The Okapi Conservation Project (OCP) was founded in 1987 for the protection of the

okapi The okapi (; ''Okapia johnstoni''), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. It is the only species i ...

s (''Okapia johnstoni'') and their

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

Okapi The okapi (; ''Okapia johnstoni''), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. It is the only species i ...

s are found only in the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

and are seen as the major flagship species of the

Ituri Forest The Ituri Rainforest is a rainforest located in the Ituri Province of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The forest's name derives from the nearby Ituri River which flows through the rainforest, connecting firstly to the Aruwimi Rive ...

. The OCP has about one hundred staff members and one hundred and ten government rangers under the direction of the Institute in Congo for the Conservation of Nature. The Okapi Conservation Project is partnered with the

Wildlife Conservation Network The Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that protects endangered wildlife by supporting conservationists in the field who promote coexistence between wildlife and people. WCN does this by ...

. OCP's founder John Lukas is also a founding member of the Wildlife Conservation Network. In 1992 the project helped create the

Okapi Wildlife Reserve The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a wildlife reserve in the Ituri Forest in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the borders with South Sudan and Uganda. At approximately 14,000 km2, it covers approximately one-fifth of t ...

, encompassing 13,700 square kilometers of the

, which was designated as a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 1996.

2012 attack

In June 2012 the headquarters for the Okapi Wildlife Reserve was taken over by poachers, intent on retaliating against the staff who had been stopping their elephant poaching and mining operations. Six guards and other staff as well as 14

s were killed in the incident. The local village was looted, women were raped and the conservation center was burned down.

Programs

Okapi Wildlife Reserve

The

– an area 13,700 square kilometers, about one-fifth of the

– was created with the help of the Okapi Wildlife Project in 1992. The project continues to support the reserve by training and equipping wildlife guards and by providing assistance to improve the lives of neighboring communities. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve was added to the list of

s in 1996, and since 1997 it has been listed as a World Heritage Site in danger.

Agro-forestry

The program provides farmers with resources to make their farmland more productive, thus decreasing farmers' need for forest land. The program also works to reforest unused areas.

Conservation education and community assistance

OCP offers an education team that travels throughout the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, providing workshops, lectures, and presentations on the importance of biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of forest resources. The team also distributes education materials to all of the twenty-three schools in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. They also assist in school construction.

Other projects

Other projects include finding alternatives to hunting

bush meat Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are hunted for human consumption, most often referring to the meat of game in Africa. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity for inhabitants of humid tro ...

, such as raising

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...

and

cane rat The genus ''Thryonomys'', also known as the cane rats or grasscutters, is a genus of rodent found throughout Africa south of the Sahara, the only members of the family Thryonomyidae. They are eaten in some African countries and are a pest species ...

s. Another activity is providing air surveillance and wildlife guard response to stop illegal activities in the reserve.

References

External links

okapiconservation.org/ Okapi Conservation Project Website

wildnet.org

Wildlife Conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...

Network Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Okapi Conservation Project Organizations established in 1987 International environmental organizations Endangered species Wildlife conservation organizations Conservation projects