Traversing a river on patrol.

The Maiko forest, located in the Congo basin, is home to many fragile ecosystems, which are of regional, national and international importance. The Maiko forest also constitutes a vast carbon sink, and its protection is of global importance in preventing further climate change. Despite this significance, the park has received little national or international attention or management support since its creation in 1970.

The forest continues to deteriorate with flagship species declining as a result of illegal hunting and mining activities. Unfortunately, the ecological and socioeconomic benefits of preserving the forest are not well understood by the local people, who have lived in the forest since before its designation as a national park. The locals are currently being gradually and peacefully evicted from the park, however illegal activities persist.

There have been some limited surveys in the park; however, no quantitative data regarding species' distribution and habitat use exists. In the absence of a regular monitoring program, the Park Authority’s ability to locate and conduct assessments of animal populations is difficult. Our project intends to set up a continuous monitoring program oriented on Grauer's gorilla, chimpanzee, okapi, elephant, buffalo and bongo, and examine their patterns of habitat use.

Our work will contribute in providing relevant information on the distribution pattern of flagship mammal species and habitats use in the park. This distribution pattern will improve the understanding of factors affecting the distribution and abundance of the species, and inform conservation and law enforcement efforts. The results will be used as baseline data for the development of a long-term conservation strategic plan for Maiko NP.