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MBELI BAI GORILLA STUDY
Mbeli Bai Gorilla Study is working to save:
Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Endemic to the Congo Basin. Estimated population is 100-200,000. Seventy-five percent of population lives outside of protected areas. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listing is Critically Endangered.
Forest Elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis)
Endemic to the Congo Basin. Estimated population is unknown but probably rapidly declining, in contrast to the savanna elephant population which has been increasing. Fifty percent of population lives outside of protected areas. IUCN listing is Near Threatened.
Habitat
Lowland tropical forest in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo. There are about 420,000 hectares (1.04 million acres) of forest in the national park, 100% of which is virgin timber, no second growth. The park is part of a tri-national protected area system (Sangha Tri-National) and is surrounded by 3 logging concessions of which have Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.
Critical threats to wildlife
Increase in bushmeat consumption and habitat destruction
- Lack of accurate knowledge about western lowland gorilla and other large forest mammal biology
- Lack of qualified local (Congolese) researchers and educators
- Lack of local (and international) knowledge about wildlife and the effect of bushmeat hunting and logging
- An increase in human disturbances (logging & poaching) outside the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park and the lack of efficient law enforcement practices
GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE FIELD
Dr. Thomas Breuer, Mbeli Bai Gorilla Project director, with wife and research assistant Mirielle.
Gorillas and a host of other animals use Mbeli Bai for the abundance of food it provides.
Seen from the air, bais are small, usually swampy clearings in otherwise dense forests. The surrounding forests are increasingly under threat from logging and other resource-extraction activities.
The Club Ebobo education program is successfully spreading the word of gorilla and forest conservation throughout communities in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in northern Congo.