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Cameroon. The new park forms part of an important trans-
boundary protected area with Nigeria´s Cross River National
Park, safeguarding an estimated 115 gorillas – a third of the
Cross River Gorilla population – along with other rare species.
The most recent trans-boundary initiative involving gorilla rang-
es states is the Mayombe Initiative. Angola, the Democratic Re-
public of Congo, and the Republic of Congo, with support from
the United Nations Environment Programme signed a tri-partite
declaration in 2009, confirming their commitment to establish a
Figure 19:
Trans-boundary collaboration in parks in the greater Congo Basin.
The 70,000 hectare Walikale Community Gorilla Reserve in
eastern DRC was established by local villagers and their leaders
(mwamis) in 2001 in an attempt to gain benefit for the Walkale
community for their guardianship of the nearby gorilla popula-
tion. According to the mwamis at the time, villagers living near
the gorilla National Parks of Virunga and Kahuzi-Biega were
perceived to have benefitted from ICCN (Congolese wildlife au-
thority) and NGO projects because of their proximity to gorillas,
whereas Walikale missed out by being outside of the national
parks system.
The following year the newly formed Walikale Committee invited
the Gorilla Organization to support their initiative to protect the
area, survey the gorilla population and develop community ini-
tiatives. Agreement was reached with the committee and work
began there in March 2003.
Initially the project hired and trained rangers to conduct basic
surveys of the eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla berengei graueri)
population known to exist there. To date, evidence has been gath-
ered showing there may be as many as 750 gorillas in 80 families
in the immediately accessible area of the reserve. Difficulty in
gaining access to the most remote areas (the reserve is 4 days
walk from Pinga, the nearest town) and insecurity through con-
stant rebel Mai-Mai and Interahamwe activity, coupled with lack
of financial resources, mean that only the immediately accessible
parts of the reserve have been surveyed, so the indications are
Community Reserves – a new approach to gorilla conservation
that this may yet prove to be one of the richest remaining popula-
tions of eastern lowland gorillas in existence.
The project currently employs 34 rangers, who monitor the goril-
las, collect GPS data to produce a base map of the area and, in
association with Max Planck Institute, collect stool samples for
DNA analysis at MPI in Germany. In addition, the project has,
through its local partner organization PROMIDOWAL, built ba-
sic schools in two villages and provided teaching materials and
salaries for the teachers. The project also supports the Walikale
committee in overseeing its affairs.
From the outset the Gorilla Organization sought to engage the au-
thorities in DRC in gaining better official recognition for the reserve,
in particular through the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve
programme , which seemed infinitely more appropriate for the area
than designation as a national park. Covering quite a relatively large
area, Walikale includes existing villages and farms as well as arti-
sanal gold, cassiterite and coltan mining. As a negotiated dialogue
process, the Man and Biosphere Programme takes account of such
considerations and affords environmental protection alongside
protection of livelihoods through negotiated zoning. In light of the
prevailing lack of security, however, the MAB application process
is on hold, but when the time is right it could help bring new re-
sources to this innovative community conservation initiative.
Jillian Miller, CEO Gorilla Organization, September 2009
trans-boundary protected area, including important gorilla habi-
tat in Cabinda and adjacent forests in the other two countries.
These initiatives follow a global trend towards more trans-
boundary protected areas. In 1990 there existed 59 trans-
boundary protected areas worldwide, a number which has
grown to 227 by 2007 (UNEP-WCMC, 2007). A lot of the more
technical experience from the earlier trans-boundary initiatives
such as the Virungas is captured in the technical plans for the
implementation of the CMS gorilla agreement (see p. 74).