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The Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI), which is the Kokolopori Falls Church Sister City Partnership’s parent organization, is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with offices in Kinshasa and Mbandaka and field stations at several sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kokolopori is located in a very remote area of the country. The sister city partnership would not have been feasible without the pioneering work, active encouragement and support of BCI, which has shared with Falls Church its resources, expertise and contacts in Kokolopori and elsewhere.
The Bonobo Conservation Initiative’s mission is to protect bonobos (Pan paniscus), the rarest of the four great ape species, and their tropical forest habitat in the Congo River basin. BCI does this by working with international and Congolese partner organizations, and by working directly with indigenous communities in bonobo habitat as full conservation partners, respecting the expertise and traditional knowledge of local people.
BCI’s innovative and multifaceted programs involve several interrelated approaches to bonobo and rainforest conservation. These are implemented in response to and cooperation with local Congolese organizations and communities. They include:
- building local capacity to develop and manage forest reserves and natural resource development zones through training and education, provision of equipment and supplies, and funding and technical assistance to local conservation organizations and other institutions (e.g., Djolu Technical College)
- humanitarian assistance, in cooperation with other partner organizations, such as aid to primary and secondary schools and helping to establish health clinics
- helping local people improve their livelihoods and economic security in ways that are compatible with conservation objectives, such as sustainable agriculture, micro-enterprise and eco-tourism initiatives
- working to legally establish protected areas and land use management plans that will be recognized at national as well as local levels.
- raising awareness about bonobos in the DRC and throughout the world.
Kokolopori is one of the richest known bonobo habitat sites in the DRC. It is also the anchor site for the Bonobo Peace Forest, a joint effort by BCI and its Congolese partner organizations to establish a linked constellation of community managed forest reserves and sustainable development zones throughout the bonobo habitat. The 1200 square mile Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve is the prototype of these community forest reserves.
By becoming international conservation partners with Kokolopori, citizens of Falls Church City have a unique opportunity to collaborate with the ultimate stewards of this globally significant rainforest and great ape habitat. Sally Coxe, president and cofounder of BCI, says
“We are thrilled by the creative action and caring this new partnership is catalyzing in both communities. The sister city model is a potentially powerful vehicle for enhancing international collaboration on conservation and sustainable development. We hope that the Kokolopori-Falls Church partnership will inspire other towns to adopt Bonobo Peace Forest communities as sister cities.”
The Bonobo Conservation Initiative was recently recognized for excellence
in the 2006-2007 Catalogue for Philanthropy. "Charities were selected for
excellence, innovation, and cost-effectiveness--and for what they can
teach us about the extraordinary ways that philanthropy works," said
Barbara Harman, Executive Director of the Harman Family Foundation.
Click the Catalogue for Philanthropy logo for more information.
The Bonobo Conservation Initiative
Sally Coxe at press conference with rescued orphan bonobo
Kokolopori - Falls Church Sister City Partnership
Bonobos and humans at the Berlin, Germany, zoo.
Photo © Paul Cough
Photo © Sally Coxe
