The Killing of a Gorilla and the Destruction of Habitats in the Maiko National Park
The Grauer's gorilla is facing a major crisis. Several factors are threatening its habitat: agricultural and pastoral expansion, subsistence hunting,…
[details]Democratic Republic of the Congo
Sarambwe under Occupation
Involving the population in conservation
Conservation and protection of biodiversity in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo are subject to…
Report from Maiko National Park
The task of the managers of Maiko National Park is to protect the rainforest and its biological diversity and to preserve its importance in…
[details]Protecting Grauer's Gorillas through Community Partnerships: Sustainable Woodlots in Kagheri
Celebrating Two Years of Community Partnership
In the village of Kagheri, located 15 km from the GRACE (Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation…
Community Projects at Mount Tshiaberimu
Water provision for two schools
For many years the Wilhelma, the Zoological-Botanical Garden of Stuttgart, has collected mobile phones for recycling.…
Revitalising the Management of the Itombwe Nature Reserve and Collaboration with the Local Population
Since 2021, relations between the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN)/Itombwe Nature Reserve (INR) and the local population of the…
[details]The Usala Corridor - a Win-Win for Gorillas and People
There are very few communities left in the world that require a difficult, seven-day trek through dense jungle and across rushing rivers to reach.…
[details]When Gorillas 'Rescue' Themselves
On the morning of 19 February 2024, Dr. Lina Nturubika, a field veterinarian with Gorilla Doctors, hiked out from our Tshivanga field station at…
[details]Unveiling the Conservation Journey: Insights from the 26th Tayna Gorilla Reserve General Assembly
The Réserve Naturelle de Tayna (Tayna Nature Reserve), where lush forests cradle some of the world's most endangered species, is a testament to the…
[details]Support for Itombwe
Some patrols are carried out in the Itombwe Reserve with support from B&RD. However, their numbers are far from sufficient and they are very poorly…
[details]SOS - Gorillas of the Itombwe Nature Reserve in Danger
An SOS is a 'red alert' signal triggered by a dangerous or life-threatening situation, such as a natural disaster. Here it is suggested that an…
[details]Ape Trafficking Escalates as Demand Increases in the Middle East and South Asia
Africa's great ape sanctuaries have become inundated with new arrivals, rescued from the collateral damage of the bushmeat trade and targeted…
[details]Balancing Act: The Imperative of Social and Ecological Justice in Kahuzi-Biega
Kahuzi-Biega National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the conflict-afflicted eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has…
[details]Basket-weaving Training Project for Adolescent Mothers in Mt. Tshiaberimu
Mt. Tshiaberimu, a mountain range on which Grauer's gorillas are protected in the Virunga National Park, is surrounded by several villages. The main…
[details]The Kansere-Masakaru-Iyuma Forests in Utunda-Nord
The Kansere-Masakaru-Iyuma forests are located between the Usala Gorilla Reserve (RGU) and the Kisimba-Ikobo Primate Reserve (RPKI), in the vicinity…
[details]Mining Menaces Itombwe Nature Reserve
In the remote Itombwe Nature Reserve in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), mining increasingly threatens nature conservation efforts.…
[details]First Photo of a Silverback Gorilla in the Itombwe Nature Reserve
The Itombwe Nature Reserve (IRN) is one of the protected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located in the Itombwe forest (GPS…
[details]GRACE Celebrates International Women's Day
The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center, located in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is centered on…
[details]Support for Conservation and Community Development around Maiko
The population of villages and towns in the Maiko region faces many difficulties in accessing basic services such as drinking water, and so do the…
[details]The Beekeeping Project in Sarambwe Nature Reserve
Support for this project was requested because of strong demand from the local population of Rutshuru and Nyiragongo and the city of Goma, due to a…
[details]Community Development Micro-Projects around Maiko National Park
Maiko National Park (MNP) was gazetted in 1970 by the President of what was then Zaire, Marshal Mobutu. Before the creation of the park, the area was…
[details]Climate Change in the Congo Basin
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…
[details]GRACE Uses Radio for Conservation Education
The Tayna Nature Reserve, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is managed in partnership with the local community and is home to the critically…
[details]GRACE Celebrates World Gorilla Day
It was early morning on 24 September, 2022, but the GRACE Education Team was already on the move. They had been planning for weeks: Zoom meetings,…
[details]Community Reserves in a Retreating Environment
The natural forests in western North Kivu province and Maniema province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, are very rich in biodiversity of…
[details]Another Gorilla Gives Birth on Mt. Tshiaberimu
For over a decade, there has been little hope for the survival of the Mount Tshiaberimu (or Tshiabirimu) gorillas. Several great ape experts…
[details]Oil versus Forest in the Congo
In April 2022, Greenpeace reported that the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo planned to auction off concessions for the extraction…
[details]Report of an Arrest
In view of the threats observed and documented in different areas, particularly in the Bafwasende area, central sector of the Maiko National Park…
[details]Two Infants within Two Years at Mount Tshiaberimu
Mount Tshiaberimu (or Tshiabirimu) is located in the southern part of the Northern Sector of Virunga National Park. At the beginning of January 2020,…
[details]Illicit Trafficking of Baby Chimpanzees
In 2020, the management of Maiko National Park set up a system to dismantle the network of traffickers of baby chimpanzees, particularly in Bafwasende…
[details]A Brief Account of the CoCoSi of Maiko National Park
Activities in protected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are carried out in accordance with an annual operational plan drawn up by the…
[details]Rearing Chickens
We reported on the efforts of the Sarambwe trackers to ensure the conservation of the reserve and asked for donations to thank them for the good work.…
[details]Nkuba: a Community Reserve in Eastern D. R. Congo
In 2012, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International started a unique collaboration with local communities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo…
[details]Support for Communities
We have already supported many projects, which have turned out to be very successful, for the people of Mt. Tshiaberimu. Other communities around the…
[details]Photos of Hope from Tayna Nature Reserve
In last December’s issue of the Gorilla Journal, the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center was thrilled to share our…
[details]Inspiring the Next Generation
"What makes gorillas special?" It is a question each of us could answer in our own unique way. For some, it's the gorillas' gentle nature and…
[details]Ecological Research in the Kivu Region
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…
[details]Electric Fence Reduces Human-Wildlife Conflict
"For the past ten years, we had given up on planting maize. Buffalos could raid our farms a few weeks to harvesting and we could make immense losses.…
[details]Gorilla born on Mt. Tshiaberimu
In December 2021 (the exact date is not known) another gorilla was born on Mt. Tshiaberimu. The mother is Mwengeshali. We celebrate this success with…
[details]Conservation and Management of the Itombwe Nature Reserve: Major Challenges
The Itombwe Nature Reserve (INR) is located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the province of South Kivu, west of Lake…
[details]Great Ape Survey in Tayna Nature Reserve
In 2021, GRACE completed the first-ever great ape survey of the entire Tayna Nature Reserve, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). How…
[details]10 October 2021
A Year of Protection of the Sarambwe Nature Reserve by Trackers Unsupported by Rangers: Results and Lessons Learnt
The protection of protected areas…
[details]New Grauer's Gorilla Population Estimate
A recent paper in the American Journal of Primatology by Andrew Plumptre and colleagues examined the largest survey dataset for Grauer's gorillas Gori…
[details]Sarambwe: A Year without Rangers – but not without Protection!
On 10 October 2020, a ranger was killed during an attack on the Sarambwe ranger post – we reported it at the time. The national park authority ICCN…
[details]Why Rangers in the Virunga National Park Are Under Attack
Another Attack on Rangers in the Virunga National Park On 10 January 2021, 6 rangers lost their lives in an attack by armed… |
Support Needed!
We now provide regular financial support for patrolling by rangers and trackers in four protected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since…
[details]Pressures on Natural Resources of the Maiko National Park
Management of the Maiko National Park (MNP) has remained difficult due to the presence of armed groups in different sectors of the park. The…
[details]Restoration of Sarambwe Ranger Post and Current Activities
The Sarambwe ranger post was attacked during the evening of 10 October 2020 by a Mai Mai group operating in the vicinity of Sarambwe. A few days…
[details]Strengthened Human-Wildlife Conflict Measures Restore Hope in the Virungas
Regardless of the scotching sun and laborious work, a delighted face is the perfect description of Jean Bosco Ntawukibiwabo, as he works on a 3 m deep…
[details]Fuel-efficient Stoves at Mount Tshiaberimu
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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