The Goualougo Triangle Ape Project is a team of scientists and conservationists devoted to preserving chimpanzees, gorillas, and their habitats in the Congo Basin. Excessive logging and timber exploitation are destroying the Republic of Congo’s forests, contributing to the critical endangerment of western lowland gorillas and central chimpanzees. The GTAP’s research works to improve forestry standards, promote ecologically responsible logging, and inform conservation practices that preserve the lives and unique cultures of the Congo’s apes.
The Ngogo Chimpanzee Project protects chimpanzees in Uganda’s Kibale National Park and supports local conservation education efforts. The park, one of the last remaining refuges for chimpanzees in the wild, is plagued by poachers’ snares, which often trap and injure chimpanzees. One in three (33%) chimpanzees in the park has sustained a snare-related injury, many of which can lead to loss of limbs or even death. To combat this, the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project, in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, removes illegal snares and monitors poaching activity, as well as training teachers on conservation education in local schools.
The Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project works with local communities to improve conditions for humans and chimpanzees in Sierra Leone. The destruction of their habitats through deforestation has led to chimpanzees relying on human crops to survive, causing food shortages for both species. The absence of their natural habitats also brings chimpanzees into close proximity to humans, leading to poaching and increased threat of interspecies disease transmission. The Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project supports sustainable agriculture in local villages to prevent chimpanzee hunting, alleviates the extreme poverty in the area by paying members of the local community to assist in research and conservation efforts, and helps conservation projects across Africa by sharing the most effective preservation methods. The Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project is also committed to providing conservation education to the local communities.