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Democratic Republic of Congo: Okapi Conservation Project (OCP)

Conservation at a Glance

• The OCP is located within the Ituri Forest, 175,000 square kilometers of lowland tropical forest, containing some of the most important closed canopy rainforest and species diversity in the world.  This includes the okapi, or “forest giraffe”, found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 
• The OCP was initiated by the Gilman International Conservation (GIC) Foundation in 1987 with the objective of eliciting support for the conservation of the wild okapi from zoological institutions managing okapi in zoos around the world.
• Okapi ambassadors in zoos help instill awareness of the rapid destruction of rainforests and generate financial support for the preservation of okapi habitat in the Ituri Forest of the Congo River basin.
• The primary objective of the OCP is to develop an economic and educational base on which a functioning okapi reserve can operate.
• The OCP has significantly contributed to the establishment and security of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, one of the most biologically diverse areas in all of Africa.
• The Okapi Wildlife Reserve helps protect the habitat of the okapi and many other species, as well as local “forest people”, the Mbuti and Efe pygmies.
• The OCP supports ten healthcare clinics around the Okapi Wildlife Reserve providing assistance to local residents of the Reserve.