Women participating in Women’s Groups across the Reserve continue to advance their cutting and sewing styles and techniques to enhance the quality of their products. Recognizing this evolution, we invested in our first chain stitch (embroidery) sewing machine, capable of creating designs on the various items crafted.

In agroforestry this quarter, activities focused on bean sowing and the onset of rice and peanut harvesting. Over 2,191kg of bean seeds were distributed to farmers. Our agronomists are standing by to offer support as recent heavy rains pose challenges to their growth. In our commitment to education and community development, we supplied agricultural tools to six secondary schools in Mambasa and two in Mungbere, supporting both academic endeavors and sustainable farming practices.

Indigenous peoples of the Reserve are key allies to its conservation. Considered the ‘first protectors of the forest’, they have resided in the Ituri Forest for hundreds of generations maintaining their distinct culture. From their active involvement in the establishment of the Reserve to their support in guiding okapi camera trap expeditions, their collaboration has been vital to enhancing the understanding of the Reserve and ensuring its conservation for years to come.

In January, I returned to Epulu, the headquarters of the Reserve de Faune à Okapi (RFO) for the first time in 21 years to meet with the Okapi Conservation Project’s education, agroforestry, health, and infrastructure teams to listen to their activities, experiences, impacts, and challenges.

ICCN, L'Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (The Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature), is the government authority tasked with safeguarding protected areas across the country, including the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

Healthcare is the number one requested need by communities in the region.

At our Okapi Clinic in Epulu, we provide healthcare and treatments to the Okapi Wildlife Reserve staff and their families - including ICCN, WCS, OCP - and the indigenous Mbuti.

The main threat to the rainforest habitat of okapi is slash-and-burn agriculture. Though often conducted on a small scale, the combined actions of people participating in the practice can impact large swaths of forest.

With the arrival of October 18th, the Reserve brims with collective cheer and inspiration.

Our teams have returned from World Okapi Day celebrations in eight villages and towns around the Reserve. This year, we felt it important to rotate the celebrations to new places we haven’t been able to reach in previous years’ celebrations.

In October 2023, OCP’s Program Manager, Berce Nsafuansa, participated in a panel titled Healing Habitats on the importance of community involvement and support when working to protect okapi.

The 2022 Annual Report is available in English and Français versions.

PRESS RELEASE: October 17, 2023. Okapi Wildlife Reserve celebrates the globally threatened okapi and its rainforest habitat

I was able to visit Epulu in July. Travel was challenging (7 different airports on the way in, 8 different airports on the way back) with the cancellation problems occurring outside of DRC, it took me 5 days to get home. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived in Epulu that for the first time all staff working for OCP in Epulu and our 6 field offices around the Reserve were all together in Epulu.

Wildlife Conservation Global (WCG) is happy to announce the appointment of John Watkin as Deputy Director. With over 30-years of experience in field conservation and philanthropic sectors, John brings to bear considerable talents to advancing WCG/Okapi Conservation Project (OCP) mission to conserve the okapi in the wild, while preserving the biological and cultural diversity of the Ituri forest.

This June, our team embarked on a camera trap expedition through the dense forest landscapes of Bianje, Bandisende, and Bukulani. The primary goal of the trip was to determine the presence of various animals, with a particular focus on the elusive okapi. Ten cameras were set in locations of interest to capture the biodiversity of the area and species abundance and movement. The team also collected memory cards from previously set cameras to review upon their return from the field.

We are delighted to share the latest updates from our women’s empowerment program as we celebrate International Women's Day. Over the past 6 months, we continued our support by providing the OCP women's groups in Epulu, Mambasa, Mungbere, Niania, and Wamba with essential materials for sewing, embroidery, knitting, and community gardens. These resources support improved livelihoods and food security.

Our assistance continues to extend to the family of the late ranger Fiston MADAWA with tuition for his two children. We also provided milk for two infants of late ecoguards of Mont Hoyo. Support from Fondation Segré enabled our sustained commitment to ICCN by providing necessary rations for over 200 ecoguards to support their patrol of an estimated 6,000 km² of the Reserve.

Our education programming started 2023 with renewing our contracts with radio stations that promote and disseminate our educational radio broadcasts. Broadcasts are transmitted in French, Swahili, and Lingala when possible, and cover a series of topics. New recordings were added this quarter highlighting the OCP agroforestry program and an interview with ICCN ecoguard Rosette about ICCN’s mission to protect the invaluable biodiversity of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

This February, our In-country Director, Rosmarie Ruf, was presented with the 2022 Mambasa Patriotism Prize for her exceptional contributions to the conservation of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. Rosie has been working in northeastern DR Congo with the Okapi Conservation Project since our founding, over 36 years ago.

Our agroforestry team has been busy at work with local farmers collecting produce and seeds while preparing for the upcoming rainy season. Agronomes collected soil from different nurseries to prepare several species of seedlings for the planting seasons and readied fields. The start of the year also encompassed a review and strategic planning for this year’s activities and renovation of the Epulu nursery to better support local communities and the growing program.