-replication, as our model spreads to protect more bonobos and more rainforest. With enough support, our successful conservation strategies can truly achieve their promise now and for many years to come.

Thank you for standing with us!

Since our last update, BCI trackers have been busily monitoring bonobo groups at sites across the Bonobo Peace Forest. At Kokolopori, a pilot research program being conducted by Dr. Deborah Moore is off to a good start. Our tracking teams have been trained to collect information on bonobo behavior, feeding, group interactions, and other ecological elements. Dr. Moore and her team have witnessed multiple encounters between two groups, some of which involved physical fighting among males, in addition to the expected amiable social contact. They have been collecting data on plants and fruits eaten by bonobos. Some of these plants, like “beya” (pictured below), are also favorites of the bonobos’ human neighbors.

Thanks in part to our generous Global Giving donors, two of our teams at Kokolopori were outfitted with new equipment. Our trackers were provided with vital supplies, including: ponchos, stopwatches, field notebooks, headlamps, backpacks, batteries, and solar battery chargers. The remote location and wet conditions of the bonobo habitat, deep in the Congo rainforest, certainly puts this equipment to the test! BCI staff saw this firsthand, as the supplies were delivered just as the rainy season was starting.

Meanwhile at Kololopori’s sister sites (Lingomo, Nkokolombo, and Likongo), local conservationists have been observing their own bonobo groups. These monitoring programs are also in need of field equipment and support. It is imperative that we continue to support to these sites, and encourage the motivated and enthusiastic communities to continue and expand their conservation programs.

By gaining a better understanding of bonobo ecology, and through regular monitoring of bonobos, we are taking strides towards ensuring the long-term survival of our great ape cousins. Thank you so much for your kind support!

Every day, BCI trackers and eco-guards are out in the Congo rainforest, tirelessly defending bonobos and their vital habitat. Because of the remote location of the bonobo range, it can be challenging for these rainforest guardians to communicate with BCI headquarters in Kinshasa and Washington, DC. Thanks to our generous supporters, the BCI team has just installed satellite internet (VSAT) in the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve! We are so excited to bring even more stories and photos from the field to bonobo fans across the world.

BCI President Sally Jewell Coxe is currently in the field, accompanied by primatologist Dr. Deborah Moore. In cooperation with BCI, Max Planck Institute, and local partner Vie Sauvage, Dr. Moore is conducting a study of two habituated bonobo groups in the reserve, gaining invaluable data and insights that will inform further research. Collaborating with local trackers who have been monitoring the bonobos for several years, Deb is paving the way for future scientific work by initiating a long-term research program at Kokolopori. Meanwhile, Sally has been hard at work advancing wildlife protection programs in the reserve and—her favorite activity—observing bonobos. She has sent some incredible pictures via the new VSAT.

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, it seems only fitting to share a few stories about mothers in the Kokolopori reserve. We are delighted to announce that one of the bonobos has given birth to a healthy little baby! Bonobos only reproduce about once every five years, a low birth rate that contributes to their endangered status, so every bonobo baby is a cause for celebration. Bonobos aren’t the only babies in Kokolopori—there are some very special children in the villages, too! A local family honored BCI board member Alden Almquist by naming their son after him. Alden’s ndoyi (namesake) is a bright and cheerful boy, and he greatly enjoyed having his picture taken. He will be joined by a new BCI ndoyi—baby Sally, born just last month. BCI wishes a happy Mother’s Day to all Congo rainforest mothers, human and bonobo alike!

Please help BCI help all these families by contributing today. To keep the VSAT and computer center up and running, BCI needs funds to build a reliable solar energy system. Greater communication between trackers and the global community means greater protection for bonobos and the Congo rainforest. Thank you so much for your kind support!

Thank you for being one of our amazing GlobalGiving supporters! Today, February 12, is the first GlobalGiving Bonus Day of 2014. GlobalGiving has set aside $75,000 to boost your donations. Your gift today will be matched up to $1000 per donor at 30%. For bonobos and the communities that live alongside them in the Congo, this is an incredible opportunity.

Our Bonobo Peace Forest project has inspired local communities to organize. They’ve matched our passion and commitment as they strive to preserve the world’s last bonobos, replicating our model of community-based conservation. Last month, these community leaders met with BCI and its advisors in Kinshasa to plan for existing and new reserves. Just as maintaining our Peace Forest project sends ripples through the Congo basin, your donation makes waves throughout rainforest communities.

We know you want your gift to go far, and that’s why we dedicate it to our trackers, providing them with basic equipment and salaries to support their families. Our impact on bonobo preservation grew when our local partners began to match us. Please take advantage of GlobalGiving’s matching offer today to grow your impact!

If you’ve already given today, you have our deepest gratitude. If not, you still have a chance to allocate GlobalGiving’s funding for our project by making a matched donation. As they say in the Congo—merci mingi! Thank you very much!

We’ve long known that bonobos are key to understanding ourselves, but a new study affirms they’re also a keystone species for the Congo Basin. By transporting seeds around the forest and improving their viability, bonobos foster diversity that’s crucial to the health of the ecosystem. That’s not hyperbole: According to the study’s authors, many plant species rely primarily on bonobos for reproduction. The bonobo can be considered “a gardener of the Congo forests,” they suggest.

David Beaune and his research team tracked a bonobo community for more than a year, observing what they ate, how far they spread seeds, and whether those seeds sprouted. They learned that ingestion or manipulation by bonobos conferred a high germination rate. Because of the bonobos’ size, they can ingest larger seeds than other animals in the same range. The authors conclude that “the bonobo may disproportionately affect the regeneration process of these plants….the extirpation of this primate from the ecosystem is likely to lead to an irreplaceable loss of current ecosystem services.” In other words, the health of the forest, and of the species that call it home, really do depend on the continued existence of bonobos. As the “second lung” of our planet, the Congo rainforest sequesters carbon and produces vast quantities of the oxygen we depend on – reinforcing how important bonobos are to our well-being.

The bonobo relationship with the forest parallels the relationship our eco-guards have with bonobos. As the bonobo populations revive and spread seeds through the Congo Basin, improving conditions for diverse growth, so do our trackers spread through the forest, creating a haven in which the bonobos can live and reproduce. They are the guardians of the bonobos, of the species that depend on the forest, and of the forest itself.

Just as seeds need the right conditions to germinate, our trackers need the right resources to act. They need machetes to cut trails, radios to communicate, and salaries to provide food and shelter for their families.  Recurring donations provide those things and promise future sustenance. A monthly commitment of even a small amount allows BCI to plan for the future, knowing that we can depend on monthly income to pay our trackers.

Gardeners and guardians both appreciate your support. Thank you for helping them to nourish one of the greatest gardens on Earth!

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• For more information, check out the report!