Two thousand twenty two was a year of notable events; OCP celebrated 35 years of continuous efforts to conserve okapi in DRC, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve commemorated the 30th Anniversary as a protected area encompassing a unique and diverse array of plants and animals found in no other place in the world and personally important, I was able to visit with our Project staff after a 2-year absence due to COVID-19 restrictions. Our weekly zoom calls notwithstanding, it was so special to feel the warmth of the people, the smell of the forest and the immensity of the place where okapi live.

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is home to several communities that include a large number of farmers who practice slash-and-burn agriculture. Being aware of the danger this cultivation practice represents to okapi habitat, it is necessary to educate and disseminate sustainable agroforestry techniques that improve peoples’ livelihoods while protecting the rainforest.

Our education program facilitated several outreach initiatives including visits to the Epulu-Okapi Primary School and the Yambuya Primary School to present on local protected species and the importance of their survival.

World Okapi Day (October 18th) has quickly grown to be a large celebration around the Reserve, and we continue to focus on educating local communities on the okapi’s values and importance while urging them to fight against various threats against the animal and its habitat.

This year, thanks to funding from a generous donor, we renovated the original building of the Okapi Dispensary to bring it up to par with the new wing built three years earlier.

Celebrating International Women’s Day.

With OCP providing financial support through the Wildlife Conservation Network and other sources, Conserv Congo is leading a thorough response to the trafficking of okapi and other wildlife, and their investigations revealed that 80% of the illegal wildlife products seized in Uganda originate from DRC.

How calendars are bringing conservation to the masses across the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

The CorPPN visits the Reserve to discuss security and on honor the ICCO Ecoguards.

OCP educators travel across the Reserve to deliver important lessons on wildlife and conservation to school children.