Fuanal Reserve of Lomako

Project: Development of Performance-Based Management Plan of the Faunal Reserve of Lomako Yokokala; Democratic Republic of Congo

In the DRC poaching for bush meat is still prevalent. (Picture thanks to Henri Vosper of a poacher, smoking house and his product of smoked game meat and a crocodile).

 

 

I went into together with Clive Poultney and Rubens de Kock to assess needs to assist with the prevention of poaching, train field rangers and advise on infrastructure and equipment maintenance including the building of a  field ranger outpost.

The Lomako Yokokala faunal Reserve is in the middle of the Congo jungle, 17 hours up river by motorized dug-out canoe from the closest town. There were no building resources as we know them in South Africa available, so we had to teach the local staff how to build using the natural resources of the area, which were abundant. Hard woods from the forest, magnificent clay for In Situ walls, palm oil for water-proofing and hardening, and palm rope for tying it all together into more than comfortable buildings.

The contribution capacitated the field rangers to remain in the field in comfortable facilities for long periods of time to maintain protected area integrity.