Congo Basin Stories

  • A baby gorilla and multiple elephant calves make their debut in Dzanga-Sangha

    June 16, 2022

    A baby gorilla and a slew of newborn African forest elephants were spotted in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas complex—a biodiversity hotspot that’s home to an incredible range of wildlife from bongos to forest buffalo.

    A baby elephant walks through the mud
  • Eight species making a comeback

    March 03, 2022

    Recovering species is essential for effective wildlife conservation and critical to the work WWF does around the world. Here are just a few of our favorite, recent recovery stories.

    Banke Nepal camera trap
  • 5 forest-dwelling wildlife species we love

    March 03, 2021

    Celebrating 5 of our favorite wildlife species living in forest habitats around the world.

    A side view of an adult jaguar walking in front of large tangled tree branches
  • Dzanga-Sangha gorilla twins turn four

    October 06, 2020

    The first-ever twins born to habituated gorillas in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Area are now four years old.  Gorilla twins are extremely rare, but the survival of Inguka and Inganda brings hope that it is possible for other gorilla twins to survive in the future.

    two western lowland gorillas sitting on the ground in the forest both look over their shoulders at the camera
  • Safe Zone

    WWF Magazine: Fall 2020
    In the heart of the Central African Republic, Dzanga-Sangha stands as a model for stability and peace—and a safe place for elephants and gorillas to roam.
    Ba’Aka elders facing camera
  • The first rule of gorilla tracking? Listen well

    May 05, 2020

    Twenty years ago, a gorilla habitation program provided the Ba’Aka living near the Dzanga Sanga Park with a new opportunity. And by 2020, Dzanga-Sangha employed more than 50 Ba’Aka as gorilla trackers.

    Ossolo Dacko, a BaAka tracker for the western lowland gorilla habituation program, Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve, Central African Republic
  • Mountain gorilla numbers rise in a Central African protected forest

    December 19, 2019

    A recent survey revealed the largest number of mountain gorillas ever recorded in a large swathe of protected forest in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WWF and partners counted 459 individuals, up from an estimated 400 in 2011, in the 83,840-acre Bwindi-Sarambwe ecosystem.

    Portrait of gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
  • These handmade cookstoves save fuel—and help save gorillas

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2019
    In 2008, WWF began working with groups in the Goma area to make and sell fuel-efficient cookstoves. Goma Stove, started with a loan from WWF, is now financially independent—and business is booming.
    veline Kahindo with clay stove base
  • Wild mountain gorilla numbers grow to more than 1,000

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2019
    During 2015 and 2016, survey teams combed the Virunga Massif’s dense, mountainous forests in two sweeps in search of gorillas. What they found was good: 604 gorillas—up from just 480 in 2010.
    Mother and baby mountain gorilla
  • Adams Cassinga returns home to the DRC inspired to protect its wildlife

    WWF Magazine: Fall 2018
    I was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), near Kahuzi-Biega National Park.
    gnext gorilla fall2018
  • Gorilla twins of Dzanga-Sangha turn 2 years old

    January 25, 2018

    Inganda and Inguka are the first twins born to habituated western gorillas in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas complex in the Central African Republic. Their second birthday is a reminder of the important work of the Primate Habituation Program.

    Gorilla twins Inganda and Inguka with their mother
  • Saving a forest stronghold

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2018
    Deep within Africa’s second-largest country, Salonga is a core part of one of Earth’s greatest and last tropical forests, still virtually untouched by modern-day resource extraction and development.
    rangers paddle down a river in Salonga National Park
  • Charting a future for bonobos

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2018
    The future of bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is beginning to look promising. WWF is increasing surveillance of them and creating a management plan that benefits people and wildlife.
    Congo Bonobos Magazine Spring 2018
  • Women rising

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2018
    WWF is working to empower women by teaching them sustainable farming techniques, building their leadership and entrepreneurial skills, and ensuring their representation in decision-making bodies.
    IMGL8483-web-flipped
  • Improved cookstoves empower women in the Democratic Republic of Congo

    March 07, 2017

    Associations, some formed mainly of women, in the Democratic Republic of Congo are building new, improved cookstoves by hand to help the environment—and themselves.

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  • Why the FSC label matters to wildlife—and all of us

    October 11, 2016

    The FSC label ensures that the products you buy are from forests managed responsibly. And it means a future for both wildlife and people.

    Borneo orangutan
  • New hope for Africa's largest forest park

    May 30, 2016

    As the second largest tropical forest park in the world, Salonga is a global treasure. It is home for bonobos and one of the last remaining habitats for the forest elephant. Now, a newly signed agreement brings together the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) and WWF to co-manage the protected area.

    ranger in Salonga National Park
  • Major elephant ivory trafficking network broken up in the Democratic Republic of Congo

    February 11, 2016

    In a significant blow to the illegal ivory trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), authorities dismantled a major elephant ivory trafficking syndicate thanks to a law enforcement supported by WWF and partners.

    Guard with hand held GPS device for recording gorilla locations
  • How Can We Help Mountain Gorillas Deal With Climate Change?

    WWF Magazine: Winter 2014
    Which traits of mountain gorillas might allow them to tolerate or respond to rapidly changing climate conditions, and how can WWF help?
    Family of gorillas
  • hippo with mouth open
  • What do gorillas eat? And other gorilla facts

    Gorillas, the largest living primates, make their homes in central Africa. Poaching, disease and habitat destruction remain threats for gorillas, and WWF is working to designate new protected areas where populations can thrive.

    gorilla profile