About Us
For 30 years, turning field data into species survival for Salonga
Our mission
Our mission is to preserve the biodiversity of the Salonga National Park, stronghold of the endangered bonobo. We carry out critical field research that assesses wildlife populations, habitats and threats to guide impactful conservation strategies.
We envision a Salonga National Park, Africa's largest rainforest park, that sustains thriving bonobo and wildlife populations alongside flourishing communities within Salonga’s ecosystem.
Our history
We established the Salonga Conservation Initiative (SCI) as a non-profit organization in 2020. However, the work of our team in the Salonga National Park goes back nearly three decades.
SCI’s conservation work evolved from two predecessor organizations: Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM) and the World Wildlife Fund-US (WWF-US). Beginning in 1997, ZSM began a long-term field program in the Salonga National Park, DRC. The work started with two questions: do bonobos live in Salonga, and if so, where? Pursuing these answers led to a longstanding partnership with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), DRC’s national park authority. The collaboration confirmed that Salonga held a significant bonobo population, and the park merited international attention as a conservation site. Likewise, we learned that, despite the park’s protected area status, illegal hunting for the bushmeat and ivory trade threatened Salonga’s wildlife.
In 2019, WWF-US shepherded the program until it transitioned to SCI in 2022. Today, SCI builds on this foundation and works in partnership with the park co-managers: ICCN and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Our nearly thirty-year history fostered a dedicated team of Congolese field researchers that now forms the longest-running conservation project in the Salonga National Park.
SCI combines wildlife surveys, habitat assessment, ecological research and community outreach to preserve Salonga’s irreplaceable ecosystem.
Our partners
Our work is strengthened through partnerships with World Wide Fund for Nature, Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, and the Salonga National Park.
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Likolo Mpetsi Jean Paul - Etate administrator
Bobwa Isako Trésor ‘Nguya’ - Field assistant
Boliya Bamonga Etienne - Pirogue pilot
Bondele Bosumo Julien - Field research technician
Falay Liendo Paul - Researcher
Itela Losangema Guy - Field research technician
Muhindo Mwanduko Steven - Researcher
Ngomo Lokinga Mozart - Researcher
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Ntuntani Nkuansambu Etienne - Operations logistician
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Mbenga Mokula Jean Aimé Didier - Office manager
Bongama Bongulebane Jean-Marie ‘Bobo’ - Camp cook
Lingwala Botese Jean Pierre - Pirogue pilot
Lokata Ngala - Office guard
Maha Mbambu Esperance - Accountant
Mondolongo Ntsambi Faustin - Pirogue pilot
Mputu Mpo Pierre - Office guard
Nkumu Matanda Mamie ‘Mimi’ - Receptionist
Nsa Bokoso Pierre - Office guard
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Gay Edwards Reinartz, PhD - Director
Patrick Guislain - Bonobo and Congo Biodiversity Initiative Manager
Dr. Alice Ball - Research Associate
Christina Eichmeier - Managing Director
Ariel Rogers - Interim Chief Development Officer
Benjamin Tjepkes - Data Manager and GIS Specialist
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Hugo Warner - President
Marita Stollenwerk - Vice-president
Trudy Turner, PhD - Treasurer
Cary S. Farley, PhD - Secretary
Jeff Eagan
Bila-Isia Inogwabini, PhD
Thomas Moniz
Our people
Working from Etate, Mbandaka, Kinshasa and beyond, this is the team committed to helping Salonga flourish through SCI.
