OCP’s role in the global conservation movement to protect biodiversity
Given the challenges in implementing the Okapi Conservation Project (OCP) activities in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (OWR), it’s sometimes hard to take on board that the actions of the OCP team in northeastern DRC are part of a larger global conservation movement. As the recent publication by Langhammer (2024) demonstrated, “conservation has improved the state of biodiversity—or at least slowed its decline—compared with no conservation action.” As OCP enters its 38th year, there is a long-term impact that should be factored into this equation about the benefits generated by the consistent presence of the project and personnel in the field working everyday with communities living with okapi.
The Project was intiated in 1987, when okapi were not endangered, as a breeding center for Okapi to establish viable okapi populations in human care, the headquarters of the OWR at Epulu has been considered an integral part of the meta-population management to ensure that the broadest genetic diversity was available. Successful reintroduction and reinforcement of wild populations can be achieved and going forward, the conservation sector regards this as an increasingly viable option. Last year, IUCN down listed the scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah) to Endangered from Extinct in the Wild, after it had been successfully reintroduced back to the wild in Chad.
However, the project’s efforts are not focused solely on okapi. Okapi is a flagship species – Congo’s national icon – that the project uses as a means to conserve the intact biodiversity of the Ituri Forest and the ecosystem services that this vital forest provides globally. OCP’s actions to reduce pressure on primary forest resources and improve people’s livelihoods contributes to many of the global measures established to mitigate biodiversity loss.
These measures include the contributions to the 23 targets for 2030 under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework as well as the 17 sustainable development goals.
The project’s continued presence means that we are trusted by the indigenous Mbuti and Efe peoples – the traditional custodians of the forest. Our team works with these indigenous peoples to ensure that their perspectives and concerns are integrated into the annual management plan for OWR.
The civil conflict that has engulfed eastern Congo for two decades has had impacts on OCPs activities. The population around OWR has doubled with many people migrating to urban centers abandoning insecure rural areas. This situation is compounded by 1.2 million internally displaced people in Ituri Province that are desperate to provide for their families.
Increasingly, we see the impact of climate change with the variable shifting of wet and dry seasons and the number of extreme weather events. The agroforestry team works with local farmers to promote a wider variety of crops that can grow in the fluctuating conditions, and land husbandry practices that enrich the soil, allowing communities to adapt to the shifting climate envelope. Planting trees also helps mitigate the impact of climate change. Combined these actions improve resilience to climate change. OCP staff operate out of seven sites around the Reserve helping mitigate the actions of desperate people to survive by giving them the knowledge to live more sustainably and cultivating respect for okapi and all living things.
In short, OCP is the epitome of, “think globally, act locally”.
Students participating in tree planting for National Tree Day in Niania.
References:
Penny F. Langhammer et al., (2024). The positive impact of conservation action. Science 384, 453-458. DOI:10.1126/science.adj6598