U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Democratic Republic of Congo Investing in wildlife security, protected area management, community engagement and applied research to conserve one of the largest expanses of tropical rainforest on earth.

Left: Eastern DRC landscape. Credit: Dirck Byler/USFWS. Right: The Lesula (Cercopithecus lomamiensis), a primate species discovered in 2007. Credit: John Hart/Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation.

The Democratic forest buffalo, chimpanzees, two logging concessions and other work Republic of Congo subspecies of gorilla, and the bonobo camps, where new roads provide (DRC) represents or dwarf chimpanzee, which does not hunters access into previously remote the 11th largest occur anywhere else. DRC has eight forests and facilitate transportation country in the national parks including Africa’s oldest of the meat to urban markets. The world and is home protected area, Virunga National Park. commercial bushmeat market is fueled to over 75.5 million by urban consumers, who associate people who belong to more than 200 Current threats to Biodiversity in bushmeat with status and culture. ethnic groups. After a difficult history the DRC under Belgian rule from 1908 to 1960, Extractive industries persistent political and economic Elephant poaching Extractive industries – including turmoil has marred the DRC’s post- Poaching for ivory represents the logging, mining, and oil exploitation colonial period. In addition to taking its biggest threat to the survival of – represent a direct threat to DRC’s toll on the country’s vast natural elephants on the African continent. wildlife by destroying or degrading resources, this turmoil continues to Central Africa is increasingly targeted habitat. The camps also lead to road impact DRC’s path to economic and due to the quality of the ivory of forest access for hunters, the bushmeat social development. elephants, the ability of poachers market, new human settlements, and to remain undetected in its dense agriculture. The second largest contiguous forest forest habitats, and the lack of law in the world is in DRC. The forests of enforcement coupled with corruption DRC are globally important not only and underlying poverty that remains because they are home to species found a major problem in Central African nowhere else - including the bonobo, countries. okapi, and Congo peacock - but also because they serve as a buffer against Commercial bushmeat trade global climate change. In addition to The commercial bushmeat trade refers vast tropical forests, DRC’s landscapes to the over-hunting of wildlife for include savannas, mountains, active its meat and income. Unsustainable volcanoes, and wetlands. Protecting bushmeat hunting is the single greatest DRC’s diverse ecosystems contributes threat to the majority of wildlife in to the survival of many globally forests throughout Central Africa. important species, including the Commercial bushmeat extraction An okapi at DRC’s Okapi Faunal forest elephant, giraffe, leopard, is especially pronounced around Reserve. Credit: Okapi Conservation Project. Since 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has supported conservation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with 91 grants, totaling more than $9.2 million this was leveraged with more than $14.5 million in matching funds.

Garamba National Park the Virunga rangers, strengthen the Established in 1938 and designated park’s long-term conservation strategy a UNESCO World Heritage Site in and improve its financial sustainability. 1980, Garamba is one of Africa’s first USFWS’s $1.25 million over five national parks. Although Garamba years is leveraged by $3.35 million in remains important as habitat for matching funds. one of the last major populations of forest elephant, uncontrolled poaching TL2 – Tshuapa-Lomani-Lualaba for ivory has led to a decline from The Tshuapa-Lomani-Lualaba (TL2) nearly 20,000 individuals in 1960 to an landscape is one of the largest pristine estimated 3,000 today. In 2013, the U.S. forest blocks in the DRC. Relatively Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) unexplored until 2007, the TL2 is home awarded $123,000 to the African Parks to a wealth of biodiversity, including the Network to improve law enforcement bonobo and forest elephant. Support in Garamba and local community from USFWS, totaling $843,095 and engagement to address ivory poaching leveraged by $1,773,636 to date, has by organized crime syndicates. enabled the Lukuru Wildlife Research Project to conduct research, to identify Virunga National Park and develop conservation priorities Above: A bonobo at Lola Ya Bonobo in DRC. Credit: Vanessa Woods/Friends of Bonobos Virunga National Park was established and establish new protected areas. In in 1925 and declared a UNESCO 2007, a primate species new to science World Heritage Site in 1979. Africa’s was discovered in TL2, resulting in the and illegal wildlife trade. By garnering oldest and most diverse national park, second new primate species discovery and building interest in bonobos among Virunga encompasses an extraordinary in nearly 30 years. local communities, the program is variety of landscapes and species. It inspiring a long-term conservation provides important habitat for 30% Maringa-Lompori-Wamba culture. USFWS support since 2006 of the world’s remaining critically The Maringa-Lompori-Wamba includes $367,514 in funding, leveraged endangered mountain gorilla. For landscape represents nearly 20% of the by $911,223 in additional funds. more than a decade, USFWS has existing range of bonobos. Since 2010, been helping to rebuild Virunga after USFWS has provided $178,135 to the Ituri Forest the effects of civil war. The Service African Wildlife Foundation, leveraged The Ituri Forest in Northeastern DRC has supported the development of by $128,190, to develop the capacity of encompasses a huge swath of relatively alternative energy to prevent logging the Congolese Parks Agency (Institut intact tropical forest. It provides and habitat degradation, anti-poaching Congolais pour la Conservation de habitat to the largest known population activities including improved aerial la Nature, or ICCN) to protect the of the eastern chimpanzee and the surveillance, establishing a canine bonobo and forest elephant in this endemic okapi. The Ituri Forest also surveillance unit, providing aid landscape. Efforts involve enhancing represents one of the last remaining to widows of fallen rangers, and law enforcement, outreach to local strongholds for forest elephants developing tourism. In 2013, USFWS communities, and engaging other in the DRC. Since 2008, USFWS and the Virunga Fund, Inc. signed a regional stakeholders in conservation. awarded $309,511 to the Wildlife five-year cooperative agreement to Conservation Society, leveraged by improve the operational capacity of Lola ya Bonobo $154,909 in matching funds, to gain a In 2008, the world’s first program better understanding of local threats U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for the care and reintroduction of to wildlife, particularly great apes, International Affairs bonobos was established. Located and to use this information to adapt Division of International Conservation in a community reserve within and improve ICCN’s law enforcement 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: IA the Maringa-Lompori-Wamba through capacity development and by Falls Church, VA 22041 complex, the sanctuary at Lola ya educating rangers about wildlife laws. 703-358-1754 Bonobo sucessfully rehabilitated 703-358-2115/fax and reintroduced approximately 16 [email protected] bonobos orphaned by the bushmeat http://www.fws.gov/international twitter.com/USFWSInternatl USFWS Support to the DRC FY2006-FY2013 Facebook: USFWSinternationalaffairs Grants Awarded 91 September 2014 Amount Awarded $9,262,499 Amount Leveraged $14,572,213 Total $23,834,712