Latest News From BCI

Hunting is the greatest threat to bonobo survival. While the solution may seem straightforward, the consumption and trading of wild-caught meat is actually an incredibly complex and multi-layered issue, with deep cultural and financial significance. Theodore Trefon’s new book, Bushmeat: Culture, Economy and Conservation in Central Africa, analyzes the trade and consumption of bushmeat through a combination of compelling individual stories and thoroughly researched data.

We love sharing updates with you on the research program in the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, and we especially love it when we get to share news of a brand new bonobo baby. We are absolutely over the moon to report that there have been not one, not two, but THREE new additions to the Kokoalongo bonobo group this summer!

On June 16, 1998, twenty-five years ago, Alison Mize and I co-founded the Bonobo Conservation Initiative, together with our founding board members, Bill Meade, Ted Green, and Steve Hamblin. We reached out to an amazing group of dedicated and talented people from a range of disciplines to take a creative look at how we could best preserve the bonobo species and its rainforest habitat in the Congo Basin.

In June of 1998, Sally Jewell Coxe launched the Bonobo Conservation Initiative along with Alison Mize and a small group of bonobo enthusiasts. Twenty five years later, what started as a brainstorming session in a living room in Washington, DC has grown to nine million acres of protected land in the DRC. Together with our Congolese partners, we have established the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve and the Sankuru Nature Reserve, home to bonobos and a vast array of other wildlife. And all of this incredible progress is thanks to you!

Prticipatory mapping is underway in Lingomo, Nkokolombo, and Likongo! Obtaining accurate maps is a critical step on the road to achieving official protection.

Enjoy a slideshow of this year’s activities in the Bonobo Peace Forest!

We are thrilled to announce that The Nature Conservancy is partnering with BCI to help preserve a critical region within the bonobo habitat. With The Nature Conservancy’s generous support, we are taking major steps toward establishing official protection of the Lilungu forest and preparing for long-term, sustainable financing through REDD+, in cooperation with local communities.

We have some news that’s sure to put a smile on your face—there are new baby bonobos in the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve! In the Kokoalongo bonobo group, Kidjo gave birth in December and PJ in February. There’s also a new baby in the Ekalakala group, born to Violette. All mothers and juveniles are reportedly doing very well.

One of the major challenges of working in the bonobo habitat is delivering equipment and supplies to remote areas of the Congo rainforest. The pandemic made already complicated logistics even harder as travel, resources, and supply chains were constrained. We are delighted to report that perseverance wins the day once again!

We would like to extend a huge thank you to SumOfUs for their successful fundraising campaign! Their community raised an amazing $45,000 to support our programs in the Bonobo Peace Forest. Launched in 2011, SumOfUs is a global community that uses the power of online tools to run campaigns that mobilize millions of people to take action to make social change.