Bonobo Conservation Initiative

REDD+ Carbon Credit / Nature-Based Solutions Financing: To ensure sustainable, long-term support for the Bonobo Peace Forest, BCI is actively developing REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) carbon credit financing to benefit local and indigenous communities, wildlife, and the rainforest. REDD+ projects at Sankuru and Kokolopori are now registered with VERRA and in the process of validation and verification. In addition to technical work and GIS analysis, BCI and partners conducted extensive field work and consultations with local communities, including FPIC (Free, Prior, and Informed Consent), participatory mapping, socioeconomic assessments, and establishment of local development committees throughout. Developing benefit-sharing plans with the government and all DRC stakeholders and preparing further implementation of in-situ conservation and community development programs.

Partnerships & Education: Continued outreach via social channels and DRC networks to raise awareness about the importance of protecting bonobos and their habitat. Restructured agreements and formed two new public/private partnerships with the ICCN (Insitut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature) for delegated management of the Kokolopori and Sankuru reserves. Partnered with AMAR (Action Massive Rurale), a Congolese NGO, to assist with community engagement and assessments to prepare for REDD+/NBS. Engaged community partners in Sankuru and all BPF sites. Established formal working relationships with provincial authorities for development of REDD+. Collaborating with the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) to establish a new maternity ward in the health clinic at Kokolopori.

The Bonobo Peace Forest: a network of community-managed forest reserves and concessions, spanning a vast area of rainforest habitat. Includes two nationally gazetted nature reserves: Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve & Sankuru Nature Reserve, together encompasing almost 9 million acres, plus five additional community forests preparing for legal protection, where bonobos are protected. Partnered with The Nature Conservancy to scale up conservation activities and secure official protection for the forests and the bonobos of Lilungu, a strategic site that links a critical conservation corridor. Three additional community conservation areas began participatory mappinga key step in the process of obtaining legal protection of their lands. In-situ activities include reserve management, wildlife protection, and sustainable livelihood initiatives. Long-term bonobo research program at Kokolopori entered its seventh year, under the auspices of Harvard University.