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Okapi Conservation Project
Endangered with less than 10,000 individuals, the okapi is thought to survive in only a few forests in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has made the species its emblem. The natural and cultural heritage of the forest is under threat from a number of factors: habitat fragmentation, mineral and gemstone extraction, ethnic and political conflicts, poaching for ivory and hunting for bushmeat. As a collateral or direct victim, the okapi population is rapidly declining. The Okapi Conservation Project (OCP) was created in 1992 as a result of cooperation between the Congolese government and an American conservation center. With a surface area of 13,700 km², it is located in the heart of the species' main refuge: the Ituri forest. Classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the reserve is inhabited by 30,000 people and the Okapi population is estimated at 4,000 individuals. With a team of armed guards, OCP defends this reserve, its biodiversity and inhabitants, from poaching and conflict, and supports the villagers in development actions, including the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. The team also monitors the evolution of biodiversity using automatic video traps.
- 2022+WCG_OCP+Annual+Report_WEB.pdf
- 2017-Annual-Report-Web-Version-1.pdf
- 2021 Annual Report English (2 page).pdf
- 2019-Annual-Report.pdf
- 2018-Annual-Report_web.pdf
Potential conservation benefits in saving biodiversity
Potential reduction of species extinction risk resulting from threat abatement actions
Absolute value (STAR)
1.7% of the total biodiversity conservation potential of Democratic Republic of the Congo is covered by this project.
5.5% of Africa's biodiversity conservation potential is from Democratic Republic of the Congo.
19.5% of global biodiversity conservation potential is from Africa.
The chart below represents the relative disaggregation of the selected contribution's total potential opportunity for reducing global species extinction risk through taking actions to abate different threats to species within its boundaries. The percentages refer to the amount of the total opportunity that could potentially be achieved through abating that particular threat.