Gorilla Journal Journal of Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe No. 53, December 2016

The Virunga Local Com­ On a Road to Gorilla Communication munities for the Nowhere? Habituation in Post Installation Maiko National Loango Park BERGGORILLA & REGENWALD DIREKTHILFE

Authors of this Issue anthropologist and studied the be­ CONTENTS haviour of wild chimpanzees. D. R. Congo 3 Onésiphore Bitomwa is the Chief Jeannot Katembo is a Field Assistant The Virunga Communications Post Park Warden in charge of Itombwe. for WCS Program for eastern DRC. Installation 3 Dieudonné Boji Mungu-Akonkwa Fidèle Kavuba is currently Field As­ Charcoal Trade Destroys Part of has been principal conservator of the sistant for WCS in Kahuzi-Biega and the Virunga National Park 4 Maiko National Park since 2011. Before was involved in the Mwana process for Local Communities for the Maiko this he worked in Kahuzi-Biega. RACOD. National Park 5 Andrew Dunn is Project Manager for Olivier Kisumbu Tata is the General Participation in the World Congress the WCS biodiversity research pro­ Secretary of RACCOMI, a local NGO of Rangers in Colorado, USA 8 gram in southeastern Nigeria. He has in Itombwe. Participatory Mapping in the been working on biological surveys and Inza Koné works for the Centre Suisse Itombwe Nature Reserve 9 conservation in Africa since 1989. de Recherches Scientifiques in Côte Grauer’s Gorilla Now Critically Jef Dupain has been AWF’s Technical d’Ivoire. Endangered 9 Director Central and Western Africa Deo Kujirakwinja manages WCS’s Gold Boom along Ulindi River 12 since 2010 and initiated the African Albertine Rift work in Congo and is one Rehabilitating Grauer’s Gorillas 13 Apes Initiative in 2013. of Congo’s leading ornitho­logists. Gorilla Nest Types in Kahuzi-Biega 15 Léonard Milenge Eo is the Executive Luc Lukaba is the Deputy Executive Cross River 17 Director of the local NGO IGH in the Director of AJIPD, a local NGO. On a Road to Nowhere? 17 South Kivu Province with a particular Kevin Marriott has been providing in­ Gorillas 21 focus on Itombwe. dependent technical consultancies and Gorilla Habituation for Research Manfred Epanda started working for project management to conservation and Tourism in Loango 21 AWF as country director in 2015. organizations worldwide since 2015. The “Walk through the Dja” 23 Terence Fuh Neba leads WWF’s Robert Muir has worked on research First Twins Born to Habituated Primate Habituation Programme in and community-based conservation, Western Lowland Gorillas 27 the Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas from 2004 to 2015 he was responsible African Primatologists Form Society 28 and presently also acts as Technical for re-starting the FZS’s Virunga Na­ Reading 30 Advisor for tourism and research. tional Park Conservation Program. Berggorilla & Regenwald Rachel Ikemeh works for the South­ Sébastien Mupenda is the Program Direkthilfe 31 west/Niger Delta Forest Project in Manager for bee keeping and com­ Nigeria. munities for RACOD. Dr. Inaoyom Imong has conducted Dr. Denis Ndeloh Etiendem works for Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 research on Cross River gorillas and is the Nunavut Department of Envi­ ­ron­ Editor: Dr. Angela Meder the Director of the Cross River Gorilla ment in Igloolik, Canada. Augustenstr. 122, 70197 Stuttgart, Landscape Project of WCS in Nigeria. Dr. Martha M. Robbins, Max Planck Germany Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke is the Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Fax +49-711-6159919 GRACE Center Director in the DRC. Leipzig, has been studying the behav­ E-mail [email protected] John Kahekwa Munihuzi was a gorilla ioural ecology of gorillas since 1990. Translation and Proofreading: Ann De- habituation officer in the Kahuzi-Biega Bienvenu Shamavu has worked for Voy, Colin Groves National Park. In 1992 he founded the RACCOMI for the last two years re­ Cover: Owabi in Loango Pole Pole Foundation, POPOF. garding the Mwana process. Photo: Martha M. Robbins Dr. Sonya Kahlenberg is the U.S.- Alain Twendilonge is Project Assistant based Executive Director of the for WCS in Kahuzi-Biega and has been Organization Address: GRACE Center. She is also a biological involved in the Mwana Valley project. Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe Janika Wendefeuer is studying biology c/o Burkhard Broecker Bank Account: in Hamburg. She volunteered in the Juedenweg 3 IBAN DE06 3625 0000 0353 3443 15 PHP under super­vision of Terence Fuh. 33161 Hoevelhof, Germany BIC SPMHDE3E David Williams is AWF’s Program Di­ E-mail [email protected] Switzerland: rector, Conservation Geography. Website: IBAN CH90 0900 0000 4046 1685 7 Guian Zokoe works in the Dja Reserve http://www.berggorilla.org BIC POFICHBEXXX and with the SC-RFD.

2 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

The Virunga Communi­ The system was designed to replace capability. Across Africa it is fast be- an ageing Motorola VHF analog radio coming the defacto standard for wildlife cations Post Installation system in the Virunga National Park protection organisations. Security problems in the Virunga Na­ (VNP). Phase One of the project cen- The budget was set at USD 350,000 tional Park, Democratic Republic of tred around the installation of a small and came at USD 345,650. Those man- the Congo, have been a severe dan­ Mototrbo digital VHF system specially aging the project were able to negotiate ger for the park’s wildlife and its for­ for the rangers assigned to the protec- pricing and source direct from manu- ests, and for the rangers who try to tion of elephants within the central sec- facturers where necessary and where protect it. In order to improve the com­ tor of the park. appropriate. They were able to deliver munication of the rangers, a new com­ The Mototrbo digital VHF radio with system capabilities, procure unbudget- mu­nication system was needed that GPS tracking was selected as the com- ed spares and complete the equipment covers the whole park and permits the munications system of choice for en- procurement earlier than expected and park personnel to act quickly when suring effective command and control significantly below budget. problems are noticed anywhere. of the entire VNP. The management A Mototrbo Digital VHF radio com- of this system is the responsibility of The Procurement Phase munications system was successfully the park’s technicians. It was selected This phase commenced on the 28 commissioned for service for Virunga for its increased capacity and spectrum March 2016 following the signing of National Park on 06th July 2016 as part efficiency, encryption, integrated data an agreement with the Virunga Foun­ of Project Virunga VHF (Phase Two). communications and enhanced voice dation. The phase included 16 steps and a tight deadline of 8 weeks for delivery of 28 specific types of equip­ ment, into Uganda. The timeframe­ had been stipulated by the Virunga Foun­ dation. The radio equipment was delivered 7 days earlier than the deadline, but unfortunately due to a rebel attack the Virunga Cessna 206 was out of ser- vice and al alternative aircraft had to be chartered resulting in equipment be- ing delivered into Rumangabo on 06th June 2016.

The Deployment Phase This phase commenced on the 04th June 2016, but delays in the locally procured solar system resulted in the deployment date being pushed back to 18th June 2016. The installation and training of Virunga radio engineers commenced immediately upon the consultant’s arrival on 20th June 2016. Delays, to include misplaced equipment and differing opinions, had a negative impact on the amount of time available for training the engineers, but they did receive sufficient on-the-job training to enable them to manage and maintain the radio system. The system was The mobile ops vehicle commissioned for operation on the 4th Photo: Kevin Marriott July 2016.

3 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

Digital VHF Mototrbo Repeater The mobile ops vehicle is a huge as- Recommendations Network: There are three repeaters lo- set as radios have the capacity to have In order to satisfy the requirements cated in positions around the park and situational awareness of ranger posi- for the expansion of the parks com­ an additional three repeaters for redun- tions within a single sector. The vehi- munications system and in order to dancy and use as back-up repeaters cle radio installation with GPS tracking accommodate an increase in sub­ for future installations and network ex- have enabled effective fleet manage- scribers, we have made some ad­ pansion as required. The coverage is ment and accountability of the vehicle ditional recommendations for further very good, although there are still some drivers, and solutions have been put in enhancing the park’s communication ‘black spots’. place to ensure that the battery is al- capability, as well as providing ongoing TRBOnet Dispatch Console: The ways charged and the antenna is trans- training to include professional de­ computer has been provided and will mitting. It also addresses the issue of velopment specifically of the VNP function as the operations centre for possible irregularities in fuel consump- technicians. the VNP. The main operations room, tion and unauthorised vehicle usage. Robert Muir and Kevin Marriott known as CCOPS, has been temporar- The Smartphone Zello System has ily moved from Rumangabo to Rwindi been implemented using custom-built and as a result temporary installations technology to enable the radio voice Charcoal Trade Destroys had to be made. The TRBOnet Dis- network to be extended to other smart- Part of the Virunga patch Console provides the operations phone users running the Zello Push- National Park room with an easy application that at to-Talk application. This system is suit- a glance will enable the watch keeper able for use by covert users providing a According to a new report of the to see which radios are active on the closed system with radio access being Enough Project, an illegal charcoal net and where they are. There are sev- controlled within the Virunga CCOPS/ cartel is helping to finance one of the en key features identified regarding the Security Office. most dangerous militias in eastern dispatch console. There are commu- Democratic Republic of the Congo; nications challenges between Rwindi Ongoing Phase this is destroying parts of Africa’s old­ and the southern sector repeater, and, Remote support is being delivered to est national park. Nursing alliances as such, it has been recommended that two Virunga engineers who identified a with Congolese army and police units VNP revert back to the original plan couple of issues that either have now and operating remote trafficking rings and have the CCOPS (GPS monitor- been or are in the process of being in protected forests, the Democratic ing) and voice monitoring base station rectified. These include poor repeater Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda for the southern sector in Rumanga- battery power, wind turbine generator, (FDLR) is a kingpin in Africa’s Great bo in order to have effective command and repeater constant transmit cycle. Lakes region’s organized crime net­ and control. works and a continuing threat to human security. For years, the group has helped sustain its activities by exploiting valuable natural resources, inc­luding minerals, ivory, fish, and marijuana. But one of the FDLR’s most successful revenue-generating businesses is the illicit charcoal trade in the Virunga National Park. Headquartered deep in the remote southwestern sector of Virunga, the illegal charcoal trade is estimated to have an annual value of up to US$ 35 million. In the regular course of busi- ness, the FDLR also commits a range of domestic and international crimes, including forced labour and illegal taxa- Equipment with computer tion. Its business elements are distinct Photo: Kevin Marriott from its traditional combat structure

4 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

funding to the FDLR and other armed tantly, given widespread dependence protected area groups, including Congolese state ac- on charcoal as a primary source of fuel national border tors, it helps sustain patterns of corrup- among households across the region, river tion and violence, not just by the FDLR, efforts to end the charcoal trade such but also by police, politicians, and busi- as military operations and targeted ar-

Beni i nessmen. An estimated 92 % of char- rests must be accompanied by alterna- coal used in North Kivu comes from tive fuel initiatives to prevent a sudden DEMOCRATIC Virunga. While the demand is concen- deficit of cooking fuel among millions of Mutsora Ruwenzor REPUBLIC OF trated in Congo, smugglers also trans- people in the region. THE CONGO port illegal charcoal from Virunga into Summary of the following report: Uganda and Rwanda. Holly Dranginis: The Mafia in the Park. Butembo Some Congolese national police A charcoal syndicate is threatening and military commanders are involved Virunga, Africa’s oldest national park. Mt. Tshiaberimu in the illegal charcoal trade and draw Enough Project, June 2016. 45 pag­ significant revenues from profit-shar- es. Download PDF (1.62 MB): http:// ing with the FDLR, as well as their www.enoughproject.org/files/report_ own production, trafficking, and taxa- MafiaInThePark_Dranginis_Enough_ tion of illegal charcoal. Some state of- June2016.pdf Lake Edward ficials also provide critical protection to the FDLR’s commanders and officers in Virunga. Civilians are also a critical Implication of the Local component of the illegal charcoal trade, Communities for the Rwindi with the FDLR recruiting local people Management of the Maiko by force or through economic pressure National Park to help produce, guard, transport, and sell charcoal from Virunga. Over several decades, humans co­ UGANDA The Congolese Institute for the Con- habited with the organisms in their Rutshuru servation of Nature (ICCN) and Virun- environment more or less harmonious­ Tongo ga’s rangers have effectively protected ly. But recently, the use of modern tools some parts of the park from deforesta- in natural resource exploitation has Rumangabo Nyamulagira tion and armed group takeover. How- tarnished the picture of this symbiosis, Mikeno Sector ever, they are outmatched militarily which has disappeared extensively Nyiragongo by the FDLR in direct combat scenari- over time in some regions of the os, and rangers do not currently patrol planet. RWANDA Goma Virunga’s southwestern sector where During the post-colonial period, sev- Lake Kivu charcoal production is rampant. Policy- eral protected areas in Africa were cre- makers should view the FDLR not as a ated, especially in the Democratic Re- The Virunga National Park strictly military, political, or ideological public of the Congo; as a consequence Map: Angela Meder threat; it is also a profit-seeking organ- of this, local property owners’ rights, in- ized crime network with state and civil- herited from their ancestors in accord- and “have become the main modus op­ ian collaborators. In order to counter ance with local customs was divested erandi for FDLR survival,” according to Congo’s charcoal mafia, high-ranking in favour of wildlife conservation regu- a 2014 U.N. study. FDLR commanders and their partners lations without any dialogue, which en- Virunga faces a number of threats, within the Congolese army should be tailed a climate of distrust and hostility including poaching and oil exploration, targeted for sanctions and prosecut- between local communities and admin- but the illegal charcoal trade is uniquely ed for their roles in the illegal trade. istrators of these protected areas. damaging. This was already noticed in Authorities should improve sustainable Created in 1970, the Maiko National 2008, and since then, demand for char- defection opportunities for low-ranking Park (MNP) did not remain safe from coal has only grown. The illegal char- soldiers within the FDLR in Virunga, these curses. In such a context, peace- coal trade is also a serious threat to to deprive the illegal trade of essen- ful cohabitation between the surround- regional human security. By providing tial manpower. Perhaps most impor- ing populations and the administrators

5 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

of the park’s community conservation team. One of more important renova- tions brought by this new MNP man- agement approach is the reduction of hostility and bringing together local populations and park administrators through the CCCs. In the neighbouring communities (Bapere and Bitule, in Lubero and Lu­ butu zones respectively), the CCC and the CLD have been able to gather infor- mation on the aspirations of the popu- lation and facilitated the collection of socio-economic data in the zone. These activities have led to the sen- sitization of the local communities re- garding the importance of the biodi- versity of MNP, explanation of the laws dealing with nature conservation, hunt- ing and fishing, the elaboration of local development plans in these two sec- Base infrastructure close to the Maiko National Park tors, and support for alternative activi- Photos and map: Boji Dieudonné/ICCN ties for the use of natural resources. To improve the living conditions of of the park remained for a long time out conservation approach to the national communities adjacent to the park, so- of reach. The surrounding communi- park. cio-economic development projects ties, not being aware of the importance To promote the involvement of local have been undertaken. The CCCs of of the MNP as a protected area, devel- communities, permanent committees the North and South Sector have been oped negative attitudes against it. of communication have been estab- assured of financial support for mi- Faced with the deterioration of the lished in accordance with the Nation- cro projects for agriculture, the rais- environmental situation due to the in- al Strategy of Community Conserva- ing of large and small livestock, and creasing population pressure and mas- tion adopted by the ICCN and its part- fish breeding. This applies to the CCC sive competition to extract the natural ners. It is in these settings of dialogue Twabinga-Osele, CCC Kayumba-Ba- resources indiscriminately, MNP man- and exchange that all questions of con- bongombe1, CCC Bondo-Banenu, agers have set up, since 2004, a com- servation and development are debat- the CCC Babongombe2 and the CCC munity conservation approach aiming ed and shared by the local communi- Okoku in the Southern Sector as well to involve local communities in the re- ties with the technical accompaniment as the CCC Bandulu and CCC Ombole duction of these threats to the park’s in the Northern Sector. resources. The present article offers a Studying the legal texts creating brief description of a few achievements MNP allowed community members to of this participative approach in Maiko understand the logic of the legislation National Park. and to identify the parts of the bound- A climate of confidence is now grad- ary which are in dispute, or confused, ually developing between the CCC so that multiparty commissions to look (Comités de Conservation Commu- into the contested boundary could be nautaire – Committees of Community put in place. This resulted in two work- Conservation) and CLD (Comités de shops for capacity building, organized Développement Local – Committees of to train members of the commissions in Local Development), based on long- techniques of data collection along the term work started since 2004 and re- Participative cartography boundary, notably on themes such as inforced in 2011 through a community Photo: Boji Dieudonné/ICCN participative cartography and the use

6 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

some partners permit the ICCN/MNP tion to real protectors of biodiversity. to undertake regular patrols to cover The most prominent cases are the about 23 % of its total area. provincial ex-minister of justice Al- Although with this limited protection phonse Igwangozi, local Chief Kim- – considering the general insecurity in putu of Batikamwanga in Mungele, some zones of the park – there still re- and local Chief Kongondo of Babon- main threats, a rich diversity of fauna gombe2 in Peneluta. remains in the three sectors of the park – Several cases of poaching were re- that comprise a priority zone for global ported by the Board of Community conservation. The involvement of the Conservation and the dialogue com- local communities in the management mittee of the communal reserves of the park is considered an essen- REGOLU, REGOUWA and REGO­ Convention tial element for its rehabilitation by the MUKI. Photo: Boji Dieudonné/ICCN Park Managers and the local chiefs. – The awareness of stakeholders Given this collaboration, in certain (services of public authorities, civil of GPS for collection of geographical areas ICCN has been able to bring the society, eco-guards, NGOs) that bio- coordinates. control posts closer to the boundary of diversity conservation is the respon- Together, the neighbouring commu- the park (headquarters, office of the sibility of all and not only an affair of nities and PNM Managers started the posts, patrol post, camps on duty). The the Park Managers. participative process of demarcation of concessions obtained in the same way the boundary of the park. Examining in Bitule, in Mundo, Wandi, in Loya/ The efforts to conserve the natural of the legal texts led to agreement on Balobe, in Manguredjipa, in Mwamba, resources that are provided by the the acceptance of 31 segments des- and in Yongesa are not yet construct- neighbouring communities had been ignated under ordnance law N°70/312 ed. The concession that hosts the Park appreciably hampered by the weak of November 20th, 1970, which created Headquarters in Osso is an area as- interinstitutional collaboration around the MNP with three sectors. The joint signed to the park by the clans of Bayu- the park. This weak collaboration did commissions of participative demarca- gu and of Banali under the authority of not encourage solidarity between the tion of the park boundary already start- the local Chief Fazili Useni Musalabia institutions and the key actors of con­ ed to collect data on the boundary seg- of the Kumu community. servation to guarantee an environ­ ments identified for the park and those The construction of the first build- ment favourable to the maintenance of the community reserves adjacent to ings of the Park Headquarters – includ- of biodiversity. Now­adays, the involve­ the park. ing the rangers on duty, the welcome ment of some officials (state-controlled Additionally, thanks to a local part- center, the offices, the residences of services), and of some uncontrolled nership between UGADEC and the the chief park warden and officers and elements of the FARDC, in poaching Congolese Institute for the Conserva- tourist lodging – was made possible is often decried by these communities. tion of Nature (ICCN), three nature re- only 45 years after the park’s creation serves based on community manage- under the 1st step of the Maiko Reha- ment are operational along the west bilitation Project funded by the World and south boundaries of the park. This Bank. combination of efforts allying national Among the main positive impacts of park and community-based conserva- the activities of community conserva- tion initiatives offers the best hope to tion approach, it is worthwhile to men- ensure the maintenance of the biodi- tion also the changes in behaviour of versity of this region. the populations living around the park: In spite of the very real and seri- ous threats the animal populations in – The reduction of conflicts between the Maiko National Park have to cope Park Managers and neighbouring with, this involvement of the neigh- communities. bouring communities, the implementa- – The conversion of some local chiefs Border demarcation in the Maiko tion of the demobilization process of re- and opinion leaders previously hos- National Park bel groups (Simba) and the support of tile to the initiatives of conserva- Photo: Boji Dieudonné/ICCN

7 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

Human activities in the park are still (ARF), is based in South Africa. In the the DRC comprised Jean Pierre Jobo- very intense. A considerable amount Democratic Republic of the Congo go (President of the CRA), Director De of poaching activities are perpetrated, (DRC) the association is called the Dieu Bya’Ombe (CRA Advisor), Chief in fact all kinds of illegal exploitation, Congolese Ranger Association (CRA); Conservator Edmond Nkulu Kala- under the blessing of those that qual- it is led by Jean Pierre Jobogo and has la (CRA member), Chief Conservator ify themselves as untouchables. Traps ICCN Directors, Chief Park Wardens Boji Dieudonné (CRA member), Mrs and snares, mining sites, hunting and and Park Rangers amongst its current Germaine Muzuri (Association Cash- fishing camps are always found dur- and retired members. ier) and member Mrs Ewing Lopongo. ing patrols in spite of the joint efforts The IRF meets once every three Our contribution (Congolese) was to provided by the communities and Park years in any country in the world, cho- show to the international membership Managers. Local communities remain sen through consensus. It was in this the challenges facing the park rangers powerless in the face of the exorbi- setting that we took part in the 8th World of the DRC, and their value in dealing tant power exercised by the state-con- Congress of Rangers (WRC) in Estates with periods of armed conflict as well trolled services and the armed groups Park, Colorado, USA from 21 to 28 May as heavily armed poachers who con- installed inside the park. 2016. The main theme of this congress tinue to be a serious threat and drain Over and above the fragility of their was ‘Connecting the Parks, Rangers on our natural resources. power and their legitimacy, adjacent and Communities’. The presentations were excellent community members remain poor, al- The aim of our involvement in this and tied in well with the theme of the ternatives are almost nonexistent and World Congress was to share and ex- conference and the celebration of the food insecurity is very widespread. change experiences among rangers centenary of certain parks in the Unit- Meat from farming is available, but ex- working in the field linked to the theme ed States. The rangers unanimously pensive and in insufficient quantity, so and also to look at the specific case of agreed that Nepal should be the loca- that most rural families are dependent the DRC, where rangers are dying as tion for the 9th World Congress of Rang- almost entirely on bushmeat as source they carry out their duty of guarding ers in 2019, and also the need for a of protein. protected areas. The delegation from Green Contingency Force which could All these problems keep them from taking a clear and decisive position in relation to the preservation of biological diversity for the benefit of present and future generations. Boji Dieudonné and the Maiko National Park Staff

Participation in the 8th World Congress of Rangers in Colorado, USA

The International Ranger Federation (IRF) is an international non-profit organisation that supports ranger groups worldwide who have chosen a challenging pathway to protect eco­ systems and protected areas through­ out the world. At the global level there is a committee with a seat in Australia presided over by Sean Wilmore and on every continent the association is represented by a committee that meets once a year. In Africa the association, The Congolese delegation at the World Ranger Congress known as the African Ranger Federation Photo: ICCN

8 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

lives in the course of doing their duty Sharing Land with as park rangers and stressed the need for life insurance to help support those Gorillas: Participatory they left behind. Mapping in the Itombwe Boji Dieudonné Nature Reserve

We sincerely thank the Jane Goodall Institute The Itombwe Massif is one of the (JGI) and Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe who agreed to fund the cost of our travel important areas for biodiversity in the and accommodation. We also thank Robert Albertine Region. It is mainly known Muir and Karen Laurenson, Directors at FZS, for the discovery of the eastern low­ for starting the process of channelling sup­ land gorilla or Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla port from Berggorilla within the DRC. We also sincerely thank the promotors of this beringei graueri) in the early 1900s conference, especially the President of the IRF (Doumenge & Schilter 1997; Plumptre Sean Wilmore, for promoting the efforts of the et al. 2007). It has been visited by re­ CRA and personally encouraging members searchers either for biological prospec­ who have raised the awareness of rangers intervene wherever there was an obvi- working in protected areas to the global level. tions and surveys or for social studies ous need. There was also agreement Finally a big thank you to the Director Gen­ (Doumenge & Schilter 1997). The area for the promotion of the President of eral of the ICCN and his technical staff who is located in the eastern Democratic accepted this mission and allowed us to rep­ the CRA to become the Vice-President resent the DRC, validated by the ICCN, and Republic of the Congo (DRC) and of the African Ranger Federation and also the CRA and Maiko National Park, whom known as one of the rare high-altitude recognition by the IRF of the statutes we represented at this International Ranger montane forests in the region. As such, of the CRA and its logo. The congress Conference. it harbours a high number of species acknowledged those who had lost their and endemics (Doumenge & Schilter 1997; Plumptre et al. 2007; Mubalama et al. 2008). Grauer’s Gorilla Now Critically Endangered Despite these scientific efforts, the area was not gazetted until early 2006, During the IUCN World Conservation Congress in September 2016, though its gazettement was contest- updates in the Red List of Threatened Species were made public. Not ed by local communities (Kujirakwinja surprising was that the Grauer’s gorilla – the largest living primate – is now et al. 2010, 2015). The contestations listed as Critically Endangered, the highest category. Four out of six great were meant to express anger about ape species (both orangutan and both gorilla species) are now Critically the disruption of the participatory pro- Endangered and the remaining two, chimpanzees and bonobos, under cess for the gazettement of the area. considerable threat of extinction. In 2008, conservation agencies and The eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) was moved from Endangered to the civil society resumed the dialogue Critically Endangered due to a devastating population decline of more than and developed a comprehensive plan 70 % in 20 years. Its population is now estimated to be fewer than 5,000. to gazette the area with the involve- Whereas the numbers of mountain gorillas have been increasing consider- ment of communities and local leaders ably, Grauer’s gorilla (G. b. graueri) – the other subspecies of the eastern (Mubalama et al. 2013; Kujirakwinja et gorilla – has lost 77 % of its population since 1994, declining from 16,900 al. 2015). Although the agreed bound- individuals to just 3,800 in 2015. Hunting represents the greatest threat to aries have been legally recognized by Grauer’s gorillas. the DRC government, there are some Summary of an IUCN Red List News Release areas within the reserve that are known to have conflicting land uses for wildlife For more details, check these links: and communities’ needs. These zones http://www.iucnredlist.org/news/four-out-of-six-great-apes-one-step-away- include Mwana Valley and Zombe re- from-extinction-iucn-red-list gion. http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org/news/20160904/article/ In order to solve such issues, the four-out-six-great-apes-one-step-away-extinction-iucn-red-list joint planning consortium for Itombwe http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39995/0 (cadre conjoint) agreed to test a par- . ticipatory zoning process for specific

9 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

though they were hunting some of the minimizing conflicts with communities species for subsistence and related by involving them in various processes uses (Rodary et al. 2003). That was the can sustain critical habitats and wildlife case of Mwana Valley in the Itombwe (Kujirakwinja et al. 2010). Massif. To ensure that communities are fully Biological research and prospection involved, we used two supplementary identified Mwana Valley as one of the approaches: conflict sensitive conser- important regions for great apes and vation (Hammill et al. 2009) and partici- large mammals in the Itombwe area, patory mapping (International Fund For though the area was also occupied by Agricultural Development 2009). people (Plumptre et al. 2009; Kujirak- winja et al. 2010). Due to changes in Participatory Mapping land use and rights, the Itombwe Mas- There are various resources for par­ sif is facing forest degradation and spe- ticipatory mapping, aiming at ensuring cies depletion in most areas. Key driv- that communities and experts work ers are thought to be timber exploita- together to define different land uses tion, conversion of forest into farming to respond to different needs within Map of Mwana Valley in Itombwe. It and pasture, artisanal mining, and the same landscape. For the case of shows the locations of wildlife, bushmeat (Kirkby et al. 2015; Plump- Mwana, the process included (Inter­ forests, wildlife and key tre et al. 2016). Despite these chang- national Fund For Agricultural Develop­ ecosystems in the entire valley. es, Mwana Valley is still one of the key ment 2009): areas for gorilla and chimpanzee con- – local stakeholders’ workshop to de- regions with communities. The Wild- servation as the forest surrounding set- cide on the process and commit to life Conservation Society (WCS) de- tled areas has a higher number of great conduct participatory mapping, veloped a comprehensive zoning plan apes than other areas (Mubalama et al. – local meetings to identify spatial strategy that was later on tested on 2008; Plumptre et al. 2016). land allocation and local uses, the ground together with local organ- Given the “conflicting” interest of the – Field data collection on different lo- izations and structures (RACCOMI, area (human and wildlife needs), WCS cations and uses, RACOD, IGH and AJIPD). The process and others decided to work with com- resulted in an agreement for protecting munities to develop an agreed land- the area through zoning neighbouring use plan that includes conservation of forests to community settlements. great apes, local access to resourc- es, and human development zones Shared Land between Wildlife and (Plumptre et al. 2013). The process Communities took about two years as it involved field For ages, local communities have been work for data collection, negotiation be- living together with wildlife and the tween conservation actors, local NGOs access to bushmeat was regulated by and local communities, and validation the traditional chief through customary by provincial leaders. laws and rules (Rodary et al. 2003). In Itombwe area, for example, hunting Approaches for gorillas and chimpanzees was pro­ Conservation researchers have re­ hibited and was mainly conducted for cognized the need for innovative ap­ cultural ceremonies. Hunting for other proaches and strategies to maintain species is thought to be regulated biodiversity through stakeholders’ in­ through traditional rules and beliefs. volvement (Berkes & Turner 2006). In For the region, some species were the eastern DRC, for example, whilst protected by taboos and spiritual be­ conservation interventions were mainly liefs. Wildlife was therefore part of com­ ignoring the role of communities in Zoning map of Mwana Valley with munities’ life and spirit (Cioc 2009). forestry planning and management, human settlements, farming, They shared the same forest and land, current practices have recognized that hunting and conservation zones

10 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

– GIS mapping and groundtruthing, ment interventions to ensure that – map validation at local level, com­munity needs are integrated into – approval of the map by traditional conservation interventions. chiefs and provincial leaders. Traditional chiefs and local lead- ers are keys for most conservation in- To ensure that these activities do terventions in isolated areas. Despite not generate conflicts, their imple­ the specificities of areas as far as land mentation was monitored and regular rights are concerned, they symbolize adjustments were made to accom­ local culture and can help to ensure modate controversial views. These are that different needs converge. done through reporting and planning At the local level in conflict and post- meetings (Hammill et al. 2009). conflict situations, cooperation- be tween international NGOs, national Key Results agencies and local NGOs can be a Local support from communities and better way of making changes at the traditional chiefs: Traditional chiefs field level by sharing power and activi- have power over their communities ties to be implemented. Local NGOs and, to some extent, over land. In are mainly led by natives from these Itombwe, however, land rights holders areas, and they have better knowledge are located at family level, where most of local issues and key stakeholders. discussions have to happen and be Monitoring social and sociologi- validated by the chief. There were cal impacts of conservation interven- three meetings held with traditional Map of the Itombwe Massif with the tions in such processes is important chiefs: the first, to agree on the process Mwana Valley as it helps to tackle controversies and and commit themselves to support the respond to conflicting interests by in- process; the second meeting aimed at tion zones are established and hunting volving more stakeholders. Therefore, reporting on the progress; and the last zones are located near villages. there is need for understanding individ- to validate the map that was generated The validation of the map was done ual interests and power to ensure that throughout the field mapping. Most at provincial level to ensure that key these factors do not block the process fieldwork was conducted with local re­ stakeholders are aware of the ongoing or are used against conservation and presentatives chosen by local chiefs work on the ground. Communities were local communities’ will by local elites. and their committee; thus, the process motivated by the zoning as a way not was supported by communities, be­ only to protect key great apes but also Conclusion sides some pitfalls identified by local as a potential for the development of Itombwe Nature Reserve is recognized community organizations that were in­ the area given its level of poverty and as one of the hotspots of the world. It is volved later on in the process. vulnerability. To ensure that communi- recognized as one of the most important Multiple use map for Mwana val­ ties are involved in the management of conservation sites in the Albertine ley: Through the participatory process, the area, a local community manage- Rift both for its number of species a generic map produced at field level ment unit was put in place and rights and for its endemics. This motivated was integrated into GIS to get a com- to access resources were established biologists and conservationists to con­ prehensive map that shows different and enforced. duct field research and support its zones and their uses. Through the ex- legal gazettement process. The latter ercise, communities indicated areas Key Lesson Learned was proposed as long ago as the late where they know great apes are found, Conservation interventions in post- 1960s and was informally launched and identified those areas as protect- conflict zones are hampered by the in the early 2000s. Its gazettement ed by local chiefs. Therefore, meet- social and economic vulnerability of in 2006 has been updated with a ings with communities localized areas local communities. They lack alter­ 2016 provincial decision recognizing where they usually collect resources – natives and markets for their agricultural boundaries established with com­ including hunting and honey collection. products and forest products. There­ munities. Although these boundaries Changes were made to the maps to en- fore, conservation activities in such in­clude conservation and multiple sure that corridors between conserva- areas should include social develop­ uses, some areas contiguous to human

11 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

settlements have key species such as Doumenge, C. & Schilter, C. (1997): Les ulation, providing employment for tens gorilla, chimpanzee and elephant. Monts Itombwe. UICN – Union mondiale pour or even hundreds of thousands of la Nature, Brazzaville After identifying these areas, par- Hammill, A. et al. (2009): Conflict Sensitive workers. In 2013 a new gold rush began ticipatory mapping was conducted in Conservation: Practitioners’ Manual. Winni- along a section of the Ulindi River. But Mwana Valley to identify key areas that peg (IISD) rather than contributing to the region’s International Fund For Agricultural Develop- should not be deforested and should ment (2009) Good practices in participatory development, the gold wealth supports suffer minimum human impact regard- mapping. Development: 59 the fighting of armed groups. Moreover, ing hunting, forest product collection Kirkby, A. et al. (2015): Investigating artisanal networks of predatory companies and and human settlements. Together with mining and bushmeat around protected are- corrupt state officials reap the greatest as: Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Itombwe communities and local stakeholders, Reserve benefit. Global Witness estimates that the area has been divided into differ- Kujirakwinja, D. et al. (2010): Healing the Rift: in 2014 up to 94 % of Congo’s artisanal ent zones: conservation, human settle- Peacebuilding in and around protected areas gold continued to leave the country ment, development (farming and pas- in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Alber- illegally. tine Rift. New York ture) and hunting zones. Kujirakwinja, D. et al. (2015): The Conserva- The Shabunda region is character- Main challenges to the implementa- tion of Itombwe Nature Reserve: actions and ized by simple artisanal dredging done tion of this plan are ensuring that con- challenges. Gorilla Journal 51, 3–8 by locals – very hard and dangerous Mubalama, L. et al. (2013): L’approche cadre servation interventions include social conjoint comme stratégie de délimitation par- work. The divers stay underwater for interventions, as the area is isolated ticipative du massif forestier d’Itombwe et du hours sucking up the river sand with and its population is among the poor- Bushema. Pp. 246–258 in: M. Isumbisho (ed.) tubes. On the barge above, assistants est in the Albertine Rift. Key interven- Gouvernance des ressources naturelles col- look for gold in the sand and, if they see lectives des écosystèmes fragiles dans la Ré- tions to ensure sustainable use of re- gion des Grands Lacs Africains. CERUKI. HAL some, the workers have to stay where sources in this area included surveys Mubalama, L. et al. (2008): Using GIS to as- they are. The gold is collected on a in conservation zones, regular wildlife sess the status and conservation considera- matting that is shaken and beaten, and tions of large mammals in the Itombwe Massif monitoring, environmental education Conservation Landscape, Democratic Repub- finally, mercury is used to bind the gold. and social development activities such lic of Congo. Nature et Faune 23, 43–50 Altogether, this process has negative as sustainable agriculture, beekeep- Plumptre, A. J. et al. (2007): The biodiversity impacts not only on people’s health but ing, and construction of schools and of the Albertine Rift. Biological Conservation also on the river ecosystem. 4, 178–194 health centres. Plumptre, A. J. et al. (2009): Itombwe Massif By contrast, semi-industrial mech- Deo Kujirakwinja, Alain Twendilonge, Conservation Project: Delimitation and zoning anized dredging machines plough up Onésiphore Bitomwa, Olivier ­Kisumbu, of the Itombwe Natural Reserve for protection and down the Ulindi river reaping al- Bienvenu Shamavu, Léonard Milenge of great apes. New York luvial gold via conveyor belts with iron Plumptre, A. J. et al. (2013): Zoning planning Eo, Luc Lukaba, Fidèle Kavuba, for the Itombwe Natural Reserve buckets. They belong to organisa- Sébastien Mupenda and Plumptre, A. J. et al. (2016): Catastrophic De- tions like the Chinese Kun Hou Min- Jeannot Katembo cline of World’s Largest Primate: 80 % Loss ing Company, which employs its own of Grauer’s Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) Population Justifies Critically Endangered Sta- technicians to do the work. As we now These activities were funded by the IUCN- tus: 1–13 know, the majority of the gold the com- SOS, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Funds, Rodary, E. et al. (2003): Conservation de la Rainforest Trust Foundation and Berggorilla pany produced disappeared (presum- nature et développement: l’intégration impos- ably smuggled out of the country) rath- & Regenwald Direkthilfe. We are also grate­ sible? Paris (Karthala) ful for the support of the members of the Cad­ er than being exported officially, de- re conjoint (Leonard Mubalama – WWF, Jean priving the province and state of much de Dieu Wasso – Africapacity) for being in­ volved in meetings and technical advice. We Gold Boom along Ulindi needed taxes, and breaking the Con- are grateful to Andrew Plumptre, Andrew Kirk­ River golese mining laws and the internation- by and Guillain Mitamba for the technical sup­ al supply chain standards. While official port and mapping. Artisanal Dredging is on the Up­ documents held by the provincial of- swing fice of the state mining agency SAESS- References Berkes, F. &. Turner, N. J. (2006): Knowl- South Kivu has the second-richest gold CAM state that the company produced edge, learning and the evolution of conserva- deposit in the Democratic Republic of 14 kg of gold in a nine-month period tion practice for social-ecological system resil- the Congo. Since the official end of in 2014/15, additional information ob- ience. Human Ecology 34, 479–494 the Congo War in 2003, the artisanal tained by Global Witness reveals a Cioc, M. (2009): The Game of Conservation: International treaties to protect the World’s mi- gold sector has long been an important gold production of up to 390 kg for this gratory animals. Ohio (Ohio University Press) source of jobs and income for the pop­ period, corresponding to US$ 15 mil-

12 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

lion. It is likely, therefore, that the ma- it is mandated to do. No wonder that Congo gold boom, while armed groups, jority of Kun Hou’s gold has been trad- Shabunda’s thousands of artisanal a foreign mining company and provin­ ed illegally. miners face a high mortality rate. In­ cial authorities pocketed millions. For stead of supporting the local people, download link see page 31 Armed Groups Benefit from the some agencies cooperate directly with Southern African Resource Watch Gold armed groups to illegally tax gold or (2015): Illicit gold trade and the Argor Although Congo’s civil war officially even disguise the origins of high-risk case. Conference Summary Report, ended over a decade ago, armed gold on regional export certificates. A 29 to 30.9.2015; http://sarwatch.org/ groups continue to survive, a source 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers audit of events/illicit-gold-trade-and-argor-case of instability and abuses in the region. SAESSCAM concluded that, 10 years A recent survey counted more than after its creation, the agency’s actions 70 such groups, and it is the trade in could be summed up as “contradictory” Rehabilitating Grauer’s natural resources that helps them to to its mandate. The same report also Gorillas at GRACE finance themselves. One example is recognized many problems in the the Raia Mutomboki, who are operating organization that affected its ability The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Con­ along the banks of the Ulindi River. They to function, including under-qualified servation Education (GRACE) Cen­ levy taxes on the artisanal miners from stuff, insufficient employee numbers, ter is the world’s only sanctuary the locally-made dredgers, demanding and inadequate budget allocation. for Grauer’s gorillas orphaned by 10 g every 15th and every 30th day of The Congolese government must take poach­ing and the illegal pet trade. At the month from the workers. If they immediate steps to reform SAESSCAM GRACE Center in Kasugho, North Ki­ are unable to pay they are whipped or in South Kivu and across eastern vu, Democratic Republic of the Con­ kept in makeshift prisons in order to Congo. go (DRC), we currently care for 14 elicit money or gold in return for their gorillas (11 females, 3 males) ranging release. In addition, the armed groups Shabunda’s Gold Is Disappearing in age from 18 months to 16 years. receive payments from the Kun Hou Gold generated during Shabunda’s Since we began receiving gorillas Mining Company. Thus, during the boom, including that produced by the in 2010, one new gorilla has arrived height of the gold boom, they will have Kun Hou dredgers, was disguised each year, on average. New arrivals made up to US$ 25,000 per month, in publicly available export records come with various problems including and the armed men prefer to stay in held by South Kivu’s Mining Division. psychological trauma, malnutrition, the forest from where they can prey Officially, all of South Kivu’s artisanal and even serious physical injuries like on the gold dredging activities, rather gold exports came from just one place, broken bones. Nearly all gorillas are than returning to their villages. There Walungu – because there are the is no doubt that a better regulation of only validated gold mines. A full set eastern Congo’s gold trade is needed of production statistics for Shabunda’s to disarm and demobilise these fighters gold boom is not publicly available; – and attractive alternative livelihoods by concealing the true origin of the must be on offer. The Congolese na­ gold, provincial authorities undermine tional army has undertaken a series domestic and international measures of operations aimed at removing the aimed at making Congo’s mineral Raia Mutomboki from the forest, but supply chains more transparent. East­ the results have not been satisfactory. ern Congo’s mineral wealth has the potential to generate much needed State Agencies Neglect to Manage revenues, but as long as the artisanal the Boom gold sector is manipulated by predatory SAESSCAM (Services d’Assistance et companies, armed groups and corrupt d’Encadrement de Small Scale Mining) officials, this wealth is lining the wrong is a governmental body that was created pockets. to support artisanal miners by offering Summary by Birgit Trogisch of the Female Pinga has a surrogate training and oversight. But the agency following publications: mother relationship with young failed to provide them with protective Global Witness (2016): River of gold. male Shamavu. equipment, tools or advice, all of which How the state lost out in an eastern Photo: A. Bernard/GRACE

13 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

since they provide strong support as young ones transition back to life with gorillas. Some surrogate relationships have even lasted for several years. Be- ing a surrogate benefits the adult fe- males as well by giving them mothering experience. Once in the group, gorillas are managed using protected contact (i.e. no hands-on human contact) in or- der to let them be gorillas. GRACE Center is located in former Grauer’s gorilla habitat, so the envi- ronment is ideal for gorillas. In 2015, we opened a 10-hectare forest enclo- sure and the gorillas now spend their days in this habitat. This space allows them more freedom to forage on their own, rather than relying solely on pro- visioned food. We monitor the gorillas throughout the day from observation towers located around the perimeter of the forest and have observed them GRACE gorillas inside their large forest enclosure engaging in new wild-like behaviours, Photo: GRACE such as building nests in trees and co- ordinating group travel. younger than weaning age upon arrival. month. In DRC, we also partner with Though the forest provides food Despite being an uphill battle for the Gorilla Doctors for veterinary care and for the gorillas, we still need to provi- gorillas, we have thus far experienced operate an ongoing preventative health sion them in order to meet their dietary good success with our rehabilitation care program for the gorillas and our needs. In the past, we collected vege- efforts. staff. tation from the surrounding forest, but There is no instruction manual for The GRACE gorilla orphans live in to create a more sustainable approach, how to rehabilitate Grauer’s gorillas, as a single, integrated social group that is we started a gorilla food farm in July it’s never been done before. Our ap- led by a 16-year-old female, since the 2016. We are now cultivating wild go- proach is to provide a social and physi- oldest male is still young (8 years old). rilla foods, such as Aframomum and cal environment that is as natural as Once the health of a new gorilla has Pennisetum, as well as a wide variety possible to help the gorillas heal and to stabilized and he or she is behaviour- of vegetables. This past year, we also prepare them for the possibility of rein- ally ready, the gorilla is introduced into worked with an animal nutritionist to troduction back into the wild. Because the group. We work within the group hi- create a recipe for biscuits that serve zoological institutions are the world’s erarchy to ensure new gorillas are ac- as a nutritional supplement for the go- experts in caring for gorillas, we con- cepted first by the alpha female, an ap- rillas. The biscuits are made with local- sult with several AZA-accredited zoos proach that has proven 100 % success- ly sourced ingredients and are baked in the USA and benefit from their ex- ful thus far. There are multiple adult daily at GRACE for the gorillas. pertise in gorilla veterinary medicine, females, and every new gorilla has for- An important part of our mission is nutrition, facility design, behavioural re- tunately formed a close surrogate-type to give Congolese the opportunity to search, outreach education, and ani- relationship with one of the older fe- learn about Grauer’s gorillas and to ob- mal management. Six zoos have sent males. Surrogates engage in mother- serve the orphans living at GRACE. 24 experts to GRACE to provide onsite ing behaviours such as carrying and Our intent is to foster pride in the fact assistance and staff training. Zoo ex- sleeping with their ‘adopted’ gorilla and that these gorillas are only found in perts also provide year-round support they also protect them within the group. eastern DRC and a commitment to by participating in advisory groups that These relationships are likely a key conservation. We host over 200 peo- directly work with our DRC staff every reason for our successful integrations, ple at GRACE each month, including

14 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

called a silverback. Each group has its abundance; and during the dry sea- own home range. In the highland sec- son toward mid-August to mid-Octo- tor of the KBNP, the home range of a ber, each group or solitary male wakes gorilla group is composed of different up earlier from the nest, sometimes as vegetation types as well as secondary, early as 5h30 AM, and starts feeding, primary, swamp and bamboo forests possibly due to food scarcity. located between altitudes of 2050 and There are two different nests made 2600 m. A gorilla group is observed liv- by the gorillas: day nests and night ing in its home range for many years nests. Of these two types of nests, foraging on different vegetation types there are both fake nests and real Schoolchildren observing gorillas depending on the seasonal availabil- nests. at GRACE ity of foods. They make new nests at After feeding during the morning, Photo: GRACE a new site every day. They sleep dur- gorillas take some rest during the day- ing the night and travel during the day; time. The members of the group sit schoolchildren and various community leaving the night nests in the morning down around the silverback. Some groups, through our local visitors pro- and beginning to move, then feeding members, especially the youngsters gram. We also work with surrounding and resting until they construct another (juveniles and infants), play among communities on developing and im- night nest at a different site. themselves. Adult members, such as plementing conservation actions such A gorilla family is usually composed adult females carrying babies, and the as tree planting (>2500 trees planted of the silverback (the dominant male), silverback groom each other. After the in 2015–2016). We are continuing to several adult females, one or several grooming some members start to yawn develop our educational outreach and blackbacks, juveniles and infants. Go- more. Some juveniles start cutting plan to expand this work in 2017. rillas live in a hierarchy; the dominant branches and gathering them together Sonya Kahlenberg and male, the silverback, has the leader- in a tree, to sleep on top of them. Adult Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke ship of the group, and he protects the group members sleep on the ground group, decides where to move through- without constructing nests. The group To receive updates about GRACE, out the home range and makes the stays quiet without moving as they please visit our website (www.grace­ choice on where to spend a night. He sleep; some of them sleep deeply and gorillas.org) and follow us also has the freedom to mate with any can then be heard snoring. This siesta on Facebook (GRACE4gorillas) female in oestrus and is the first mem- time varies between 30 minutes and or Twitter (@GRACEgorillas). ber to fight when an intruder is in his 1 hour. By the end of the resting time, home range. noises are made by either the silver- Females also have a hierarchy. An back or by adult females, which is the Distinguishing Gorilla aged female can be the alpha female warning to wake everybody up to leave Nest Types in the Kahuzi- for some time, or a female with a new soon. The group leaves one after the Biega National Park born ranking higher than other females other, all following in the direction of has also been observed being the al- the silverback. All species of great apes construct pha female. The alpha female is al- The day nests are constructed by night nests; sometimes in trees and ways next to the silverback when trave- the members of the group who are ca- sometimes on the ground. This article is ling, resting, feeding or when making pable of doing so. The unique aspect based on daily long-term observations nests. Blackbacks are dominated by of the day nests (upper or lower) is that focused on the nesting and the size the silverback. Juveniles are friends they do not have dung in the nests; in- of the groups of the Grauer’s gorillas among themselves, play sometimes stead urine and some dung can be ob- (Gorilla beringei graueri) ranging in the with blackbacks and often with babies served around them. The night nests Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP), during the day when the groups rest. always have dung and urine either in particularly groups in the highland There are differences between the or on the edge of the nest. Dung and sector. seasons when gorillas leave their night urine are indicators of real gorilla nests. Gorillas in general live in families, nest site: during the rainy season each Some group members leave dung in- although some males can live alone. gorilla group or solitary male leaves side their nests and sleep on top of it In one gorilla family, several mothers the nests at around 6h00 AM and be- in the night (possibly to stay warm dur- and young are led by a leader male gins foraging, possibly because of food ing the night). The silverback does not

15 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 D. R. CONGO

where there are no ants. The first nests will have no dung or urine, whereas the latter will have dung (squashed and/ or not squashed), urine and the as- sociated flies flying above them in the morning. Three short equations distinguish real nests from fake nests and day nests from night nests:

– Real nests (night nests): urine + dung + flies – Fake nests: urine, no dung, no flies – Day nests: urine + flies or dung + urine or flies, no urine, no dung

Regarding the nests, there are group members capable of constructing their own nests (silverback, blackbacks, adult females and juveniles), and members not capable of constructing their own nests (babies). There are two methods to count the number of individuals in the group: A real night nest of a silverback showing droppings on the side Photo: John Kahekwa 1) the direct, 2) the indirect method. construct night nests, but rather digs a camp in that site. Three observations sort of bowl on the ground and simply about dependent gorillas constructing Direct method: When gorilla members sits on top. The larger dung balls and fake and real nests have been made are seen in a group being tracked each the size of the “bowl” will indicate that it during daily observations over a period day, members are directly counted and is the nest of the silverback. The silver- of 33 years. their age-class identified; back rarely sleeps on top of his dung, The gorilla group will be led by the Indirect method: When a group is which is usually outside of the nest. alpha female when the silverback de- not tracked and the members cannot Other members may not sleep on top lays and does not go to the head of the be identified directly, the real nests are of their dung, but rather their dung is on group. If she stops at a site, members counted (those with dung in or around the edge of the nests. 10 % of the Grau- may make nests. The silverback then them). Dung in the nests must also er’s gorilla night nests bear squashed crosses the area and decides to move be analyzed, because in nests with a dung, and in 90 % of cases dung is on to another site of his choice. female and dependent offspring there found – not having been squashed – When the group is led by the silver- will be two sizes of dung (mother’s and on the edge of the night nests in the back and there is a shortage of food baby’s). highland sector of the KBNP. Flies are and there is a newborn in the group, John Kahekwa Munihuzi always observed flying on top of the the silverback may discard a site and night nests rather than the day nests. move to another site. Other gorillas It is another indicator to tell which is a then have to discard their nests and night nest and which a day nest. follow the silverback. The “fake nests” are constructed If the group stops at a site where mostly by dependent group members; there is an ant nest, once they have they are created when gorillas make built nests and sleep on them, they will nests at a site but must then discard be bitten by ants. The group will dis- them when the silverback does not card the nests and move to another site

16 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 CROSS RIVER

On a Road to Nowhere? All Progressives Congress (APC) on projects including construction of a su- an anti-corruption ticket in May 2015. perhighway to link a new Bakassi deep The Proposed Calabar– This was the first time in the history seaport with north-eastern Nigeria. He Ikom–Katsina Ala Super­ of Nigeria that an incumbent president also announced plans for a garment highway Project in Cross had lost to an opposition candidate in a factory, 5,000 new housing units, the River State, Nigeria general election. The APC won in the creation of 1,000 jobs through the crea- majority of the 36 states, but PDP clung tion of a “green police force” to protect After 16 years of continuous rule under on to power in Cross River State. the state’s forests. Other plans recent- the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) The new Governor of Cross River ly announced include the Calabar Rice and record levels of corruption and State, Professor Benedict Ayade, as- City, a new airline known as “CallyAir”, mismanagement, Nigeria elected a sumed office in May 2015 and soon a pharmaceutical factory, a monorail, new leader Mohammadu Buhari of the announced a number of new signature a medical insurance company and more. His plans were very ambitious and sounded expensive but in our ex- citement no one seemed to question where all the money might come from to pay for them, despite the fact that Ni- geria is in the grips of its biggest ever recession and Cross River is the sec- ond most indebted state in the country. The question soon on our minds was – would the new Governor contin- ue with the pro-forest conservation pol- icies of the past two Governors, Sena- tor Liyel Imoke and Donald Duke? Liyel Imoke had gone so far as to ban all log- ging in the state and actively promoted Cross River as a candidate for REDD+ with the UN and others, to widespread international acclaim and accolade. Donald Duke had closed down a Chi- nese plywood factory when it threat- ened the state’s remaining forest re- serves. We would soon find out the pri- orities of the new Governor.

Policy Shift from Forest Preserva­ tion to Forest Exploitation Governor Ayade made some opening speeches that have since set the tone for his administration. He publicly stated that Cross River has

over one million hectares of pristine forest and that forest which is an as­ set that has remained unexploited and this forest has been conserved over time without exploitation and that is not the way we are going to go forward, we are going to move from forest conservation to forest

17 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 CROSS RIVER

management which means we are abar which would reduce pressure on development projects. Although the going to be needing two to three existing seaports in Nigeria and serve cancellation was a huge political em- thousand young men who will be re­ cities in north-eastern Nigeria and barrassment to Governor Ayade a sponsible for regeneration of forest. land-locked Chad and Niger on Nige- compromise deal was soon reached As we are deforesting for develop­ ria’s northern border. Unfortunately the and an “interim EIA” was issued by the ment by processing it into plywood superhighway stops roughly 1,000 km Federal Ministry of the Environment to and veneer for export we are also short of Nigeria’s northern border and allow the ground-breaking ceremony to correspondingly investing hugely for the country already has eight major go ahead, and on the understanding regeneration. sea ports. Many experts doubt if there that a full EIA would be submitted and is sufficient economic justification for that no work would start until the EIA The writing was on the wall. In May constructing another major seaport in was approved. Amidst much pomp and 2015 information began to leak out that Calabar particularly since the Calabar ceremony, the President of the Federal the new superhighway was not a pro- River is relatively shallow and prone to Republic of Nigeria, President Moham- ject to renovate the existing highway siltation, exacerbated by logging and madu Buhari, finally came to Calabar as we had all imagined, and which for deforestation, so periodic and expen- on October 30, 2015 and performed many years had been in a truly de- sive dredging will be required to main- the ground breaking event on the invi- plorable state, but was an entirely new tain access to the “deep seaport”. tation of Governor Ayade. This act tac- highway – and one that cut straight In September 2015 the initial ground itly gave federal government consent across the middle of the Oban Division breaking ceremony for the superhigh- to the superhighway project. Suitably of Cross River National Park! The su- way by President Buhari was cancelled emboldened the Governor stepped up perhighway was to be “a digital road at the last minute when it was real- his campaign. for the 21st century” with Wi-Fi internet ized that no Environmental Impact As- access, and would comprise a massive sessment (EIA) had been done as re- The Role of NGOs in Opposing the six-lane dual carriage highway linking quired by law. This legislation prohibits Superhighway the new deep seaport at Bakassi to activities carried out in sensitive areas On the 20th October 2015 a coalition a small town on the border with the where such are carried out in the ab- of 13 international NGOs, national neighbouring Benue State, a distance sence of mandatory studies. The in- NGOs and individuals, including the of some 260 km. The rationale behind tention of the EIA law is to safeguard Wildlife Conservation Society, the Zoo­ the superhighway appeared to have the population and environment with logical Society of London and Birdlife some merit – proving an evacuation regard to any form of environmental International, submitted a letter to Pre­ route for the new deep seaport in Cal- degradation resulting from unplanned sident Buhari expressing their concern about the superhighway. The letter expressed support for the ongoing EIA process but expressed outrage that the superhighway was planned to pass through Cross River National Park. After the EIA was eventually published a second letter of 13 international NGOs, national NGOs and individuals, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, Fauna and Flora International and the Wildlife Conservation Society, expressed major concern about the EIA and requested that it should be redone. A number of smaller NGOs in Cross River State have been actively involved in the campaign against the superhighway, issuing press releases and letters of protest, some acting on As the bulldozers cleared a swathe through the forest ... behalf of local communities, and there Photo: WCS Nigeria are a number of lawsuits against the

18 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 CROSS RIVER

state government now in court. The the previous month, a number of bull- to create the Oban Division of Cross Ekuri Initiative (which has received dozers entered the forest in February River National Park through which the inter­national accolades for forest ste­ 2016 and started clearing land and fell- superhighway is now expected to pass. wardship), the Rainforest Resource ing trees. Although some communities The Oban Division covers an area of and Development Centre and NGOCE in Old and New Ekuri prevented the around 3,000 km2 of lowland rainforest. have been the most active. bulldozers from entering into their for- It is the largest area of closed-canopy With support from partners over- est, more bulldozers soon appeared in rainforest in Nigeria and contiguous seas, a petition of 254,000 signatures communities within Boki LGA. Thou- with Korup National Park, Cameroon. (34,000 signatures from Cross River sands of trees felled along the route The Oban Hills are an extremely im­ State and 220,000 from concerned in- were soon converted to valuable tim- portant watershed, with peaks of be­ dividuals worldwide) was delivered in ber and mysteriously disappeared. tween 500 and 1,000 m, giving rise September 2016 to President Buhari No compensation has yet been paid to numerous rivers that guarantee through the Ministry of Environment in to thousands of farmers whose farms a perennial supply of freshwater to Abuja. Both the press (TV, radio and have been destroyed by the bulldoz- hundreds of downstream communities newspapers) as well as social media ers. in Cross River State. The Oban Hills have carried numerous stories and up- formed part of one of the lowland dates on the issue. The Nigeria office Background rainforest refugia in Africa during the of the Heinrich Böll Foundation has ac- Cross River National Park is a proposed last glacial period. As a result the tively supported the campaign against UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Re­ area is now a centre of species rich­ the superhighway and Rainforest Res- serve and a tentative World Heritage ness and endemism particularly for cue in Hamburg helped organize an Site, the richest site in Nigeria for primates, amphibians, butterflies, fish online petition against the superhigh- biodiversity and indeed one of the and small mammals. Oban is an in­ way that has currently generated al- richest sites in Africa. It is recognised ter­nationally recognized biodiversity most 240,000 signatures to date. as a Centre of Plant Diversity by WWF hotspot and contains a number of rare and IUCN, and as an Important Bird and endangered species such as the A Land Grab in Disguise? Area by Birdlife International. Indeed Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan It came as a deep shock to all when, the biological importance of the Oban troglodytes ellioti), the drill (Mandrillus on the 22nd of January 2016, the Cross Hills was first identified as early as leucophaeus), Preuss’s red colobus River Government Gazette announced 1912 when a large part of the area monkey (Procolobus preussi), leopard the revocation of all traditional oc­ was declared a forest reserve. In 1991, (Panthera pardus), forest elephant (Lo­ cupancy titles through a “Notice of the Oban forest reserve was upgraded xodonta cyclotis) and the grey-necked Revocation of Rights of Occupancy for Public Purpose Land Use Act 1987” within a 20 km wide corridor of land along the entire highway route. This single act dispossessed more than 185 communities. The total area seized by the state amounts to 5,200 km2, or about 25% of the state’s total area. Communities that had initially supported the superhighway rose up in revolt when they realized that they had been dispossessed of their ancestral lands overnight. Many people within the state began to call the superhighway project an elaborate land-grab in disguise. But a land grab for what? Even though the EIA had not yet been finalized, Governor Ben Ayade was impatient to start work. Follow- ... the loggers moved in and the timber soon disappeared! ing up on the revocation of their lands Photo: WCS Nigeria

19 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 CROSS RIVER

Picathartes (Picathartes oreas) as well project. The full impact on these as 75 plant species endemic to Nigeria. Does the Super­ communities, on their livelihoods highway Threaten the and vulnerability was not been as- Reviewing the EIA sessed; and The EIA was finally submitted to the Gorillas? 11 there was no consideration of any Federal Government of Nigeria in Cross River gorillas are only cultural heritage data. March 2016 for approval and was found in the Okwangwo Division circulated for public comments in April of Cross River National Park, It was therefore impossible to effec- 2016. The Honorable Minister of the an area unaffected by the pro­ tively identify potential impacts due to Environment, Amina Mohammed, ap­ posed superhighway, and are the project or to recommend adequate pointed an independent review panel not present in the Oban Division mitigation measures. A public meeting to assess the EIA. The voluminous of Cross River National Park. was held in Calabar in June 2016 to al- report was 443 pages long and had However, the proposed route low all stakeholders present their views been prepared by PGM Nigeria skirts the western edge of Afi and opinions to the Review Panel. The Limited on behalf of Cross River State Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary EIA eventually received a “D” rating for Government. A professional review of (AMWS) which is a core Cross gaping oversights and errors and was the EIA document was completed by River gorilla area, and the 20 km ordered to be redone. Environmental Resource Management corridor threatens part of the Afi “Nigeria needs better roads, but (ERM) and their report concluded that River Forest Reserve, an impor­ ­ this is one of the most ill-conceived in- the draft EIA was totally inadequate tant corridor area linking AMWS frastructure projects we’ve seen any- and identified 11 main flaws with the to the Mbe Mountains and to the where,” said Professor William Laur- EIA as: Okwangwo Division of Cross ance, an environmental scientist from River National Park. James Cook University in Australia and 1 the scoping process was inadequate the director of ALERT (the Alliance of and provided no information on the Leading Environmental Researchers rationale or analytical process that 6 stakeholder engagement was ex- and Thinkers). was adopted; tremely limited and failed to meet 2 baseline data were unclear, incon- accepted standards as outlined by Where are the Funds Coming from? sistent, frequently contradictory and both Nigerian legislation and inter- It is known that German construction often incorrect; national best practice; company Liebherr has held a number 3 the project description was funda- 7 the EIA failed to identify measures of meetings with the Governor of Cross mentally flawed, most critically it required to monitor effective mitiga- River State but it is not yet clear if failed to consider any impacts due tion of the impact due to the super- they are interested in investing in the to the 20 km wide corridor of land ac- highway; superhighway project directly or simp­ quired by the Government of Cross 8 mitigation measures were described ly seeking to supply the heavy-duty River State along the entire route of at a conceptual level only with insuf- machinery required for the construction the proposed superhighway; ficient detail for implementation; of the deep seaport and superhighway. 4 there was no cost-benefit analysis 9 the EIA failed to mention the pres- It would appear more certain that a for each of the routes proposed and ence of many rare and endangered number of Chinese companies have no clear justification for the super- species present within the area such offered to help fund construction of highway and reasons for building a as the Preuss’s red colobus monkey the deep seaport and superhighway. new road as opposed to upgrading Procolobus preussi and the slender- Some of them have made no secret of the existing highway; snouted crocodile Mecistops cata­ the fact that they are also interested in 5 the EIA failed to consider the im- phractus both of which are classified “mechanised agriculture if the enabling pacts of the superhighway on near- by IUCN as Critically Endangered, environment is created”. by protected areas namely Cross or to assess possible impacts; Nigeria’s agricultural sector has River National Park, Afi Mountain 10 the socio-economic study focused been neglected since the discovery of Wildlife Sanctuary, Afi River Forest on only 21 communities whereas oil in 1956 and urgently needs revi- Reserve, Ukpon River Forest Re- it is estimated that more than 180 talization and investment. But where serve and Cross River South Forest communities within the 20 km corri- will the land come for a large mecha- Reserve; dor will be affected by the proposed nized agricultural project? Many have

20 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 GORILLAS

speculated that the 20 km corridor of a position to forcefully stop. In which Gorilla Habituation for land seized from 180 local communi- case, the State Government can only ties along the highway will be provided be persuaded to tow the path of rea- Research and Tourism in in exchange for those wishing to invest son by following due process. As such Loango National Park in the project. Many have speculated massive and unprecedented deforest- that the proceeds from logging alone ation is planned, it is ironic to note that Two components of gorilla conservation would be massive and that the land on 22 September 2016 President Bu- are research and tourism. Research could then be planted with oil palm. hari signed the Paris Agreement on Cli- provides the baseline information con­ Present Status: A revised EIA was mate Change and promised commit- cerning the natural ecological and submitted to the Ministry of Environ- ment from Nigeria as part of the global behavioural repertoire of a species ment of the Federal Government in effort to reverse the negative effects of and it provides a measure of the September 2016 and is currently being climate change. In the same month a effectiveness of conservation strateg­ ­ assessed. Early indications are that the new US$ 12 million strategy for Nige- ies. Tourism provides much needed document still fails to meet basic stand- ria was approved by the United Na- re­venue for conservation activities ards and that: tions Reducing Emissions from Defor- and raises awareness about apes. estation and Forest Degradation Plus Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei be­ – there has still been no public con- (UN-REDD+) programme in Nigeria. ringei) have been studied intensively sultation or dialogue with important The new scheme to deepen the initia- for decades and ecotourism has prov­ stakeholders such as Cross River tive to combat climate change through en to be a successful conservation National Park; improved forest governance has been strategy. In contrast, despite their much – economic arguments for alternative validated by leaders and experts in broader distribution and larger overall project scenarios such as upgrad- conservation, climate and develop- population size, only a few western ing the existing superhighway have ment communities. Piloted in Cross gorilla groups (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) been poorly done; River State, the programme is jointly have been successfully habituated in – baseline data is still absent or weak; run by three United Nations agencies: a handful of locations. Since the late – there has been no consideration of the United Nations Development Pro- 1990s western gorillas have been the impact of the 20 km corridor on gramme (UNDP), the United Nations habituated in Bai Hokou (Central Afric­ the biodiversity of adjacent protect- Environment Programme (UNEP) and an Republic), Mondika (Republic of ed areas such as Cross River Na- the Food and Agriculture Organisation Congo), and more recently, Moukalaba- tional Park; (FAO) and is meant to be an effort to Doudou (Gabon). – there has been no consideration of create a financial value for the carbon As a result, we know relatively lit- the impact on more than 185 forest- stored in forests, offering incentives for tle about western gorillas compared to dependent communities that are ex- developing countries to reduce emis- mountain gorillas. To address this is- pected to be displaced as a result of sions from forested lands and invest sue, the Max Planck Institute for Evo- the superhighway. in low-carbon paths to sustainable de- lutionary Anthropology started a pro- velopment ject to habituate western gorillas for Whether or not the Federal Government An update on the superhighway will both research and tourism purposes in will accept or reject the revised EIA be provided in the next edition of Go- Loango National Park, Gabon in 2005. remains to be seen. Nigeria is Africa’s rilla Journal. The main goals of this project have most prosperous nation; development Andrew Dunn been to better understand the ecology, is needed to boost and diversify the behaviour, and demography of west- economy which has relied solely on ern gorillas as well as to establish go- oil for decades. Moreover, Nigeria is a rilla tourism as a conservation strategy Federation with both State and Federal in collaboration with the Gabonese Na- laws and the Governor of Cross River tional Park Authorities. State has executive powers over the Because gorillas are naturally afraid State which he governs as an elected of humans, it is necessary to have Governor. them habituated to human presence. There are certain actions that the Habituation is the process of repeat- State Government can take which the ed neutral contact with human observ- Federal Government may not be in ers so that the gorillas gradually lose

21 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 GORILLAS

their fear of humans, making it possi- ble to watch them from close distanc- es. It may take only one to two years to habituate mountain gorillas, where- as it can take five or more years to ha- bituate western gorillas. The first chal- lenge is to simply find the gorillas, be- cause if you are not encountering any gorillas, you cannot begin to habituate them. Gorillas occur at a low density in the forest, which translates into a low probability of simply bumping into them if you are walking through the for- est. However, it is possible to see foot- prints, remains of plants that they have eaten, or feces. Then you can ‘track’ where they have moved through the forest, if you are skilled enough to see the signs that are often extremely sub- tle and difficult to see. Mountain gorillas live in forests where there is a dense understory of herbs and shrubs so that it is relatively easy to see where they have gone, which makes them much easier to track and contributes to why it takes less time to habituate them than western gorillas. To track gorillas, most western go- rilla sites, including Loango, rely on Pygmies, a group that has been mar- The silverback Kamaya in an Iroko tree ginalized across Africa and does not Photo: Martha M. Robbins have many employment opportunities. By working as trackers, they are able close distance, the silverback male will size (less than 7 gorillas), making them to use their traditional knowledge and defend himself and his group by charg- less than optimal for research and tour- skills concerning tropical rain forests ing. However, these charges are pri- ism. Starting in 2009, we have habitu- and wildlife, providing invaluable as- marily displays as most animals do not ated the ‘Atananga Group’, which cur- sistance to the process of habituating want to engage in actually attacking an rently contains 16 gorillas: 1 silverback, western gorillas. opponent due to the risk of getting hurt 6 adult females, 4 juveniles, and 5 in- Once we find the gorillas, the next themselves. Slowly over time the goril- fants. We are able to spend 8 or more step is to ‘convince’ them that we mean las become more accepting, eventually hours with the group on a nearly basis. no harm and that we are simply neutral develop ‘trust’ of their human observ- Loango is ecologically distinct from items in their environment. However, ers, and allow us to watch their lives. other locations where western low- initially they typically flee immediately We had a few ‘false starts’ with ha- land gorillas have been studied. It con- upon seeing any humans. It can take bituating gorillas in Loango. Initially we tains a mosaic of habitat types includ- months and months to see a change in were based in a region that contains ing coastal forest, savannah, swamps, behaviour, in which the gorillas will wait very few gorillas, making it difficult to secondary forest, and primary forest. a few minutes before running away, consistently follow the same group. Several of the herb and fruit species and then even more time passes be- Second, we shifted our work to an area commonly eaten by western gorillas fore they will exhibit their normal be- containing more secondary forest and at other locations are absent or found haviour with people nearby. Further- swamps. We focused on a group for in very low abundance in Loango. We more, if the gorillas feel threatened at a 1–2 years that eventually diminished in have documented large differences in

22 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 GORILLAS

the feeding ecology of gorillas in Loan- The “Walk through the mation on absence/presence of ele- go compared to other sites. Therefore, phants, apes, large mammals, perma- this location provides us with an oppor- Dja” nent hunting camps, and professional tunity to better understand the ecologi- The conservation action plan for poachers in the core area of this World cal and behavioural flexibility possible western lowland gorillas and central Heritage Site. in gorillas. We are using a data collec- chimpanzees identifies 18 priority These conflicting accounts about tion protocol that is nearly identical to landscapes (IUCN 2014). One of them the status of the reserve core moti- the one used by my long-term research is the Dja landscape with its 5,260 km2 vated AAI to lead a unique 5-day trek project in Bwindi Impenetrable National Dja Faunal Reserve (DFR). Inscribed crossing the DFR from south to north Park, Uganda, which will enable us to as a World Heritage Site in 1987, in April 2015. The objective was to get make direct comparisons of a variety there is increasing evidence that the first-hand qualitative insight on the sta- of behaviours between the two species Outstanding Universal Values of this tus of wildlife and poaching in the re- of gorillas. protected area are under growing threat. serve core. The findings from the walk, The project is jointly managed by Hunting exists at an alarming level, and although biased and qualitative, con- the Agence Nationale des Parcs Natio- agro-industry and infrastructure de­ firmed the serious poaching threat. The naux (ANPN), the Gabonese national velopment are accelerating the threats. unexpectantly high number of perma- park authorities. Gorilla tourism began Without adequate control measures, nent hunting camps encountered and in June 2016 and to date, there have this important site will soon be listed as stories from the poachers confronted been about 10 tourist visits. Currently a World Heritage in Danger. in the DFR confirmed a dire need for a ANPN is limiting tourism to only two The African Ape Initiative (AAI) change of strategy to ensure effective days per week and we are adhering of the African Wildlife Foundation protection. to the IUCN best practice guidelines (AWF): This program was established This report summarizes activities for great ape tourism. These include with the ambitious goal of protecting that led to today’s AAI strategy to pro- having a maximum of only 4 tourists representative populations of all 9 Afri- tect the Outstanding Universal Values per one hour visit per day, maintain- can great ape subspecies and their crit- of this World Heritage Site, including ing a seven meter distance between ical habitat (Dupain 2013). At the onset results from anti-poaching patrols us- humans and the gorillas, and wearing of the AAI and in concordance with the ing CyberTracker/SMART in 2015 surgical masks to reduce the risk of IUCN Action Plan, the DFR was iden- through 2016. Patrol observation in- disease transmission from humans to tified as a priority AAI site. Joint scop- formed spatially explicit modelling of gorillas. We are also collecting data ing missions to identify priority needs threats and wildlife populations in the on the gorillas’ behaviour to monitor if revealed a typical doughnut shaped DFR. We subsequently presented tourism is having a negative impact on conservation syndrome: several active findings of the “Walk through the Dja” the gorillas. conservation projects on the periph- which we used to test the spatial mod- Visiting western gorillas is a different ery of this landscape, but no effective els. These models can inform changes experience from seeing mountain go- anti-poaching efforts occurring within in the anti-poaching strategy and cov- rillas, partially because western goril- the DFR. Poaching was and remains las spend more time in the trees, group rife. In response to this, and backed by Patrol effort February–April 2015 members typically do not maintain as an agreement signed with the Service and January–March 2016 close spatial proximity to one another, de Conservation-DFR (SC-DFR), AWF and they travel more per day. It is im- offered support for verifiable and ac- Nr of Distance Nr of portant to remember that western go- countable anti-poaching patrols using patrols (km) patrol rillas are in fact a different species of emerging tools like CyberTracker and days ape from mountain gorillas, living in a SMART. 02/2015 2 147 10 very different habitat – making it all the During set up and initial implementa- 03/2015 1 72 3 more interesting to observe them in the tion, we witnessed significant evidence wild. Getting to Loango from Libreville of widespread uncontrolled poaching 04/2015 2 91 5 in one day is possible and tourist fa- throughout the DFR. We started doubt- 01/2016 4 423 51 cilities are available in the park. Stay ing whether our conservation efforts 02/2016 3 458 46 tuned for more interesting findings from would have the desired impact. Simul- this project. taneously, we were confronted with a 03/2016 3 193 20 Martha M. Robbins body of contradictory anecdotal infor- Total 15 1,384 192

23 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 GORILLAS

Bengbis the group recorded observations as according to usual anti-poaching pat­ " " " " rols. The 98 km crossing took 5 days. " " " " " " " " " The walk started after crossing the " " " "" "" " " " " " " " " Dja river, north of Djoum. On day 1, the " " " "" " " " " " "" " " " clearing of Bali was reached. Despite "" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "" """" " "" "" "" "" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " stories of regular visits by elephants " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "" " " " " " " " " """ " " " and large mammals at this clearing, " " "" Lomié " "" " " "" " " " remarkably little evidence of this was " " " " "" " " "" " "" found on site. " " " " " " " " On day 2, we progressed north fol- " " "" " lowing elephant paths. The forest was " " silent with almost no vocalizations of hornbills or monkeys or fresh indica- tions of larger mammals. Many signs of " human hunting pressure were encoun- " Hunting Camp tered. We stayed overnight at an aban- Patrol route 015K0 m 2 doned hunting camp that was probably used by a mixed group of Bantu com- Track logs of patrols, February 2015 through March 2016 and total mander and Pygmy hunters, hinting recorded hunting camps possible specialized elephant hunting. On day 3, by midday, we ran into erage towards more effective protec- 30 sites with fresh elephant dung were a poacher, well known to our ranger- tion of an important sector of the World recorded. guides. The poacher guided us to their Heritage Site. hunting camp where 3 other compan- The Walk through the Dja ions were waiting for him. On this par- Anti-poaching Patrols 2013–2016 On April 25, a team of 7 friends of ticular day, despite leaving early morn- Patrols are carried out following pre- conservation accompanied by 8 port­ ing and being equipped with a gun, his identified routing, using a PDA equip­ ers embarked on a walk through the catch was limited to 1 duiker. Together ped with the CyberTracker App for Dja. Led by 3 rangers of the SC-RFD, with his colleagues, the total catch of down­load to a computer running

SMART. While AAI-supported anti- Bengbis poach­ing patrol efforts at Dja span September 2013 through March 2016, Yk we limit ourselves to the data from Y kYYY Y Yk Y February 2015. k kkY Y Y Yk YY Patrols covered 1,400 km over 192 Y k YY YY YY Y k Y Y patrol days. For details see Guian et k Y Y al. (2016). Tracklogs and observations Y Y Lomié of fresh elephant dung, fresh gorilla Y k Y k YYYk nests, fresh chimpanzee nests and en- Y kYY counters with hunting camps, poach- YY Y ers, cartridges and snares are record- ed. Over 200 hunting camps were Y Y Y Y recorded and destroyed, numerous en- Y counters with poachers were recorded as well as high levels of cartridges and Fresh Nest Site snares. Recordings of fresh ape nests Y Chimpanzee and/or fresh elephant dung were very k Gorilla 0125K0 m limited. Only 17 gorilla and 61 chim- panzee nest sites were encountered. Distribution of fresh chimpanzee and gorilla nest sites k

24 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 GORILLAS

Indices of human hunting pressure almost a week in the core area of the Spatial Modelling recorded during the patrols. Indices DFR was less than 10 monkeys and We intersected observations from anti- of Kilometric Abundance (IKA): forest duikers. poaching patrols and satellite image total number of observations/ Day 4 and 5, the poachers guided us profiles of cultivation, deforestation, distance covered to the northern periphery of the DFR, and fire against a set of spatial layers following well established poaching representing socio-economic (e.g., Indication of human Total nr IKA trails, crossing a series of well-known land use, roads) and biophysical in­ hunting pressure hunting camps. We stayed the 4th night fluences (e.g., topography, climate) to Active hunting 135 0,09 at the clearing Koubal, again with little model wildlife population and threat camps sign of mammals. There was a feeling distributions. We used Maximum En­ Snares 999 0,72 of discouragement because of the lim- tropy Modeling (MaxEnt), an algo­ ited evidence of large mammals con- rithm widely used for its relative sim­ Cartridges 706 0,51 trasted with continuous signs of human plicity and strong performance. We Encounters with 84 0,06 hunting pressure. This was acknowl- combined individual threat-risk models poachers edged by the rangers of the SC-RFD. of hunting camps, ammunition and Total 1,924 1,39 snares, fire, cultivation-expansion,

Bengbis

" "" " " (("" " """ " "" " " " "" " " " " Lomié

"

" ((" (( ("

( (" ("" (" ("" " " (" Threat Index "" " " High : 20 " " Low : 0 " ( Elephant Evidence " Human Activity/Threat Dja Walk (98Km)

Dja walk transect and related observations atop MaxEnt-generated threat index

25 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 GORILLAS

assume that our initial support to the SC-RFD is not having the desired impact and that there is a dire need to revisit our approach. Spatial model validation and im­ plications for next steps: The valida- tions confirm that the threat index and deforestation models offer value for im- proved targeting of future patrols and other management actions. We consid- er these models to be preliminary and expect improvement with more com- prehensive patrol coverage over time and refined modeling processes. Rec- ognizing that patrol and satellite im- age model drivers are frequently updat- ed, streamlined updating of the models could produce a dynamic law enforce- ment platform catering to more agile management responses. While we are further developing these models and testing the use of them for more effec- tive management, we will focus over the next months on our revised anti- poaching efforts. Next steps: AWF-AAI together with and deforestation into one threat in­ Representing only 4 % of the DFR the new team of the SC-RFD joint- dex. Accordingly, we combined models region, these areas could be targeted ly decided to stop trying to cover the for chimpanzees, elephants, lowland for more impactful and cost-effective 5,260 km2 DFR as both financial and gorillas into a wildlife index. To test law enforcement responses. human resources are still lacking. In- if our models provide SC-RFD man­ stead, we opt for effective protection agers with actionable adaptive man­ Conclusion of three spatially well-defined priority age­ment information, we inter­sected General observation: The anti- areas: we installed permanent patrol the independent “Walk” observa­ poaching patrols and the findings of posts at three inselberghs in the north- tions against relevant spatial models. the “Walk through the Dja” clearly in­ ern half of the DFR – Chouam, Kou- We built on the premise that if va­ dicate that the DFR is under serious bal and Bouamir. Around the 3 strate- lidated, these models can provide SC- threat. While we found signs of all gic points, with permanently stationed RFD managers with actionable in­ large mammals expected, indices of patrol teams consisting of 4 SC-DFR formation for more effective adaptive abundance are very low while indi­ rangers and 2 representatives of the management. ces of human hunting pressure are local communities. During their assign- Using observations of threats and very high. This despite more than 2 ment, teams perform CyberTracker/ wildlife from the walk, we discovered years of support for anti-poaching SMART guided patrols while camera that the encounter rate for wildlife was and assurance from individuals of traps provide continuous monitoring of 8.6 times higher outside the modeled the SC-RFD on a positive impact. In large mammal visits. Simultaneously, threat index areas and that for threats, 2001, Nzooh Dongmo reported about efforts are done to sweep the northern it is 3.8 times higher inside threat in- 71 hunting camps along 1,500 km of periphery for presence of poachers and dex areas. Intersecting the threat and transects in the DFR. Fifteen years screen the area for presence of hunting wildlife index models enabled identi- later, we can report about 200 hunting guns. Local communities are involved fication of areas predicted to have a camps along a similar 1,400 km of in regular meetings with the SC-RFD relatively high likelihood of both wildlife transects. The situation has only wors­ and AWF to discuss latest findings and and threats. ened. Based on these findings, we ways forward.

26 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 GORILLAS

We hope that by the end of 2016, Very early in the morning of January ple whose exceptional tracking skills there will be verifiable evidence that by 25 the habituation team found the (then) form the backbone of the habituation securing these strategic points, it trans- only female of the Makumba group in process. Inganda is a forest shrub of lates to increased visits by large mam- Bai Hokou, Malui, limping through the the family Papilionaceae of which go- mals and that this new strategy is ready forest on one arm. The first thought that rillas consume the leaves (Malui used for replication elsewhere in the World came to their mind was that she had them as a cushion on which the babies Heritage Site. an injury but as they looked closer they were born), while Inguka is a forest Jef Dupain, Zokoe Guian, Manfred realized she was holding on to a baby shrub of the family Acanthaceae and Epanda Aimé and David Williams on the other arm. At this time the group gorillas consume its leaves especially was ranging in very dense vegetation during the dry season, when the go- We thank the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife and the Service de Conservation de la Ré­ with almost no visibility. It was only two rillas depend more on leaves than on serve de Faune du Dja for the collaboration days later when the group entered a fruits. The highly pregnant Malui was and partnership in our joint efforts to improve forest clearing to feed that the team ob- feeding a lot on these leaves. The twins the protection of the DFR. Thanks especially to served two very little, naked babies at- are non-identical both in size and nose Serge Meye and Stephan Madjaye of the SC- RFD for the guidance during the walk. Thanks tached one to each of Malui’s breasts. prints. Inguka is slightly bigger than In- to the conservationists that took up the chal­ It was heartwarming to see the pas- ganda and has a nose print similar to lenge: Thomas Bacha, Denis Beauquesne, sion and strength Malui invested in her Malui thus helping the identification of Olivier Braun, Julien Cour, Carl Frosio, Juliet beautiful offspring. The group stayed the individuals. Wright, and the 8 porters! close together, with both Malui and the The mother of the twins (and domi- References silverback (Makumba) being more pro- nant female of the group), Malui, is a Dupain, J. (2013): The African Apes Initiative. tective than ever before. very experienced female who has suc- Strategy Paper. African Wildlife Foundation Guian, Z. et al. (2016): Rapport d’activités The babies were later named Inguka cessfully raised three offspring sired by de lutte anti-braconnage dans la Réserve de and Inganda by the Ba’Aka forest peo- the silverback Makumba. Apart from Faune de Dja. African Wildlife Foundation IUCN (2014): Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of Western Lowland Gorillas and Central Chimpanzees 2015–2025. Gland, Switzerland (IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group)

First Twins Born to Habituated Western Lowland Gorillas in Central African Republic

At the end of January 2016 the Dzanga- Sangha Protected Areas complex in the Central African Republic recorded the first ever western lowland gorilla twins to be born in a habituated group. Since 1998 WWF through its Primate Habituation Program habituates west­ ern lowland gorillas for tourism and re­ search, creating employment for local people, generating much-needed re­ venue for conservation activities and strengthening the vital links with the local community. Twins in western lowland gorillas are rare so the news was welcomed with excitement and Malui with her twins made a “media splash”. Photo: Janika Wendefeuer/WWF

27 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 GORILLAS

the three offspring she had a stillborn came very curious and interested. The also need the protection of the silver- in December 2011, and exactly 11 first approaches by the siblings were back. Makumba has proven his compe- months later she had another infant timid but after intense observation they tence as leading silverback and protec- who unfortunately fell off a tree two started grabbing one of the babies and tor of the group for over 19 years, siring years later. As the three other females running off with it. At first Malui did not at least 14 offspring, and he definitely in Bai Hokou left the group after losing tolerate this behaviour and would fol- has a part to play in assuring the sur- an infant, it was feared that Malui would low the “hijacker” to rescue her off- vival of these two. also leave. Instead she stayed and sur- spring, the cue for a game of “play The critically endangered western prised everyone with twins. She strug- catch”. However, as the bigger twin lowland gorillas face serious threats gled in the beginning as the babies (followed by the smaller one two weeks from poaching, disease and habitat were unusually small and required that later) grew stronger and explored fur- loss across Central Africa. Also, they she carry them around pressed onto ther away from the mother, Sopo and have a slower life history than moun- her breast for about one month. Later Tembo would grab them occasionally, tain gorillas (Breuer et al. 2009), lead- she would place the bigger twin (Ingu- and Malui would allow it. ing to low population growth rates that ka) on her back with Inganda still at- From the end of July when the twins will affect recovery from population tached to her chest. She quickly gained were 6 months old at least one of them crashes. Such insecure future is the the skills required for this difficult task was constantly with its siblings. Even reason WWF is working with govern- and against all skepticism the twins are though Malui took them back regularly, ments and partners throughout the re- growing well. she had no problem with sharing the gion to protect them and their forest Despite their unusually tiny nature, work raising two babies at the same habitat. These tiny twins therefore sym- they soon started exploring their en- time. She would even, apparently re- bolize incredible hope and success for vironment as every other gorilla baby laxed, pass both twins to the others the region. would do, even though too small and to feed, but she would never be out of Janika Wendefeuer and feeble to move very far. Interesting- sight. The older siblings, being so keen Terence Fuh Neba ly at this period their older sibling, an on the twins, would involve them in 8.5-year-old young male, Tembo, and their play sessions, which unfortunate- Reference Breuer, T. et al. (2009): Physical maturation, another older half-sibling, Sopo, be- ly would get so brutal that the babies life-history classes and age estimates of free- would emit distress noises and loud ranging western gorillas – insights from Mbeli cries causing the silverback and leader Bai, Republic of Congo. American Journal of Recent Twin Deaths in of the group, Makumba, to intervene. Primatology, 71 (2), 106–119 the Virunga Gorillas Nonetheless, as July-August is the peak of the fruiting season in Dzanga African Primatologists In the last Gorilla Journal issue, Sangha, fruit-rich diet provides all in- we reported about the mountain dividuals with extra energy, promoting Form Society to Secure gorilla twins that were born in more playing for the youngsters in the Future of African Primates January 2016 in Rwanda. Sadly, group, and it became difficult for - Ma one of them died in August due kumba to keep them under control. On It is widely acknowledged that the to injuries sustained during an one occasion Tembo in an over enthu- long-term conservation of African pri­ interaction with another group. In siastic mood even hit one of the twins mates depends largely on Africans August, there was an­other twin on a tree and threw it on the ground. themselves, and this requires that birth in Rwanda: by Kalisimbi, Raising twins is undoubtedly a diffi- Africans become more involved and Amahoro group. Both babies cult task. It is uncertain what will hap- lead efforts to conserve these unique were dead one day after birth. pen as they grow bigger; we expect animals. Yet, to date, Africans have In the Virunga National Park, however that Malui would need assis- remained relatively less active in the Democratic Republic of the Con- tance from the other group members field of primatology in Africa. The go, Mafuka in the Bageni group especially when they get too big to car- situation is made worse by the marked gave birth to twins in October. At ry around. It is interesting to observe lack of coordination of efforts by African six days of age, however, one of that she is already accepting support primatologists and the lack of a platform the twins died, and the other one not only from the subadults in the group to facilitate effective engagement with died the next day. but also from another adult female who primatologists and other stakeholders joined the group last February. She will globally.

28 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 GORILLAS

One consequence of this is the un- der-representation of Africans at inter- national primatological fora. For exam- ple, until the 2016 IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group African Primate Red List Assessment Workshop in Rome, only a few, if any, Africans were able to participate in the Red List Assessment of African primates, which assigns de- fined threat categories to the different taxa and therefore sets the agenda for conservation interventions. The situ- ation is similar for other international primatological fora such as the Inter- national Primatological Society Con- gresses, convened to share informa- tion about research and conservation efforts and to assess the state of the world’s primates, including African pri- mates. This is in clear contrast to other re- gions of the world where well estab- lished primatological groups, societies, Participants at the 2016 IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group’s African federations or associations exist and Primate Red List Assessment Workshop, Rome, Italy facilitate information sharing, coordina- tion of research and conservation ef- shop in Rome, the African representa- and coordinate the affairs of the socie- forts, effective representation at inter- tives continued these discussions and ty moving forward. A number of activi- national fora. The lack of coordination officially adopted the name “African Pri- ties have so far been completed under has also limited the ability of African matological Society (APS)” with a new the leadership of the current Steering primatologists to influence policies that steering committee constituted to coor- Committee including: impact on African primates and their dinate the activities of the Society. ability to lend support as a regional The APS aims to promote great­ – A logo designed group where needed. While there is er involvement of Africans and Afri­ – Email account created still a dearth of Africans with expertise can leadership in research and con­ ([email protected]) in primate research and conservation servation of African primates. Spe- – Facebook page created on the continent, such expertise is un- cifically the Society aims to promote: (https://www.facebook.com/African. deniably growing and needs to be har- 1) information and experience sharing; Primatological.Society/) nessed for the benefit of African pri- 2) networking among African prima- – Twitter account created mates. tologists; 3) capacity building towards (@AfricanPS) It was in an effort to fill this gap achieving a critical mass of skilled Afri- – Brief communication in African Pri­ that the idea of forming an African pri- can primatologists; and 4) greater and mates mate group was conceived. This idea more effective representation of Afri- – Promotion of the Society at the IPS was discussed at a number of meet- can primatologists and conservation- congress. For the first time, African ings and via email leading to the forma- ists at the international level. primatologists gathered at the 2016 tion in 2013, of the “African Primatolo- The steering committee is work- IPS Congress in Chicago, USA, as gists Working Group” (APWG), which ing towards organizing an inaugural a regional group under the APS! was essentially an email correspond- Congress of the APS in 2017, where This is only a small first step, but ence group coordinated by an ad hoc among other things, the structure and nonetheless a significant one for steering committee. At the 2016 IUCN/ operational framework of the APS will us and a sign that the APS is here SSC Primate Specialist Group African be agreed, a constitution for the socie- to stay! The announcement of the Primate Red List Assessment Work- ty adopted and officers elected to lead birth of the APS at the Chicago 2016

29 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 READING

David W. Henson, Robert C. Malpas and Floris A. C. D’Udine Wildlife Law Enforcement in Sub- Saharan African Protected Areas – A Review of Best Practices. Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 58. Cambridge, UK and Gland, Switzerland (IUCN) 2016. XXII, 65 pages. Download PDF (3.47 MB): https://portals.iucn.org/library/ sites/library/files/documents/SSC- OP-058.pdf

Christoph Schwitzer, Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands, Federica Chiozza, Elizabeth A. Williamson, Janette Wallis and Alison Cotton (eds.) Primates in Peril. The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates 2014–2016. Illustrations by Stephen D. Nash. IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group (PSG), International Primatological Society (IPS) Conservation International (CI), Bristol Zoological Society 2016. IV, 93 pages. ISBN: 978-1-934151-95-2. Download PDF (5.02 MB): https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/ library/files/documents/2015-033.pdf

New on the Internet IPS Congress was very warmly re- an inaugural congress in 2017; and 3) ceived, and many who attended the identifying potential partner institutions, Sasha Lezhnev side meeting organized by the APS donors, and a host institution in Afri­ A Criminal State: Understanding and promised to support the society. ca (where the society is to be head­ countering institutionalized corruption – Membership form created and cir- quartered). and violence in the Democratic Republic culated for interested persons (Afri- Inaoyom Imong, Rachel Ikemeh, of Congo. Enough Project, October cans and non-Africans) to complete Inza Koné and Denis Ndeloh Etiendem 2016. 121 pages. Download PDF and return with information to cre- (1.94 MB): http://www.enoughproject. ate a database of members. It is The African Primatological Society thanks Dr. org/files/A_Criminal_State_Enough_ Stephen Nash for logo design and Conserva­ hoped that everyone will help con- tion International for the opportunity offered to Oct2016_web.pdf tact and share the form with primate promote the society at the Chicago 2016 IPS researchers and conservationists in Congress. J. R. Mailey and Jacinth Planer their countries and sub-regions to Bankrupting Kleptocracy: Financial gather information for the database. Correspondence to: tools to counter atrocities in Africa's Steering Committee deadliest war zones. Enough Pro­ The APS Steering Committee is also Email: africanprimatesociety@gmail. ject, October 2016. 59 pages. Down­ working towards 1) creating a fully com; Facebook: https://www.facebook. load PDF (1.47 MB): http://www. functional website for the Society and com/African.Primatological.Society/; enoughproject.org/files/Final_Tools_ a database of members; 2) organizing Twitter: @AfricanPS Mailey_Planer_October_2016.pdf

30 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 BERGGORILLA & REGENWALD DIREKTHILFE

Global Witness River of gold. How the state lost out in an eastern Congo gold boom, while armed groups, a foreign mining company and provincial authorities pocketed millions. July 2016. 32 pages. Download PDF (4.03 MB): https:// www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/ democratic-republic-congo/river-of- gold-drc/

Daniela Kleinschmit, Stephanie Mansourian, Christoph Wildburger and Andre Purret (eds.) Illegal Logging and Related Timber Trade – Dimensions, Drivers, Impacts and Responses. A Global Scientific Rapid Response Assessment Report. IUFRO World Series Volume 35. International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Vienna, December 2016 146 pages. ISBN 978-3-902762- 70-2. Download PDF: http://www.iufro. The Stuttgart Zoo Wilhelma has been supporting our work for many years, org/publications/article/2016/12/03/ since 2009 mainly with proceeds from the collection and recycling of world-series-vol-35-illegal-logging- mobile phones. In 2016, Angela Meder and Anne Pfisterer presented and-related-timber-trade-dimensions- Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe’s activities and provided information drivers-impacts-and/ or http://www. for visitors at the zoo’s first species conservation day – of course in front iufro.org/science/gfep/illegal-timber- of the gorilla enclosure. trade-rapid-response/report/ Photo: Ralf Schirsching

Senckenberg Research Institute Our Donors Barea, Colin Groves, Peter Günther, African Plants – A Photo Guide. An Andrea Helmecke, Lisa Jahraus, Elke interactive photographic guide that From May to October 2016 we received­ Kastner, Isabella Löber, Hannelore helps to identify higher plants from major donations by Angelika Dickmann, Merker, Berthold Müller, Oliver Nevi, Africa (excluding Madagascar). www. Rüdiger Dmoch, Andreas Fretz, Jürgen Anne Pfisterer, Pieternella Pols Fonds, africanplants.senckenberg.de and Irmgard Friedrich, Emilio Garcia Birgit Reime, Wolfram Rietschel, Al­ fred Roszyk, Nadine Roth, Thorsten Roth, Erika Rüge, Schwabenpark-Kai­ New Address sersbach, Ulrich Wedding, Christof Wiedemair, Wilhelma, Christian Wolf At our members’ meeting in April, a Berggorilla & Regenwald and Zoo Milwaukee. new Board of Directors was elect­ Direkthilfe e. V. Apart from several zoos and animal ed. Rolf Brunner, who was one of c/o Burkhard Broecker parks two school classes also collect- the founding member of our or­ Juedenweg 3 ed donations for us. We thank the stu- ganisation, resigned­ because of his 33161 Hoevelhof dents, their teachers and the parents age. We are happy that we found Germany for their efforts! a competent successor for Rolf, [email protected] Many thanks to everybody, including Burkhard Broecker. We have known all the donors that could not be listed him for many years and he already by name here. We are grateful for any took over Rolf’s tasks successfully. support, and we hope that you will con- tinue to support our work in 2017!

31 Gorilla Journal 53, December 2016 Do you know berggorilla.org? Visit Subscription to the Gorilla Journal our new site! If you become a member, you will receive the journal regularly. If you want to receive the printed journal without becoming a member, we would be grateful if you could make a donation to cover our costs. The costs to send the journal overseas are about US$ 20 per year. If you do not need the printed version, we can in- clude your email address in our mailing list and you will be informed as soon as the PDF files are avail- able (contact: [email protected]).

You can download this issue at: www.berggorilla.org/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/ journal/journal-en/gorilla-journal-53-english.pdf

as well as the German issue: www.berggorilla.org/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/ journal/gorilla-journal-53-deutsch.pdf

and the French issue: www.berggorilla.org/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/ journal/journal-fr/gorilla-journal-53-francais.pdf

Declaration of Membership

Starting with the following date I declare my membership in Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe

Name Affiliation

Address

Birth date male female

I want to receive a printed copy of the Gorilla Journal I want to be informed if the new issue is available on the internet. My e-mail:

Yearly subscription (please mark) Date and signature

Europe Overseas Student euro 20 US$ 30 General member euro 45 US$ 80 Family euro 70 US$ 130 Donor euro 100 US$ 180 Bank account: Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe Please send to: IBAN DE06 3625 0000 0353 3443 15 Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe BIC SPMHDE3E c/o Burkhard Broecker Juedenweg 3 Bank account in Switzerland: 33161 Hoevelhof, Germany IBAN CH90 0900 0000 4046 1685 7 Fax +49-711-6159919 BIC POFICHBEXXX