Congo Basin Stories

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.

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.

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.

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.

I was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), near Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Local communities, Democratic Republic of Congo government representatives, WWF, and others met earlier this year to discuss plans for a forest conservation program in Maï-Ndombe.

Thirty years later, WWF's Kate Newman returns to find signs of elephants, bonobos and more in Salonga National Park

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.

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.

Still too young to be named, the most recent additions to the gorilla population in the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas (DSPA) complex in the Central African Republic (CAR) are nevertheless making a name for themselves—as the first twins ever to be born to the area’s habituated gorillas.

For over 20 years, Ghislain Somba Byombo has risked his life to protect wildlife in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). His reason for doing so is simple: he wants to save the animals he loves so dearly and keep the natural beauty of his country intact.

The Amazon, central Africa, the Mekong. These are home to some of the world’s most species-rich, culturally significant and stunningly beautiful forests. But large swaths of these forests, and many others around the world, may not be there in 15 years if we don’t do more to save them.

Gorilla and chimpanzee populations in Central Africa continue to decline due to poaching, habitat loss and disease. National parks and reserves in six range countries protect only 21 percent of western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees, according to a new report.

Water—and the sanitation it provides—is an essential ingredient for healthy human life. It is crucial to remember this as world leaders finalize the Sustainable Development Goals, a United Nations-led global framework that will guide development priorities for the next 15 years.

Which traits of mountain gorillas might allow them to tolerate or respond to rapidly changing climate conditions, and how can WWF help?

News that Soco will stop exploring for oil in Africa’s oldest national park, Virunga, is a monumental win for conservation and for the people who depend on the park. Virunga is home to astounding biodiversity and rare wildlife, like critically endangered mountain gorillas.

A major victory in the campaign to stop oil exploration in Africa’s Virunga National Park—home to more than half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas. Thanks to a complaint filed by WWF, the company exploring for oil will be examined for alleged violations of environmental protections and human rights related to its operations in Virunga.

One of the largest oil and gas development companies in the world, Total SA, has committed to keeping out of all natural World Heritage Sites around the globe, including Virunga National Park. But one company that is not respecting World Heritage status is Soco International PLC, which plans to continue to explore in Virunga - home to more than half of the world’s mountain gorilla population.