Gorillas can only live in rain forest. Wherever the rain forest has been destroyed, the gorillas have disappeared.
As human populations grow in numbers, they require ever more space for agriculture. A lot of forest is lost in this way, particularly in densely populated regions. However, the economic exploitation of resources also destroys forest. Although logging companies are usually interested in only a few trees, the roads they construct while extracting the timber make remote forests accessible for settlers. Forest is also lost during the mining of minerals. In addition, ever larger areas are clear-felled for the cultivation of plants that play a major role in the global economy, such as oil palms.
What is the role of indigenous people in conservation? Are they 'forest destroyers' or 'forest protectors'? Both narratives argue that the fate of…
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In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) lies the Congo Basin, the second largest rainforest in the world. The DRC is particularly rich in…
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Mt. Tshiaberimu, a mountain range on which Grauer's gorillas are protected in the Virunga National Park, is surrounded by several villages. The main…
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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…
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Although gorilla distribution and habitat use are fairly well known for many gorilla populations in Cameroon, very little is known concerning the Ebo…
[details]The natural forests in western North Kivu province and Maniema province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, are very rich in biodiversity of…
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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…
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Efficient charcoal-fired stoves have been in use throughout the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than a decade. Everyone is convinced…
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The Maiombe National Park (MNP) covers a large part of the Maiombe forest component of Angola, an area of some 1,930 km² in Cabinda Province, an…
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The Government of Cameroon has proposed two Forest Management Units (FMU) for timber exploitation which completely cover the proposed Ebo National…
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Protecting forest corridors that allow movement and genetic exchange between Cross River gorilla subpopulations and groups is critical to their…
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In March 2016 the Federal Ministry of the Environment issued Cross River State a stop work order pending approval of an environmental impact…
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Tropical deforestation is well known to have serious negative consequences for biodiversity, terrestrial carbon sinks and the balance of atmospheric…
[details]![[Translate to Englisch:] Verteilung von Maracuja-Setzlingen](/fileadmin/news/Das_setzen_von_Maracuja-Setzlingen_Dezember_2004_02.jpg "[Translate to Englisch:] Verteilung von Maracuja-Setzlingen")
In 2008, a cry for help came from the Mount Tshiaberimu area due to a rush of people cutting wood and producing charcoal. The profitability of this…
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The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) has its origin in West Africa. Palm oil is a common cooking ingredient in equatorial Africa, Southeast Asia and parts…
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Hunting often devastates populations of large mammals, and this may have impact on other animal and plant communities. In two recent studies (Effiom…
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The Bambidie Gorilla Project (BGP), founded in 2008, aims to preserve a population of western lowland gorillas, between the villages of…
![[Translate to EN:] Schüler in der Baumschule (© Augustin Rwimo)](/fileadmin/user_upload/berggorilla-regenwald-direkthilfe-erfolge-baeume-pflanzen.jpg "[Translate to EN:] Schüler in der Baumschule (© Augustin Rwimo)")
The population of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo depends on charcoal for cooking. To obtain it, they cut large areas of forest, even in…
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Republic of Congo: in March 2009 I made a tour of the various markets in Ouesso, and for the first time realized the real ubiquity of bushmeat in that…
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The Cross River gorilla is the most endangered of all great ape taxa, and its rare and increasingly fragmented populations continue to be threatened…
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