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]Grauer's Gorilla
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]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]Dear Relatives
Are the Virunga Mountain Gorillas' closest relatives the Bwindi Mountain Gorillas?
Gorillas are subdivided into two species and four subspecies. In…
[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]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]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]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]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]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]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]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]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]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]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… |
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]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…
[details]Maiko National Park: Site Management and Conservation
Maiko National Park (MNP, BDMAP 1080) was gazetted in 1970. It is located in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is part of the…
[details]Itombwe Nature Reserve: Conservation Efforts 2017 to 2019
The East African Albertine Rift is known for its extremely high biodiversity and endemism, the highest in continental Africa, and has been the subject…
[details]Mount Tshiaberimu - the Science behind the Mountain of Spirits
The northern sector of Mount Tshiaberimu is an integral part of the Virunga National Park (VNP), the west is adjacent to Lake Edward in North Kivu…
[details]Efficient Cooking Stoves for the Population at Mt. Tshiaberimu
Currently the supply of electric power covers less than 30 % of the energy and is available only for a small percentage of the population in eastern…
[details]Bamboo Cultivation in the Vicinity of Mt. Tshiaberimu
In order to preserve the ecosystems of Mount Tshiaberimu, Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe has made it its duty to keep up its support for this…
[details]Progress at GRACE Amid Serious Challenges
The past two years have proven challenging for the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center, the world's only sanctuary for…
[details]GRASP & IUCN Great Apes Status Report 2018: Summary
Great ape populations in Africa and Asia are severely threatened by the combined impacts of habitat loss, poaching, illegal trade, and disease. Since…
[details]The Itombwe Nature Reserve Faces Many Threats
Regretfully, we must draw the attention of the conservation community to an observation made during our last environmental education mission on 29…
[details]Long-term Biomonitoring on Great Apes Using Camera Traps at Kahuzi-Biega
Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP) is home to exceptionally diverse flora and fauna and represents an important site in the Albertine Rift, one of the…
[details]Law Enforcement in Itombwe Reserve
Conservation approaches in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have evolved from fine and fences, top-down approaches to adaptive co-management…
[details]Banro's Activities in the Itombwe Nature Reserve
After investigation and verification on site, the management team of Itombwe Nature Reserve confirms with regret that the company Banro has not only…
[details]An Initiative by Local Women for the Families of the Itombwe Reserve's Rangers
Femmes Leaders pour l'Environnement, Unies pour sa Restauration (FLEUR - Women Leaders for the Environment: United for the Purpose of its Restoration)…
[details]Street Lighting in Mwenga Centre
The Democratic Republic of the Congo teems with important natural and biological resources. As they are so important for growth, development, the…
[details]Bandits Kill an Itombwe Ranger
On 5 May, 2017 a convoy of conservation workers from the Itombwe Reserve was ambushed by an armed group. During this attack, a ranger was fatally…
[details]Can Micro-Projects Promote Conservation?
The Sarambwe Reserve and Mount Tshiaberimu are two refuges for gorillas near the central and northern part of the Virunga National Park, conserving…
[details]Community Conservation Is More Beneficial for the Park and Local Communities
This is a quote regularly heard among communities around the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after…
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