Protected areas in DRC are suffering from lack or limited financial and technical support to conservation activities that are leading to wildlife depletion and loss of suitable habitats for fauna. Luama landscape comprises of two major protected areas that inhabit some large mammals such as hippopotamus and elephant that are targeted by poaching has been abandoned by the wildlife agency since the late 19980s with consequences on its biodiversity. With almost no support, rangers are powerless to stop poaching given that they lack basic equipment and food rations to conduct patrols. In order to minimize this weakness, this project will be supporting ranger rations through the year to conduct patrols so that they can discourage poachers from killing large mammals and destroy their habitats.

Apart from patrols, the project will support training of rangers in data collection on hippos and elephants during patrols and a field census on the Luama River. Results from the field (patrols and ground surveys for hippos) will be shared with communities through community meetings and stakeholder awareness. A technical report will be submitted to both the Wildlife Agency and Rufford Foundation for further discussion and advices.