The Bonobo Peace Forest project has been officially endorsed by DRC President Joseph Kabila, UNESCO, and the DRC Office of the Kyoto Protocol, who embrace the idea as providing both a practical and conceptual link between the wise management of natural resources and enduring peace in the DRC, which is just emerging from a tragic war, fueled largely by exploitation of Congo's natural riches. We are working closely with DRC government institutions, local communities and NGOs to designate new protected areas and corridors of critical importance to the long-term survival of the bonobo and its rainforest home. 

Highlighted as the major announcement of the 8th Annual World Wilderness Congress, which spotlighted the role of indigenous peoples in protecting wilderness, the Bonobo Peace Forest has also been called "a new paradigm for conservation in the 21st century."

The Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve is the pilot and model community reserve in the Bonobo Peace Forest network. Harboring one of the largest known bonobo populations-more than 1000 bonobos in a 3,000 km2 forest. Kokolopori is an exceptionally important site, both for conservation and research. It is one of the few sites where bonobos are habituated to the presence of humans, and can be viewed on a daily basis. The indigenous Mongandu people at Kokolopori respect ancestral traditions to protect bonobos. They are working with BCI and managing partner Vie Sauvage to protect their forest, while at the same time improving their quality of life. Together, we have initiated a number of promising livelihood programs, including sustainable agriculture, micro-credit loans and conservation enterprise programs, aid for the local schools, and, with the support of Australia's Indigo Foundation, we have just opened the first health clinic!

Background:

The Bonobo Peace Forest (BPF) is a constellation of community-based reserves (CBR) and Protected Areas linked with buffer zones, corridors and areas of sustainable development. Since 2001, the Bonobo Peace Forest concept has evolved organically, driven primarily by Congolese stakeholder interests, from the grassroots level to the national leadership. With support from the Global Conservation Fund of Conservation International, the Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI) conducted the Bonobo Reserve Pre-Feasibility Study (2002) that analyzed the potential to create a substantial protected area for bonobos in the heart of their range in DRC’s cuvette centrale.

During the course of this study the concept for the Bonobo Peace Forest was further developed in collaboration with Congolese stakeholders and government officials. These stakeholders determined that they did not want another, traditional national park that would displace and constrain local residents. Instead, they proposed development of a linked constellation of community-based forest reserves combined with sustainable development zones.

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