Moving Forward in 2018

Building on a very productive 2017, OCP staff have a very aggressive work plan for 2018 that takes advantage of relative calm in the region around the Okapi Wildlife Reserve and the presence of a large contingent of the Congolese army based in Mambasa and Epulu which have deterred movement of Maimai insurgents into the Reserve. While we wait for DRC to make the transition to a freely elected government, work will continue on rebuilding and modifying the okapi enclosures with funding from the Swiss Embassy in Kinshasa. At such a time that the DRC government stabilizes, we will work with local communities to assess whether the safety and well-being of okapi at the station can be reasonably assured. OCP staff and ICCN rangers are facing a tough year of political transition that will require extra diligence to maintain a strong conservation presence in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve and continue to grow community support for protecting the flagship species of the most biodiverse ecosystem in Africa.  To read more, click here.