Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve is officially recognized by the DRC government!

In May 2009, the pilot and model site for BCI’s Bonobo Peace Forest project, the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, gained legal recognition as a nature reserve.

Kokolopori’s rainforest reserve is one of the few sites where wild bonobos are habituated to human presence and can be viewed on a daily basis. Home to more than 1000 bonobos, it is the anchor site for the Bonobo Peace Forest, a proposed constellation of locally managed nature reserves supported by sustainable community development. The 1847 square mile (4875 km2) reserve is larger than the state of Rhode Island. In addition to bonobos, the reserve also harbors a variety of other rare and endangered species and helps mitigate climate change through sequestration of atmospheric carbon.

BCI began working in Kokolopori in 2002 with its local partner organization, Vie Sauvage, led by Albert Lotana Lokasola. Beginning with only a group of volunteers, Vie Sauvage initiated conservation and sustainable development activities in Kokolopori, ultimately leading to the development of the reserve. Now, more than 75 agents are employed by Vie Sauvage, in partnership with BCI, who monitor bonobos and other biodiversity in the area, and manage the reserve and associated community development activities. At present, five groups of bonobos are tracked daily, three of which are fully habituated to human presence and can be viewed and studied at close range.

Kokolopori also serves as an example for regional conservation efforts in the Tshuapa district of the Equateur province, and beyond. The local Bongando people in Kokolopori have traditionally protected bonobos and maintain taboos against hunting them. Other communities in the bonobo habitat, such as Lingomo, Nkokolombo and Mompono have been inspired by Kokolopori and have initiated their own programs to protect their forest and bonobos.

The Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve benefits the local community through training, employment and community development programs. These include sustainable agriculture, a health clinic, aid for local schools, a women’s microcredit program and the first institute of higher learning in the region, the Djolu Technical College for Rural Development and Conservation, established in tandem with the reserve.

An official Sister City partnership between Kokolopori and Falls Church City, Virginia, USA, was established in 2006, and this has increased community development support, educational opportunities, cultural exchange, and publicity. The Kokolopori-Falls Church Sister City Partnership has provided invaluable support, among other things, through aid to Kokolopori’s health clinic and local schools, and a women’s micro-credit fund.

Learn more about the Kokolopori-Falls Church Sister City Partnership [Click Here]

Our accomplishments to date in Kokolopori include:

Training and participation of rangers in biodiversity surveys and on-going monitoring

Training of local staff and members of other Congolese NGOs in Information Exchange methodology

Discovery and initiation of the first field study on the rare Salongo monkey (Cercopithecus dryas)

Sustainable agriculture program provides disease-resistant cassava (the local staple crop) and improved seed stocks to improve nutrition and reduce impact on the forest

Independent community-driven distribution of improved cassava cuttings to other communities

Community conservation and training centers established in three focal villages, Yalokole, Yettee and Yotemankele

Micro-enterprise projects with the Kokolopori Women’s Association, including palm oil extraction, soap making and couture

Support for local schools through purchase and donation of school supplies, textbooks and other materials

Establishment of Kokolopori’s first health clinic and hiring of a doctor and nurses

On-going conservation sensitization programs

Establishment of the first institution of higher learning in the region, the Djolu Technical College for Conservation and Rural Development

Research initiated by local Congolese partners has attracted international attention. We hosted a Harvard University researcher, and welcome other researchers to study at Kokolopori

Kokolopori featured in Smithsonian magazine November 2006 cover story and 2008 Time magazine story

Click on the picture of the grey parrot to learn what other species may be found at Kokolopori.

Albert Lokasola, with mosaic-disease resistant cassava. The new cassava improves food security and generates additional community revenues. In addition, due to its higher yield it requires 80% less land, thereby reducing agricultural impacts on the forest.

"Since the time of our ancestors, our people, the Bongando, have traditionally protected and respected bonobos through taboos, legends and rituals celebrating bonobos as our closest relative and friend. Bonobo saved our ancestors from numerous dangers in the forest. We build on these traditions.... We hope that many people will come and visit Kokolopori to enjoy and work with us to strengthen the reserve.” - Albert Lotana Lokasola

Thanks to our donors who support Kokolopori!

Conservation International’s Global Conservation Fund, Conservation International’s Central Africa Program, Indigo Foundation, Kokolopori-Falls Church Sister City Partnership, Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, UN Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Great Ape Conservation Fund, Litner Foundation, Gale Foundation, and many individuals who continue to help make this project a success. We can’t do it without you!

The African Community Enterprise (ACE) is a division of the Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI) and is primarily focused on sustainable economic development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After years of conservation research and work in the Congo, it has become eminently clear that conservation will not succeed if the local communities’ humanitarian and economic needs are not addressed. ACE’s mission is to enable livelihood development to facilitate conservation, education, and health initiatives critical to the indigenous people. Initiatives include, but are not limited to micro-loan programs, non-exploitive agricultural programs, skills training, and business development.