As peace breaks out in the Democratic Republic of Congo, nearly 200 experts from all parts of the country joined international conservationists and Government Ministers in Kinshasa this week to prepare the first national plan for great ape survival in DRC. Recognising that conservation is apolitical, the three-day workshop concluded that global interest in saving gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos from extinction could play an important role in the reconstruction of the DRC after a years of bloody conflicts involving armies from half a dozen neighboring countries.
This extraordinary gathering included, against all odds, representatives from regions divided by civil war and bringing many areas of expertise to the task in hand, including government officials, members of parliament, police, army (the DRC Army already has an environmental cell), academics, lawyers, community and environmental NGOs, both local and international, and three UN Agencies – UNEP, UNESCO and UNDP. Uppermost in their mind was the development potential inherent in natural populations of great apes – DRC was the first nation to successfully develop gorilla tourism back in the 1970s and is eager to welcome ape enthusiasts again once their security can be assured.
With the release at the World Summit on Sustainable Development of a new report on the predicted catastrophic impact of infrastructural development in great ape habitat, and growing international support for GrASP – the UNEP/UNESCO Great Ape Survival Project, this was a timely event.
DRC has more kinds of great ape than any other nation on earth, two of which – the Eastern Lowland Gorilla and the Bonobo – are found no-where else. Others include the Eastern Chimpanzee, the Mountain Gorilla, probably the Central Chimpanzee, and possibly the Western Lowland Gorilla.
War has prevented surveys in recent years, and uncertainty over the continued survival of Central Chimpanzees and Western Lowland Gorillas prompted calls for a national survey.
Urgent recommendations include :
- Surveys of little-known areas to establish which apes survive where, in particular in the MAYUMBE Forest, Bas-Fleuve, which is contiguous with forests in Angola’s Cabinda Enclave.
- Rehabilitation of the neglected MAIKO National Park, which holds important populations of eastern lowland gorillas and chimpanzees.
- Re-claiming the 90 per cent of KAHUZI-BIEGA National Park currently in rebel hands and surveying it to establish whether any large mammals have survived the onslaught of bushmeat hunters feeding the coltan miners.
- Development of community conservation initiatives to create jobs in areas of rural poverty, for example around the village of LOMAKO in bonobo habitat.
- Strengthening of existing laws protecting great apes and improved awareness among law enforcement agencies and the courts was called for by a legal commission at the workshop.
- The fate of infant apes, confiscated by the authorities was also addressed; resources are urgently needed for sanctuaries to care for them and develop their potential for conservation education.
The Workshop was opened by His Excellency M. Salomon Banamahere Baliene, Minister of Lands, Environment and Tourism, who said he had three major concerns, “First, put people at the center of conservation and development strategies; second, avoid purely theoretical recommendations that are not applicable on the ground; and third, ensure all those participating make a commitment to contribute to the effective implementation of the National Great Ape Survival Plan.”
Mme Eulalie BASHIGE, head of ICCN, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature said, “ICCN has a long history of conservation, and our staff work in extremely difficult conditions. However, they never abandon their posts – even during these years of war, when numerous park guards have lost their lives in the service of their duty. Thus we would like to use this occasion to appeal to the international community to assist ICCN in its important work by providing field equipment, communications equipment and other materials for the monitoring and protection of our national parks, the education of the public and support for local communities. To conserve the great apes – humankind’s closest relatives – here in DRC, we have the expertise and dedication. We lack only the means.”
On the second day, the meeting was addressed by His Excellency General Kalume Wumbi, Minister of Planning and Reconstruction, who stressed the potential of ape tourism in bringing benefits to the people, “Saving the great apes requires collaboration between all those concerned – government, civil society, international partners and local communities. And those local communities must receive a fair share of the benefits resulting from developments such as tourists visiting great apes.”
Among the diplomats present, Mr Anthony Gambino, Mission Director, USAID/DRC, commented, “The United States is committed to working to ensure the health and survival of the critically endangered flora and fauna of the Congo Basin, including the great apes. We salute the work of those persons – many of whom attended this important meeting – who have struggled heroically to preserve and protect this spectacular endowment.”
Conference organiser Mme Evelyne Bambokela Samu, CARPE-DRC Focal Point, said, “The message is simple – don’t kill, don’t eat, don’t buy great apes – just protect them.”
“The success of this workshop,” said Mark Attwater of UNEP-GrASP, “signals to the international community that it is time to demonstrate their trust in the Congolese people and support their efforts to conserve these great apes and their habitats, for the benefit of all.”
Ian Redmond, head of the GrASP Technical Team, commented, “It is inspirational that in a country riven by war, so many diverse experts can work together for three intense days without a single note of discord – evidence that a common concern for conservation in general and apes in particular can bring people together despite war and political differences.”
