Donatien Mengonga, Bayaka indigenous tracker, has a dream: to become a research assistant at the Mondika site in the northern Republic of Congo. WCS's scientific skills development programme has enabled him to resume his studies....
BRAZZAVILLE, REPUBLIC OF CONGO (June 18th, 2019) – Her Excellency Rosalie Matondo, the Republic of Congo’s Minister of Forestry Economy, the U.S. Ambassador, Todd Haskell, and the Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS’s) Africa program, Tim Tear celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park – a stunning protected area, and World Heritage Site, that spans 1,621 square miles (4,200 square kilometers) of...
With their rich red flanks dissected by perfect, white stripes, bongo are one of the most striking antelope in Africa. During recent surveillance flights over the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, a large herd of bongos was observed in one of the area’s forest clearings – a very rare sighting. This charismatic species, suffered a severe die-off in 1997. The die-off, which spread across the forests of...
Songs echoed out across the forest as the first group of participants headed to the start line in the park truck, bouncing along 5 kilometres of red-earth road, giant trees whizzing past. The build up was intense in Bomassa last Saturday morning as the village prepared for the start of the very first Nouabale-Ndoki National Park Run for the Wild. ...
Central Africa’s rainforests are home to our closest relatives, to the world’s largest land mammal and many other weird and wonderful creatures. There is so much still to be discovered about these forests and the animals that live in them, but we are destroying intact forests and forest species so fast that we risk losing them before we know what secrets they hold. ...
A sweeping new study published in the journal Science says that chimpanzee’s complex cultures – including the use of tools and other behaviors – are being lost as human disturbance expands into previously wild areas. The ten-year study, led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, spanned 46 locations 15 countries providing the most complete description...
Across the globe over three billion people rely on coastal and marine biodiversity for their livelihoods, but the ocean is now heavily affected by over-exploitation, climate change and pollution. This year’s theme for World Wildlife Day “Life below water: for people and planet” raises awareness on one of the most important environmental challenges currently being faced: the plight of the world’s oceans....
Pangolins are now considered to be the most trafficked animal, not only in the Republic of Congo, but across the globe. Population numbers of these scaly mammals are declining across Africa and Asia due to the high demand for pangolin scales and meat, which are used in traditional medicine and considered to be a delicacy in countries like China and Vietnam. It is estimated that...
The past year has seen some significant advancements in our projects in the Republic of Congo. We were involved in the creation of a new national park in the Bateke Plateau, worked with the Congolese government on the adoption of its National Action Plan for Elephants, and released exciting results showing that the wildlife populations in the areas we work in in northern Congo are...
Conservation of wildlife requires the active support of local people. Ensuring that families tangibly benefit from the protection of wildlife populations is key to garnering support and building a local constituency for conservation. Finding ways to improve the wellbeing and secure the cultural identity of traditional and Indigenous Peoples is a challenge everywhere. In isolated places like northern Republic of Congo families have limited access...