Mbau forest and Mixed forest in the Ituri, DR Congo
The actual title is “The Ecology of a Single Species Dominant Forest and of a Mixed Forest in Zaire, Africa.” Politics change, names disappear, hope these forests persist.
Mbau forest and Mixed forest in the Ituri, DR Congo
The actual title is “The Ecology of a Single Species Dominant Forest and of a Mixed Forest in Zaire, Africa.” Politics change, names disappear, hope these forests persist.
As director of the TL2 Project I represent an outstanding team of Congolese field biologists. My husband and I set out in 2007 to explore an unknown forest. We found bonobos, a new species of monkey, forest elephant, okapi, Congo peacock... With our staff and local leaders we sought a means to protect this wilderness forever. In July 2016 the Lomami National Park was declared: 8,874 sq km. Our mission, with our TL2 staff, is now to build effective conservation from village-base to national administration for the park and buffer zone. Read more.
terese AT bonoboincongo DOT com
We used these funds to increase our monitoring and patrol coverage in the park (in 2019, patrols covered a total of 13,023 km mainly off-trail through forest); We maintained a permanent outreach presence in the buffer zone helping local populations with community projects (a school under construction, several bridges, a palm oil press). We are opening a new set of demonstration fishponds in a southern village to provide hunters an alternative livelihood. We continue to work with the population to improve their overall security and social peace.
Your support and interest are the greatest motivation possible. Our responsibility is to keep you informed through this blog-site and through our reports and photos. Don’t hesitate to ask us specific questions.
Our direct thanks go to (in the order that funding was received in 2019) Elephant Crisis Fund, Woodtiger Fund, Full Circle Fund, Wildcat Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the contributors through Paypal at this blogsite.
Many thanks from all of us in TL2.
Read more.
FZS-US is our US partner for donations.
The three river basins of the Tshuapa, Lomami and Lualaba Rivers (TL2), Congo’s forest enigma, ascend through its geographic heart. We have answered our first question "Is Congo's own great ape, the bonobo, found in TL2?" Yes it is? And so is Congo's endemic rainforest giraffe, the okapi and the rare Congo peacock. But, now the challenge is to bring real protection to the forests before the bonobo and all other large animals are hunted out.
We make a great team:
John Hart, Scientific Director."What I like most about the work is the anticipation….." read more
We’ve been in the field – Congo’s TL2 – since May 2007.
One Comment
Dear Terese and John
I am an ecologist employed as part of a team assessing the potential impact of proposed commercial gold mining near Mongbwalu in the Ituri province of the DRC. I have been given your website and am in the process of downloading the documents available.
I am particularly interested in using a resource economic approach to the assessment as I believe that the traditional method of listing species is meaningless to developing economies, especially those that have been disturbed by conflict and now lack strong governance structures.
If you have any additional information pertaining to the way in which ecosystem goods and services link into the lives of local communities in the DRC I would appreciate receiving this. I suspect that dependence on natural capital is extremely high, even though it appears that both the Mbuti and the Bantu are becoming increasingly reliant on imported food and medicines, they are still dependent on ‘green’ infrastructure for water and energy.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Kevan Zunckel