Gorilla Journal Journal of Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe No. 49, December 2014 Trees around Mt. Equitable Ebola in Nigeria Group Formation Tshiaberimu Conservation: Reduces the and Dynamics in a Necessity for Consumption of Gorillas Bwindi’s Gorillas Bushmeat BERGGORILLA & REGENWALD DIREKTHILFE Authors of this Issue Terence Fuh Neba works for WWF CONTENTS as Technical Assistant to the Primate D. R. Congo 3 Dr. Julia Baker is Research Advisor Habituation Programme in the Dzan- Maiko National Park Progress for the International Institute of Envi- ga Sangha Protected Areas in Central Report – December 2014 3 ronment and Development (http://www. African Republic. He oversees the ha- Trees around Tshiabe rimu: iied.org/) on their Research to Policy bituation of western lowland gorillas in Development and Reforestation 5 project, having studied Integrated Con- two habituation field sites, Bai Hokou Oil Exploration in Virunga Park 7 servation and Development at Bwindi and Mongambe. Rwanda 8 Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. David Greer has been involved in Two Silverbacks Die in Rwanda 8 Emmanuel Sampson Bassey has great ape conservation and research Uganda 9 worked for WCS as the Afi Cybertrack- throughout equatorial Africa since Why Equitable Conservation Is a er Project Coordinator since 2011. His 1994. His recent efforts have includ- Necessity for Bwindi’s Gorillas 9 main interests are football and nature ed supporting the development and Cross River 11 conservation. strengthening of law enforcement in- Ebola Disease in Nigeria Reduces Hollie Booth currently works as As- itiatives in great ape range states, the Consumption of Bushmeat 11 sistant to the Director for the FZS Africa with a specific aim to reduce impuni- Gorillas 12 Regional Office in Serengeti National ty and corruption in the wildlife legal Group Formation and Dynamics in Park. She has been working for FZS for system. Since 2008, he is the African Eastern and Western Gorillas 12 just over a year, and came from Ethio- Great Apes Program Coordinator for Update: Conflict in the Central pia, where she was working on a sus- the WWF International Global Species African Republic and its Impact on tainable tourism project. She has been Program. Dzanga-Sangha 15 interested in wildlife from a very young Dr. Angela Meder studied the be- Ape Trade from Guinea 19 age and got into conservation when haviour and development of captive Gorillas in Illegal Trade 21 she studied Zoology at Cambridge lowland gorillas for 10 years. Today she Reading 22 University. Since graduating, she has works as a book editor. Since 1992 she New on the Internet 22 worked for a number of conservation has been part of the Board of Directors Berggorilla & Regenwald NGOs, in both England and Africa. of Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe. Direkthilfe 23 Dr. Damien Caillaud is a research Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo work- associate with the Dian Fossey Go- ed for the ICCN and the IUCN, from rilla Fund International and is director 2006 to 2007 he was the chief conser- Gorilla Journal 49, December 2014 of the Fossey Fund’s Grauer’s gorilla vator of the Parc National des Virunga, Editor: Dr. Angela Meder research program. Since 2003, he has central sector. He is the coordinator of Augustenstr. 122, 70197 Stuttgart, studied in the field 3 of the 4 gorilla sub- the NGO VONA and since 2008 he is Germany species, in 4 different countries. His our assistant. Since 2010 he is Gen- Fax +49-711-6159919 current research focuses on the social eral Director of the Institut Superieur E-mail [email protected] behaviour of mountain and Grauer’s de Conservation de la Nature, Envi- Translation and Proofreading: Ann gorillas as well as on the conservation ronnement et Tourisme (ISCNET) and DeVoy, Bettina and Andrew Grieser of Grauer’s gorillas. in 2011 he became the PACEBCo ex- Johns, Colin Groves Laura Darby is GRASP Associate pert for conservation and biodiversity in Cover: Ngombe, infant of the Makum- Programme Officer. She also worked the Virunga region (COMIFAC). ba group born in November 2012 just as manager of several great ape sanc- Dr. Osamu Terao has field expe- before the crisis. Photo: Tianna Peller tuaries, mainly in the Democratic Re- rience with habituated chimpanzees public of the Congo. (Republic of Congo), orangutans (Bor- Organization Address: neo) and bonobos (D. R. Congo) as Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe research assistant and research man- c/o Rolf Brunner Bank Account: ager, research and camp manager Lerchenstr. 5 IBAN DE06 3625 0000 0353 3443 15 (logistics). He also has experience in 45473 Muelheim, Germany BIC SPMHDE3E humanitarian aid (DRC), tree nursery E-mail [email protected] Switzerland: (Madagascar and Togo) and tourism. Website: IBAN CH90 0900 0000 4046 1685 7 Currently, he is project manager at the http://www.berggorilla.org BIC POFICHBEXXX Maiko National Park for the FZS. 2 Gorilla Journal 49, December 2014 D. R. CONGO Maiko National Park Project Update – Lind Manguredjipa December 2014 i Opienge Maiko National Park, Democratic Butembo Republic of the Congo, lies in one of Loya the most remote forest areas in the Lubero world. It is an incredible wilderness Maïko Lubero area, protecting biodiversity of national and international significance, including Parc National the Grauer’s gorilla and the okapi. It de la Maïko has also been home to the Simba Mai Mai rebels for almost 50 years, and has played a significant role in DRC’s Lubutu political conflicts during that time. This area of tremendous natural value is Oso therefore also very volatile and difficult Lowa to access. It receives few visitors and very little research. By working with both the Congo- Walikale lese conservation authorities (ICCN – Punia Institut Congolais pour la Conserva- Goma tion de la Nature) and local stakehold- ers, including the Simba Mai Mai, FZS (Frankfurt Zoological Society) endeav- DRC military (FARDC). This is further the forest within the park bounda- ours to support the management, mon- exacerbated by low capacity of state ries. The families will move to vil- itoring and protection of the park. This services, inaccessibility of the area and lages outside of the park and transi- entails the sustainable development of unreliable telecommunications and tion into civilian life. In May and June communities living around the park and infrastructure. Nevertheless, FZS has 2014 a census was conducted by the reintegration of the Simba Mai Mai made a number of major achievements the CNDDR to ascertain the needs rebels living within the park back into over the past four years: of Simba for this resettlement. Since civil society. FZS recognizes the im- – FZS also supported the construction then, CNDDR has taken the lead portance of a holistic support strate- of a primary school in Bitule village, for the process, making it a priority gy in an area as challenging as Maiko adjacent to the park. The official rib- at the national level and attracting and invest in a combination of scientific bon-cutting ceremony took place on support, management support and so- the 9th. October 2014, in the pres- cio-economic support to our partners. ence of the highest local authori- Both the German Federal Ministry for ties, political and educational. This Economic Cooperation and Develop- school replaces one that was de- ment (BMZ), through the advice cen- stroyed in previous conflicts, and it tre for non-governmental organisations is now complete and in use by local working in the field of development co- children. operation (Bengo), and Berggorilla & – FZS is cooperating with the Con- Regenwald Direkthilfe have supported golese Commission Nationale de this FZS project in Maiko. Désarmement, Démobilisation, Ré- Maiko National Park is one of our insertion (CNDDR) to facilitate the most challenging projects. The FZS peaceful, voluntary resettlement of team faces on-going instability and the Simba Mai Mai rebels and their Taking notes at a gorilla nest in the there is periodic conflict between families out of the park. Currently Kahuzi-Biega National Park Simba rebels, ICCN rangers and the they are living in remote parts of Photo: FZS 3 Gorilla Journal 49, December 2014 D. R. CONGO paired t-test that charcoal consump- would be the first ecological survey tion decreased by 46%. In addition, conducted in Maiko since 2005, and 100 stoves have been reserved for the first one of this scale since 1990. Simba families, who will be voluntar- Plans were well underway for the ily resettling in villages outside of the RBA, and a team of Congolese and park in the coming months. international researchers were as- – In partnership with Flora and Fau- sembled from ICCN, FZS, FFI, and na International (FFI), FZS support- the Research Centre in Natural Sci- ed training a group of ICCN rangers ences of Lwiro. In mid-June, the in gorilla census and small mammal team gathered in Lubutu, ready to survey techniques. Participants in- start the assessment. However, con- cluded both the rangers and civilians flict between the Simba, the military, involved in community-based moni- and other well-armed bandit groups toring outside the park boundaries. prevented the teams from operat- The training covered navigating us- ing in the forest. Finally, at the end ing GPS, differentiating between dif- of 2014, the ICCN rangers partici- ferent types of animal sign, espe- pated in a partial biodiversity sur- cially chimpanzee and gorilla, and vey of the southern sector of the accurately recording data on obser- park alongside FFI field staff and vations. with support from FZS’s Maiko pro- – One of FZS’s major objectives for ject team. The surveys focused on 2014 was to conduct a Rapid Bio- areas where gorillas had previously During the training in Kahuzi-Biega: diversity Assessment (RBA) of Mai- been documented which were also a sample for genetic analysis is ko National Park, in order to gain a deemed sufficiently secure.