Democratic Republic of the Congo


Support for Itombwe

Some patrols are carried out in the Itombwe Reserve with support from B&RD. However, their numbers are far from sufficient and they are very poorly…

[details]

SOS - Gorillas of the Itombwe Nature Reserve in Danger

An SOS is a 'red alert' signal triggered by a dangerous or life-threatening situation, such as a natural disaster. Here it is suggested that an…

[details]

Ape Trafficking Escalates as Demand Increases in the Middle East and South Asia

Africa's great ape sanctuaries have become inundated with new arrivals, rescued from the collateral damage of the bushmeat trade and targeted…

[details]

Balancing Act: The Imperative of Social and Ecological Justice in Kahuzi-Biega

Kahuzi-Biega National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the conflict-afflicted eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has…

[details]

Basket-weaving Training Project for Adolescent Mothers in Mt. Tshiaberimu

Mt. Tshiaberimu, a mountain range on which Grauer's gorillas are protected in the Virunga National Park, is surrounded by several villages. The main…

[details]

The Kansere-Masakaru-Iyuma Forests in Utunda-Nord

The Kansere-Masakaru-Iyuma forests are located between the Usala Gorilla Reserve (RGU) and the Kisimba-Ikobo Primate Reserve (RPKI), in the vicinity…

[details]

Mining Menaces Itombwe Nature Reserve

In the remote Itombwe Nature Reserve in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), mining increasingly threatens nature conservation efforts.…

[details]

First Photo of a Silverback Gorilla in the Itombwe Nature Reserve

The Itombwe Nature Reserve (IRN) is one of the protected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located in the Itombwe forest (GPS…

[details]

GRACE Celebrates International Women's Day

The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center, located in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is centered on…

[details]

Support for Conservation and Community Development around Maiko

The population of villages and towns in the Maiko region faces many difficulties in accessing basic services such as drinking water, and so do the…

[details]

The Beekeeping Project in Sarambwe Nature Reserve

Support for this project was requested because of strong demand from the local population of Rutshuru and Nyiragongo and the city of Goma, due to a…

[details]

Community Development Micro-Projects around Maiko National Park

Maiko National Park (MNP) was gazetted in 1970 by the President of what was then Zaire, Marshal Mobutu. Before the creation of the park, the area was…

[details]

Climate Change in the Congo Basin

The Congo Basin covers an area of more than 4 million km² and is home to a number of different ecosystems. Grassy savannas in the North and South…

[details]

GRACE Uses Radio for Conservation Education

The Tayna Nature Reserve, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is managed in partnership with the local community and is home to the critically…

[details]

GRACE Celebrates World Gorilla Day

It was early morning on 24 September, 2022, but the GRACE Education Team was already on the move. They had been planning for weeks: Zoom meetings,…

[details]

Community Reserves in a Retreating Environment

The natural forests in western North Kivu province and Maniema province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, are very rich in biodiversity of…

[details]

Another Gorilla Gives Birth on Mt. Tshiaberimu

For over a decade, there has been little hope for the survival of the Mount Tshiaberimu (or Tshiabirimu) gorillas. Several great ape experts…

[details]

Oil versus Forest in the Congo

In April 2022, Greenpeace reported that the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo planned to auction off concessions for the extraction…

[details]

Report of an Arrest

In view of the threats observed and documented in different areas, particularly in the Bafwasende area, central sector of the Maiko National Park…

[details]

Two Infants within Two Years at Mount Tshiaberimu

Mount Tshiaberimu (or Tshiabirimu) is located in the southern part of the Northern Sector of Virunga National Park. At the beginning of January 2020,…

[details]

Illicit Trafficking of Baby Chimpanzees

In 2020, the management of Maiko National Park set up a system to dismantle the network of traffickers of baby chimpanzees, particularly in Bafwasende…

[details]

A Brief Account of the CoCoSi of Maiko National Park

Activities in protected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are carried out in accordance with an annual operational plan drawn up by the…

[details]

Rearing Chickens

We reported on the efforts of the Sarambwe trackers to ensure the conservation of the reserve and asked for donations to thank them for the good work.…

[details]

Nkuba: a Community Reserve in Eastern D. R. Congo

In 2012, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International started a unique collaboration with local communities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo…

[details]

Support for Communities

We have already supported many projects, which have turned out to be very successful, for the people of Mt. Tshiaberimu. Other communities around the…

[details]

Photos of Hope from Tayna Nature Reserve

In last December’s issue of the Gorilla Journal, the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center was thrilled to share our…

[details]

Inspiring the Next Generation

"What makes gorillas special?" It is a question each of us could answer in our own unique way. For some, it's the gorillas' gentle nature and…

[details]

Ecological Research in the Kivu Region

As we fly from Rwanda's capital Kigali to the Kivu region in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, our route stretches over a hilly landscape…

[details]

Electric Fence Reduces Human-Wildlife Conflict

"For the past ten years, we had given up on planting maize. Buffalos could raid our farms a few weeks to harvesting and we could make immense losses.…

[details]

Gorilla born on Mt. Tshiaberimu

In December 2021 (the exact date is not known) another gorilla was born on Mt. Tshiaberimu. The mother is Mwengeshali. We celebrate this success with…

[details]

Conservation and Management of the Itombwe Nature Reserve: Major Challenges

The Itombwe Nature Reserve (INR) is located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the province of South Kivu, west of Lake…

[details]

Great Ape Survey in Tayna Nature Reserve

In 2021, GRACE completed the first-ever great ape survey of the entire Tayna Nature Reserve, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). How…

[details]

10 October 2021

A Year of Protection of the Sarambwe Nature Reserve by Trackers Unsupported by Rangers: Results and Lessons Learnt

The protection of protected areas…

[details]

New Grauer's Gorilla Population Estimate

A recent paper in the American Journal of Primatology by Andrew Plumptre and colleagues examined the largest survey dataset for Grauer's gorillas Gori…

[details]

Sarambwe: A Year without Rangers – but not without Protection!

On 10 October 2020, a ranger was killed during an attack on the Sarambwe ranger post – we reported it at the time. The national park authority ICCN…

[details]

Why Rangers in the Virunga National Park Are Under Attack

Another Attack on Rangers in the Virunga National Park

On 10 January 2021, 6 rangers lost their lives in an attack by armed…

[details]

Support Needed!

We now provide regular financial support for patrolling by rangers and trackers in four protected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since…

[details]

Pressures on Natural Resources of the Maiko National Park

Management of the Maiko National Park (MNP) has remained difficult due to the presence of armed groups in different sectors of the park. The…

[details]

Restoration of Sarambwe Ranger Post and Current Activities

The Sarambwe ranger post was attacked during the evening of 10 October 2020 by a Mai Mai group operating in the vicinity of Sarambwe. A few days…

[details]

Strengthened Human-Wildlife Conflict Measures Restore Hope in the Virungas

Regardless of the scotching sun and laborious work, a delighted face is the perfect description of Jean Bosco Ntawukibiwabo, as he works on a 3 m deep…

[details]

Fuel-efficient Stoves at Mount Tshiaberimu

Efficient charcoal-fired stoves have been in use throughout the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than a decade. Everyone is convinced…

[details]

Maiko National Park: Site Management and Conservation

Maiko National Park (MNP, BDMAP 1080) was gazetted in 1970. It is located in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is part of the…

[details]

COVID-19 Pandemic Cripples Community Livelihoods

For many households around mountain gorilla parks, tourism has been their lifeline. That is until the COVID-19 pandemic affected the tourism industry…

[details]

Deadly Attack on the Sarambwe Ranger Post (closed)

In this article we will give an overview of the management of Sarambwe Nature Reserve (SNR) and a history of the attacks that have taken place in the…

[details]

The Sarambwe Nature Reserve after the Demarcation of the International Border

In our last article (Gorilla Journal 58) we wrote about our hope that the encroachment of the Sarambwe Nature Reserve (SNR) by Ugandan farmers in…

[details]

Communities in Sarambwe

It is not easy to convince the local population of the benefits of nature conservation if the living conditions are as difficult as they are in the…

[details]

Itombwe Nature Reserve: Conservation Efforts 2017 to 2019

The East African Albertine Rift is known for its extremely high biodiversity and endemism, the highest in continental Africa, and has been the subject…

[details]

Mount Tshiaberimu - the Science behind the Mountain of Spirits

The northern sector of Mount Tshiaberimu is an integral part of the Virunga National Park (VNP), the west is adjacent to Lake Edward in North Kivu…

[details]

Population of Bwindi Gorillas Increases to 459 Animals

Taking into account the latest census from Bwindi-Sarambwe, and including the figures for Virunga gorillas from the 2015-2016 census, the global total…

[details]

Bamboo Cultivation in the Vicinity of Mt. Tshiaberimu

In order to preserve the ecosystems of Mount Tshiaberimu, Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe has made it its duty to keep up its support for this…

[details]