Conservation Value:

Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), endemic to the Albertine Rift escarpment in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has suffered a rapid population decline (70%) this century. It is now listed as Critically Endangered (CR) in the IUCN Red List. The rich biodiversity of the area includes the Itombwe massif clawed frog (CR), Prigogine's nightjar (EN), Prigogine's greenbul (EN), chimpanzee (EN), Congo bay-owl (EN), Itombwe golden frog (EN), yellow-crested helmet-shrike (VU), and African forest elephants (VU).

Threats:

Primates in the DRC are mainly threatened by the mining of precious minerals at artisanal and industrial scale, poaching and pollution of soil and ground water. Mining is the main driver of armed conflict in the region and stimulates human migration, wildlife trafficking, illegal logging for charcoal, colonization of forested areas, bushmeat hunting, and the construction of temporary roads in the forests. The extreme poverty in the region and the communities’ reliance on slash-and-burn agriculture are also drivers of great ape habitat degradation and fragmentation. All this has led to a rapid population decline of Grauer’s gorilla from an estimated 16,900 individuals in the wild in the mid-1990s to fewer than 3,800 individuals today.

However, recent surveys conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Congolese Wildlife Authority show an 18% increase in Grauer’s gorilla numbers in the high-altitude sector of Tshivanga in Kahuzi-Biega National Park resulting from conservation efforts by organizations such as ICFC partner Strong Roots and the increased presence of the Congolese Wildlife Authority.  This shows what is possible.

Actions & Results:

We are part of an ambitious plan to empower local communities and indigenous peoples to manage and protect their traditional lands.  Following years of hard work we are shoring up a ~6,000-km² biological corridor connecting Parc National de Kahuzi-Biega to the Réserve Naturelle d’Itombwe. In August 2022, Strong Roots and the communities succeeded in getting approval for thirteen officially designated Forestry Concessions for Local Communities (CFCL) covering over a quarter million hectares. By June 2024, the project helped secure the land titles for 10 additional community forests. This brings the total to 561,578 hectares across a total of 23 community forests, including three community forests for the Indigenous Batwa people. Crucially, the project benefits local communities beyond simply giving them control of their forests.  We work with communities to develop sustainable livelihoods such as climate-smart agriculture and beekeeping.  Community members are included in great ape monitoring and patrolling and reforestation in the corridor area with agroforestry and native tree species. At last count, 4,212 households are direct beneficiaries of the project—people involved in carrying out its programs.  These encompass 129 clans, 7 Chiefdoms, in 333 villages.