Inspiration, discovery and conservation in action from Congo’s wild places.
For some reason, Esther has always dreamed of working in the forest. Despite the predominance of men in this field, she made a place for herself as a research assistant in the heart of the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, and showed that research is open to all. ...
At the edge of Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, in a truly remote part of the northern Congo rainforest, the last 25 years have seen the Mondika research site evolve from a modest forest camp, into one of the world’s most important centres for studies on the western lowland gorilla, thanks to the dedication of a long line of incredible people. This is the history of the site, in their words....
While business opportunities are scarce in small villages of northern Congo, determination, skill, and support from her community helped Maman Saida to open her own restaurant in Bomassa, at the entrance of Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park. An amazing story of success that deserves to be highlighted on this International Women Day....
Twenty years ago, the legendary expedition across Central Africa known as the “Megatransect” was coming to an end. This large-scale study of the Congo Basin’s forest brought unprecedented international attention to this biodiverse and endangered ecosystem. Among those who took part in this unique adventure, Nestor Massembo, a Ba’Aka tracker, has since then dedicated his life to wildlife conservation. ...
In late October 2020, 30 Congolese dwarf crocodiles were released into their natural habitat, after having been seized from poachers. This incident highlighted the peculiar trafficking of a poorly known and vulnerable species that is endemic to the Congo Basin....
From the air, the forest in Northern Congo looks like a vast, green carpet, broken only by tree falls and glimpses of streams. At this time of year, if you were to plunge beneath the canopy, you'd be faced with a bizarre mirror-world, with still black water reflecting the forest above and below. In the Congo's north-eastern forests, rains fall onto deep layers of peat, sitting in a depressed area - the Congolese Cuvette, meaning...
For over 14 years, the Wildlife Health Programme (WHP) implemented by WCS in partnership with the National Laboratory of the Congolese Ministry of Health, has been working to monitor wildlife mortality and minimize the risks of disease transmission to communities. The project raises awareness among communities in northern Congo and has set up an early warning system for unexplained wildlife deaths that covers more than 30,000 km2....
A giant pangolin, the world’s most trafficked scaled mammal, was rescued and later cared for by our teams. Thanks to the collaboration between experienced pangolins carers from our Wildlife Health program teams in Congo, the Tikki Hywood Foundation to the Sangha Pangolin Project in Central African Republic, this species highly sensitive to stress, and generally dying a few hours or days from capture, was for once successfully reintroduced in the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park. ...
This year, more than 20 young Congolese men and women joined the Nouabalé-Ndoki Foundation team of ecoguards in northern Congo. They work day in and day out, sometimes risking their lives, to protect the most threatened wildlife species....
Marcel Ngangoue won the African Ranger Award 2019, which recognizes and supports the achievements and efforts of rangers working to combat the precipitous decline of Africa's wildlife species due to poaching, habitat loss, and the illegal wildlife trade....