The Okapi Reserve

Category: Community Work | Date: Feb 19 2008 | By: admin

The Territory Administrator of Mambasa was invited by the Reserve Manager for the official ceremony. All the 5 traditional chiefs of Mambasa

Territory were also invited in Epulu on 18th of February, 2008.

Mr. Kebe (in middle) instructing the Bombo local chief

The aim of giving them motorbikes is one of the recommendations of the network organized by the Reserve on October 2007. This can allow these stakeholders to reach easily Epulu( headquarter of the Reserve ) for meeting, and run accordingly their own administration.

“

Really, It is a pleasure and good initiative from ICCN and his partners .Today I am able to reach all corners of my collectivity and control all illegal activities and then denounce ” said Mr. Apuobo one of the chiefs.

Chief Apuobo during his 5 munites of speach

Kebe Abdallah Mambasa Administrator

The last word of the ceremony was pronounced by Mr. Kebe (Mambasa’s administrator) who appealed all chiefs to collaborate with the Reserve authorities, and safeguard the ecosystem.

We all know that without petrol, these motorbikes cannot work, so we would like your support in terms of petrol. The average consummation is about US $300, 00 for 2 months.

Somba

Technorati : congo, epulu., okapi. wildlifedirect

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Category: Community Work, Epulu | Date: Feb 05 2008 | By: admin

Epulu, headquarter of the Reserve is nowadays calm .Rangers wives create a woman mutuality named “UMOJA”. In Swahili it means “together”

Absolutely, this is a positive initiative. According to Mama KAVIRA SOMBA who is leading the group, they are planning some activities which should produce income. They’ve started collected money for preparing the International mother day holiday of 08/03/2008. They’re always March, so they need dressing in the same uniform. The sample uniform is there and costs $10 each, and they are 50 wives. Please your contribution must motivate those mums.

from rigth:the uniform blouse showed

Rangers wives during the meeting

This initiative deserves a support from you.

Somba

Technorati : epulu., okapi. wildlifedirect, wildlifedirect

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Category: Community Work, General | Date: Jan 03 2008 | By: admin

As I promised you in my previous post, I still remember you that a series of soccer matches was planned in Epulu (headquarter of the Reserve). Ladies soccer team( Elephant) from Mambasa played against those of Epulu on 20th of December 2007, and Epulu won the game by 1-0, secondly was the

Buffalo

team of Bandisende village ( 40 km) from Epulu and the game was null. The last which opposed the soccer team of Mambasa catholic

Mission

called AMANI 4×4 and OKAPI team of Epulu on 30th of December 2007 on Epulu stadium.Iit was fantastic, and the Okapi team won the game by crucifying AMANI 4X4 with a score of 3 -1.

friendly picture: Okapi ladies team and Elephant team from Mambasa

During their stay in Epulu, the Education Department of Gilman International Conservation ( GIC) organized an opened day during what players discovered the Epulu Zoo where Okapi lives in captivity.

Tour in Epulu Zoo

The organization of such activity (football match) in Epulu for outsiders of the Reserve has the aim of welcoming an important number of visitors (players) who had chance to touch an okapi in Zoo, climb Mont MBIA hill, cross the Epulu river bridge and definitively have the right version of nature protection .This kind of association from football to open days is methodically advice because visitor has opportunity to be teaching in field and all of his queries shall have answer. That we know by organizing this activity, the conservation message was disseminated and reaches an important number of people living outside of the Reserve.

Senior Warden of Okapi Reserve Mr. Mapilanga ( left) with players from Mambasa after visiting

the Administrative Office

Players enjoying to be snaped on rock of Epulu river

Your donation is warmly welcomed for the next organization of this activity in Epulu.

Somba

Technorati : congo, okapi. wildlifedirect, wildlifedirect

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Category: Community Work, General, Mbuti Pygmies, Ranger Patrols | Date: Dec 28 2007 | By: admin

In 96 hours, the 2007 year is about to end, so I would like to visualize you on snaps some achievement in Okapi Reserve. This, of course should motivate you for any help for safeguarding the home of the charismatic animal “OKAPI” and its relatives living in the Reserve.

So, please take your time

.

Workers wives during a manifestation in Epulu

Miners arrested by field rangers in deep forest of the Reserve

The technical Director of ICCN welcomed in Epulu

The catholic bishop as stakeholder welcomed in Epulu

Workshop with traditional chiefs of Mambasa

Okapi TATU healthy in Epulu zoo

Senior Warden (bottom) and his assistant strongly devoted.

Thanks,

Somba

Technorati : congo, epulu., wildlifedirect

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Category: Community Work, Epulu, Mbuti Pygmies | Date: Nov 13 2007 | By: admin

Makubasi and Issa who worked for us for over ten years collecting leaves for the Okapis are retired today and have a big dream. I would like to help them to make that come true. Issa who is widower and Makubasi divorced have no longer the much needed support which woman in Africa’s society provide to their spouses and society. Although they are still living with their clan the life condition is very sad. This is the reason why I will help them to get their own house and to make sure they will never get wet again. When raining the roof has to be of good material such as corrugated iron. To buy all the building material and hire some people for construction I would need US$ 500.- You can read more about them here.

This are the traditional Mbutie houses

Makubasi with his grand children

This is Issa with his grand children. The house in the background is what I have in my mind. The roof would be irrogated iron and not Mangungu leaves which have to be replaced every couple of month.

Difficult to believe but this is where they sleep today. The only luxury they have at night is the mattresses I gave them a while ago. The last years of their lifes should be more comfortable they deserve it.

Rosie

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Category: Community Work, General | Date: Oct 16 2007 | By: admin

I am obliged to let you know about the workshop organized in Mambasa by the management of the Okapi wildlife Reserve (OWR) from 10th to 11th of October 2007. 7 traditional chiefs with their respective population representative, the Administration service of Mambasa territory, and the Reserve staff attended the workshop. The discussion was on “what mechanisms of dialogue/ concertation between local population and the Reserve managers?”

As listed on the world heritage site of UNESCO, the reserve has benefiting the Emergency funds which allows the management for the organization. We noticed the presence of the technical director of ICCN (Congolese Institute for nature conservation) Mr. Benoit KISUKI from

Kinshasa

who presented on “ICCN mission and implication of the local community in protected areas “, and played key role during discussion.

Adt Benoit Kisuki( in white shirt ) surrounding with the Reserve Officers in Epulu

Mr. Mapilanga, senior warden of the reserve also intervene on the subject:”Creation of the Reserve, natures of problems and local community preoccupation ” , and Mr. Ntumba , assistant of community Conservation programme in the Reserve discussed on ” The CPCL’s Programme “set up in the reserve on the year 1994- 1996. It was planned that one of the local chief should pass and talk in the name of his colleagues how was their appreciation on the CPCLs structure in terms of communication between population and the reserve, and he does not delay to illustrate some gaps from members who wanted to be transformed as rangers,….

Walese Karo chief talking

It is a pleasure to inform you that this Chief was among the 2006 laureates of Abraham price in DRCongo because of his leadership in defending conservation, and his positive attitude towards conservation of the reserve.

Mr. Mapilanga ( in blue shirt )during his expose

Groupphoto with all participants

At all, it was fine since the local chiefs had time to confirm their support to the wildlife of the reserve, and showed clearly their desire to become patterns of the conservation of the reserve. Some responsibilities were been defined during the workshop and I mean things will be interesting in future if one of the participants as stakeholder keep in mind the importance of the reserve and apply the new concept gained from the workshop.

Somba

Technorati : epulu, okapi, okapi. wildlifedirect

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Category: Community Work, Epulu, General | Date: Jun 12 2007 | By: admin

By MAN for MAN is the new concept for conservationists. Last time conservation had its strict philosophy, that means “integral conservation ‘’, and local population was not associated for any activity of the Park, but in this century, man remains in the center of conservation. Let me tell you that, especially in Epulu, we start involve community for the management of the reserve; this means the Manager needs input from the community.

The zoning of agricultural, hunting zones continue in some sectors of the Reserve ( Molokay, Epulu, Bandisende , Seti ,…) where community plays key role in the field

The tradition chief sensitizes community about the zoning meaning

Boundary marker of the agricultural zone

Currently, we are trying to conciliate conservation with the normal live of boys and ladies in the Reserve otherwise to see how to pass the conservation message through the football, theatre activities. Sincerely obliges to let you know that the Environmental Education Program of the Reserve which is running by Mr. Marcel Enckoto of Gilman International conservation, Inc is in charge of these activities, and so far I underline as a good way to occupy young men. What he is doing is to buy jersey, balls, soccer boot … With the support of leisure and sport service of Mambasa, football competitions are organized and players from Epulu go to Mambasa, Salate, Banana … The last football match was organized 3 weeks ago (ladies from Epulu against those from Mambasa) and the score was draw, but it was fantastic to see it. The boys from Epulu also played, and 27 minutes later Epulu succeeded to score the first goal, and I can see how people were happy.

Epulu team supported by GIC via Education Program

Both Piloli team from Mambasa and Okapi sport team of Epulu on the ground at Epulu

The DRCongo new Constitution obliges equity gender, so the reserve is also planning to rally ladies around football, and an improvement is seeing. The first match was played against those from Salate village, and Epulu won the game. Mr. Marcel decided 3 weeks ago to select players from Epulu and Salate for a big match against ladies Mambasa’s team.

Mr. Kabala and Marcel advancing players.

Players’ team of Mambasa

Players from Epulu

After the friendly soccer match : a remembering snap

At all, we realize that conserving an ecosystem does not mean a useful of fire arm, but such idea of occupying a group of people can work. The main preoccupation is to not forget your objective, this means organizing meetings and talk about the importance of nature for future generation…

Somba

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Category: Community Work, Mbuti Pygmies | Date: Apr 30 2007 | By: admin

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a habitat protected area in DRCongo was only created by a Ministerial law on 2nd of May, 1992. It is almost 15 years old. Pygmies who are the first occupants of the Congo live inside the Reserve in interaction with fauna and flora.

An old pygmy woman

We conserve Nature including people, because the Government of Kinshasa decided not to evacuate men from the Reserve, especially Pygmies who depend 100% on the forest. Pygmies are healthy only inside the forest where they have the chance to hunt, pick fruit, mushroom, termite,…. The activity of hunting for them is a kind of gymnastic or relaxation. Could you imagine that an old man of 50 years old can accept easily participating for hunting?? Really it’s happening….

According to their tradition, hut building and the collection of food from the forest is a woman’s task. A woman is there to feed her husband, and it is serious.

Mr. Somba admiring a pygmy Woman building her hut.

The management of the Reserve started to zone the reserve in specific zones such as integrated zones, agricultural zones and hunting zones. At this time some agricultural, and hunting zones are limited. This is a long process which takes time and the community as a stakeholder plays a key role during the limitation. In fact, the main importance of zoning the Reserve into agricultural zones is to see how to stabilize farmers in groups, in case of crop devastation,

Rangers can intervene when there are problems with wild animals. We discourage farmers who do not like to cultivate in groups, because then they cannot benefit from our intervention.

Could you imagine the 13,700 square kilometers is controlled by only 83 Rangers?? Is it easy??? And we are not sufficiently equipped by the Government, and sometimes animals are hounded by poachers from a region and so they slowly move into a secured zone, maybe along the main road.

This is the result of crop devastation in the OWR region. Really farmers are suffering. Below, the recent dung of an elephant that devastated crops of Mr. Madodoyi

Recent dung of elephant in crops.

Favorite crop of the natives are banana, rice, beans,casava, ……

Banana crop

Devastation of banana plantation by elephants.

In case of devastation, we always tell farmers to report to the Management of the Reserve for organizing a patrol, and Rangers once on patrol have the opportunity to communicate with the Warden by satellite phone calls “Thuraya “. This kind of communication equipment allows the Anti Poaching Unit (APU) to be in permanent contact with Rangers in any corner of the area to intervene for instance for crop devastation,……or to readjust their routing.

Mr. Somba in patrol instructing a second rangers team

The lesson learned in the Reserve is that people have not enough money to survive (3 $ are used for feeding a family of 5 people/ day ), also the ICCN as a parastatal company is very limited in terms of job opportunity. We encourage villagers to work close to the road where our intervention can be consistent.

Somba

Technorati : congo, epulu, okapi, wildlifedirect

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Category: Community Work, Epulu, Okapi, Rangers | Date: Apr 19 2007 | By: admin

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve which is situated in Northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo and covers 14,000 square kilometers of tropical rainforest remains the habitat of the endemic specie ” okapi ” (okapia johnstonie ) which interacts with other animals such us forest buffalo, leopard, forest elephant, bongo antilope, duikers, monkeys, and so on. It overlaps 2 Districts namely Ituri and Haut - Uele .

The TransAfrican road which connects Nairobi-Kampala-DR Congo to Matadi port crosses the Reserve for almost 117km. Could you imagine how much importance this has in the region? Every 2 months, a hired truck brings patrol food, ICCN materials from Butembo-Beni via Mambasa. In the rainy season it can take a week to cover a distance of 212km because of the state of the road.

Ranger Nzoigba on the bike crossing a traditional bridge inside the reserve.

Since October 2006, The Chinese company SINOHYDRO started fixing the road inside the Reserve, so it allows us to quickly reach Beni-Butembo (6 hours by car), rather than the 2 days that it used to take.

Ranger Claude BAKIAKA travels on the new road

As a conservationist, the road is a good thing for the country - both for the economy and development. But I can image it also provides an easier opportunity to have poachers, illegal loggers, illegal miners and the migration movement in the Reserve. So we are supposed to intensify operation inside the protected area and also to reinforce the intelligence network in the villages. In this matter, a 6 week training course was planned and executed.

Paul Naish from South Africa was the lecturer. 11 Rangers were selected to attend teh course. So far the results on the ground are good. The course consisted to establish a kind of intelligence network around the Reserve, the manner of reporting, how to recruit an informer? How to search a car once in the reserve? Finger prints?

illegal miners detected and arrested during a patrol

As I mentioned earlier, the timber exploitation is growing in the surrounding region of the Reserve, and this moment trucks from Nairobi often load 15 to 20 tons of wood in a bad road, but nowadays with a good fixed road the truck owners exaggerate and load over 60 tons.

The Ituri river is one of the natural resource of the Reserve which takes its source from Bunia and crosses the reserve by South . It has a bridge built during the colonial period, and we cross on it when going from Mambasa to Komanda , Bunia or Beni .

Actually, we are facing a critical situation. An overloaded truck broke the Ituri bridge recently that was newly maintained by the Chinese, who warned people not take more than 25 tons. Unfortunately it does not make sense for timber traders. The truck is still in the water. 3 people died and the driver himself lost one of his arms.

Bridge Ituri broken by an overloaded truck

In this stage, the negative side is that we are now completely blocked in Epulu and the reserve in terms of quickly providing patrol rations and equipment. The big questions is WHO or WHAT organization could come in and help repair this bridge???

You should see the difficulties we have in DR Congo! Especially in Conservation!

Somba

Technorati : congo, epulu, okapi

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Category: Community Work, Epulu, Mbuti Pygmies | Date: Apr 15 2007 | By: admin

A PART OF THE MBUTIE’S SALARY is distributed as food rations. The total of 10 kg of rice, 3 kg of beans, 3 bottles of palm oil, 1 bar of soap, 1 kg of salt and 4 tobacco leaves are divided up three times a month for every Mbuti.Those days are party days for the entire family which is present when the distribution takes place.

Preparation ration Rice, Beans, Soap and Salt

This Orange looking mass is palm oil

This is the local tobacco which the Mbuties love to smoke probably anti smoking campaigns wouldn’t be successfull.

The value of the ration for the Mbuties is almost equal to their salary.They definitely have a different relation to money than we do. Unfortunately many of them are illiterate and lost if it comes up counting money. Their employment contributes to local economic development, as many people benefit from their money when they purchase goods. It improves their livelihood, in terms of managing their money, in addition to the traditional hunting, gathering and swopping lifestyle. That’s why together with them we came up with the food solution and they appreciate this arrangement.

Woman and children are patiently waiting for their ration

She was not sure when I took her picture but was smiling when she saw herself on the screen

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