Okapi Conservation Project - John Lukas
http://www.giconline.org/index.asp?id=okapiproject.htm

The Okapi Conservation Project, initiated in 1987 to secure a protected area for okapi in the wild, is dedicated to protecting and preserving the flagship species of the Ituri forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) while improving the lives of the people who live in the area. John Lukas, Director of Gilman International Conservation (GIC), based at White Oak Conservation Center in Florida, helped found the project and continues to serve as an advisor. With over 20 years of experience working in conservation around the world, John fully understands the importance of integrating local people into conservation strategies.

In 1992, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve was given official protected status, creating a reserve covering 8,500 square miles of the Ituri rainforest, one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. The Reserve harbors okapi and many other rainforest species including chimpanzees, elephants, hornbills and 13 species of monkeys. Found only in the Congo, the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a shy and reclusive forest dweller and is the only living relative of the giraffe. Its unusual coloration and markings, including stripes resembling a zebra, provide camouflage in the dense rainforest and protect it from predators. The okapi is so quiet and elusive that the indigenous people of the forest rarely see one.

The Okapi Conservation Project, through Gilman International Conservation (GIC), administers programs that provide:

Training and equipment for wildlife guards
Community assistance to the people living next to the Reserve; especially clean water sources, medicines for clinics, school supplies and food production
Education for people on the how and why of sustainable use
Care for a managed breeding and research group of okapi in Epulu

The project employs 100 staff, supports 78 wildlife guards and provides assistance to thousands of people living in, or next to, the Reserve. Through education and innovative food production programs, the Okapi Conservation Project strives to help both the forest and the surrounding communities.

Agro-forestry

The Agro-forestry program provides local farmers with seeds and seedlings of plants that improve soil fertility when grown with crops, allowing the land to be used longer and rested for shorter periods before it can be cultivated again. By improving crop yields and nutrition levels, it is hoped that farmland will become more fertile and that less forest will be lost to slash and burn agriculture practices.

Alternative Protein Sources

The cane rat domestication program seeks to offer an alternative source of protein to reduce hunting pressure on the wildlife of the forest. Team members captured 20 individual cane rats to start an experimental cane rat breeding program.

Team members also helped Epulu citizens excavate a pond and develop a fish farming program. The local people are now farming Tilapia, a fish that eats vegetable matter, grows quickly and is very tasty.

Education

The Education team travels throughout the Reserve to remote villages giving environmental workshops, lectures and audio-visual presentations on the importance of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of forest resources. The team also provides school supplies, produces educational booklets and assists with the construction of schools.

WCN is working to help support the tremendous effort of the Okapi Conservation Project to protect and preserve this biologically diverse region. The okapi is a symbol of pride for the country, and may be the link to saving the Ituri forest and the people who depend on the region for food, water and basic materials. Protecting the okapi ultimately benefits an entire ecosystem and an ancient forest-dwelling community of people.