Conservation of Gorillas and Chimpanzees in the Itombwe Massif

The entire Itombwe Massif and Plateau covers about 12,000 km² of which an unbroken block, covering about 6,500 km², and ranging from 1,500 to 3,500 m in elevation, is covered almost entirely by forests, bamboo, moorland heath and a unique high elevation forest savanna ecotone. This area, which is designated the Itombwe Massif Conservation Landscape, contains the most important ape populations and represents the most significant prospects for conservation of the region's endemic Albertine Rift biodiversity.
1996 surveys confirmed 10 of 17 gorilla populations (9 in the Itombwe Massif Conservation Landscape) identified in 1959 by George Schaller during the first gorilla survey of the region, as well as at least 5 areas containing chimpanzees. Even at that time it was clear that the Massif's great apes were under threat. At least five of the gorilla populations found by Schaller had already disappeared, the area they had occupied having been deforested.
The 1996 surveys were followed in 1998 by the first efforts to establish conservation zones in the region. Four agreements were negotiated with chefs coutumiers to protect some of the most vulnerable gorilla populations and their fragmented habitats on the Tanganyikan Escarpment Forest, bordering the Itombwe Massif to the east. The chiefs agreed to cooperate with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in controlling hunting and deforestation in these areas. Unfortunately, this pilot project, funded by USAID, was cut short by the resurgence of civil war in the region.
It was not until 2002 that field teams, funded by Fauna and Flora International (FFI), and directed by International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) and WCS were able to return to the Massif. This expedition focused on the Central Massif (Elila Sector), where many of the known great ape concentrations were located. The FFI expedition established that despite the conflict and insecurity centered on the savannas and escarpment above the lake, most of the Massif, in particular the forested highlands remained relatively calm.
During this expedition, Yuma M'keyo, team leader, contacted traditional chiefs, representing 6 groupements, the administrative unit comprising a number of related villages that would be responsible for enforcing and monitoring community conservation agreements. These authorities identified over 50 forest areas, or "maternities" that they considered priorities for conservation, and agreed to work with ICCN and NGO projects to protect these sites and their wildlife. Later, in 2003, Denis Baliwa, coordinator of a local conservation NGO, negotiated further agreements in two groupements near the Ulindi River (Muhuzi-Buzinda).
Unfortunately, few of the "maternities" identified by the traditional authorities could be accurately located on maps, and none had proper inventories to determine the fauna they contained. In addition, significant areas of the West Mwana and North Ulindi sectors of the Massif had never been fully explored, and their conservation potential remained unknown. Between 2003 and April 2005, Leonard Mubalama of WCS led a series of expeditions that began to fill gaps in the knowledge of these areas and confirmed additional agreements from the traditional authorities.
The Mubalama expeditions verified presence of great apes and provided a first consolidation of the maternities into 11 potential community conservation zones, centered on great ape locations in the Massif. At the same time, the urgency for action became ever more apparent. Although the highland forests had escaped the direct impact of the conflict, the war had led to a major increase in hunting and mining throughout the area, putting the remaining large mammal fauna at very high risk.
At the same time, the Congolese National Parks Institute, ICCN, renewed its interest in having a protected area established in the Massif. In early 2005, ICCN established an Itombwe working group with terms of reference to promote conservation activities, develop a site base map, and coordinate engagement with local communities, across the Massif. A first meeting of the working group took place in Bukavu in April. A second meeting is planned to take place in Miki, in the Central Massif, later this year launching the development of conservation zones through the working group.
While all of this is positive, physical delimitation of conservation zones, agreed regulations determining use and control of hunting, and how these will be enforced have yet to be established. Some traditional authorities have already circulated edicts forbidding hunting of gorilla and buffalo. However the mechanisms to enforce these are still unclear.
The region remains at very high risk. The Itombwe's extraordinary biodiversity could be lost if uncontrolled hunting, deforestation and habitat degradation continue. The war has opened the Itombwe Massif to unprecedented exploitation. As conflict ends and security is recovered, these threats will continue to grow. Community conservation zones represent a potential mechanism to protect the Massif's critical habitats wildlife at this critical juncture in the region's history.

Dr. John Hart, WCS Senior scientist, directs WCS-DRC's inventory and monitoring program and is based in Kinshasa. He has over 30 years experience in field research and conservation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and has been involved with the WCS gorilla surveys in Kahuzi-Biega and Itombwe since 1994.
Leonard Mubalama has coordinated WCS's Itombwe program since 2002, and has led field surveys there in 2003-2005. In addition he manages the ICCN's data management unit (SYGIAP) in Bukavu. He has been a member of the WCS/DRC program since 1994.

Itombwe overview

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