Okapi Wildlife Reserve, DRC - NWHS In Danger
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve natural World Heritage site In Danger is situated in the north-east of the
Democratic Republic of Congo near the borders with South Sudan and Uganda. At approximately 14,000 km2 it
covers one-fifth of the famous Ituri Rainforest. The Reserve is home to about 5,000 okapi, the rare giraffe-like
forest creature, as well as significant populations of leopard, elephant, chimpanzee and crocodile. Its birdlife
makes it one of the most important sites for bird conservation in mainland Africa and nomadic Mbuti pygmies
live within the Reserve.
The site was inscribed on the World Heritage In Danger list in 1997 due to the continuing threats of
deforestation, primarily caused by slash and burn agriculture, and commercial hunting for the sale of bush
meat. More recently the expansion of gold mining has become problematic, and political instability has
plagued this region of the country for many years.
In late June 2012 a group of armed bandits attacked the headquarters of the Reserve at the village of Epulu,
killing at least seven park staff and their family members. Others were taken hostage or are unaccounted for.
All Reserve infrastructure was destroyed and the 15 okapi at the Epulu Breeding and Research Station were all
killed. Epulu plays a central role in protecting the future of the okapi by serving as a reservoir for the infusion
of new genetic stock into okapi populations in global conservation programmes.
The RRF received an application from the Wildlife Conservation Society’s DRC programme, which is active at
the site, seeking funds to resume critical functions at Reserve headquarters. The RRF was able to respond in
the quickest time since the Facility was created in 2006, with the decision being made to award funds on the
same day that a final version of the application was received.
Since receipt of funds, numerous elements of an emergency response plan have been put into place by WCS
and its partners working at the site. An initial three-month ‘plan d’urgence’ was drafted in July involving WCS
and local partners including l’Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN – the national
protected areas authority). Being factored into the emergency plan were the human resource and
infrastructure needs at Epulu and the logistics required to secure and manage them. It is well recognised that
the security situation across much of the DRC is and will remain fragile, so maintaining as continuous a
presence as possible at Epulu, determined by the safety of Reserve staff, is key to avoid the Reserve from
descending into lawlessness.
Field posts were re-established rapidly in the safest zones, although the families of rangers remained outside
of the Park at Mambasa while the threat of rebel attack still persisted. Dates for joint operations involving
FARDC (government military forces) officers were discussed, with the ultimate aim of removing rebels and
poachers from the Reserve. FARDC presence will strengthen the capacity of the Reserve’s patrol posts and
assist in the capturing of rebels, destruction of poacher camps and the breaking up of rebel networks that
were instrumental in organising the first attack. A crucial step will be that in addition to the removal of these
threats, efforts are made so that rebels and poachers cannot resettle areas that have been cleared. One
notorious poacher, named Masimango, was arrested and sentence was soon to be passed the last time the
RRF received an update from the grantee. A final element of the emergency plan is to organise dialogues with
mining communities, who have invaded and are now exploiting the Reserve’s resources. Local radio channels
will be used to announce that the Reserve will be brought under government control once again and that
mining activities at the site are being undertaken illegally. The gold miners are causing potentially more serious
problems by acting as informants for rebels, and passing on details about soldiers’ movements. WCS and
partners recognise the value of breaking these chains of communication.
Frightened communities around the Reserve are important stakeholders and the emergency plan involves
them by attempting to restore their confidence in the security of the Reserve. The project is ongoing with
further updates to come.
In addition to the US $30,000 award by the RRF, in a first venture of its kind, UNESCO World Heritage Centre
and FFI launched a joint public appeal to raise funds that could supplement the efforts of WCS and partners at
the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The RRF realised that a small grant could catalyse some basic recovery steps but
that larger and flexible funds would be needed to support a full and crucial site emergency activity plan.
Through communications efforts, press releases and use of existing FFI donor mechanisms, the appeal raised
GBP £8,218.96 (approximately US $13,210). Some interesting learnings have come out of the process about
how UNESCO WHC and FFI could work together more effectively in future public fundraising campaigns for
relevant emergencies. Some thinking is currently going into how the RRF model could be developed to give
scope for rapid fundraising campaigns and other ways of fundraising, whilst ensuring that the standard
response times remain the RRF’s main aim and unique selling point.