Bonobo Conservation

Africa’s bonobo, the last of the great apes to be discovered by science, may be running out of time. AWF’s latest survey in the Democratic Republic of Congo shows that the bonobos, who share 98 percent of their genetic makeup with humans, are in critical danger. Working with other conservation and development organizations, AWF is giving top priority to the conservation of Africa’s bonobos.

Threatened by the loss of their rainforest habitat and an escalating bushmeat trade, bonobos are in serious trouble. Growing human populations, civil unrest, overzealous logging and global markets for illegal wildlife are all taking a toll. Local people have few economic alternatives to destroying habitat for logging and agriculture, and few sources of protein besides bonobo meat. Only a small fragment of the bonobo’s limited habitat is protected, making the need for conservation efforts especially urgent.

AWF's Congo Heartland lies in the heart of bonobo territory. Here, AWF is implementing a conservation plan aimed at stopping the destruction of bonobos and their habitat. Scientific research is at the heart of this effort, but it is backed by plans to improve economic conditions for local people.

Science is the key to improving both bonobo conservation and community livelihoods. AWF primatologist Jef Dupain has surveyed key areas of bonobo habitat and polled local communities on how their needs might fit within conservation goals. Already, AWF helped establish a protected area in the Lomako Forest and created a scientific research center in the heart of bonobo habitat, the The Lomako Conservation Science Center, which supports wildlife surveys, training of Congolese researchers, and development of conservation plans.

AWF has begun a series of surveys, along with a monitoring network of bonobos in the Congo Heartland. With knowledge of bonobo numbers and distribution, conservationists can develop strategies that build local capacity to find economic and protein alternatives to bonobo hunting.