Project
Combating Urgent Threats to Endangered African Forest Elephants and Okapi in the Ituri Forest
Duration
2014 - 2016
Location
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Species protected
Okapi
Okapia johnstoni
African Savana Elephant
Loxodonta africana
Project objectives
- Elephant poaching pressure in Ituri demonstrably reduced with patrols covering at least 75% of the OFR;
- Judicial systems for prosecuting key figures involved in poaching elephants and trafficking ivory in Ituri are demonstrably strengthened;
Threats
Poaching
- Threats to okapi from hunting for bushmeat and snares are demonstrably reduced;
- Number of okapi hunting incidents reduced by 95%;
- At least 50 rangers/wildlife officers trained and 150 equipped to combat poaching and illegal trade in ivory;
- Operational SMART database with at least 2 ICCN staff trained in SMART technical/management application and 24 rangers trained in data collection;
- Increased support for elephant and okapi conservation and management among key stakeholders in the landscape;
- Park warden living quarters partially rebuilt;
- Establishment of centralized okapi/elephant database (SMART);
- Western limits of OFR identified, mapped and demarcated, and endorsed by local authorities and communities;
- Four corridors connecting elephant and okapi habitat delineated and protected;
- Stakeholders (policymakers, government officials, community representatives, civil society) are aware of – and committed to improving – the poaching crisis in the OFR and across the landscape;
- 75% of the villages in the areas surrounding the OFR are aware of, and supportive of, elephant and okapi conservation.
This project is implemented by Wildlife Conservation Society.
