“BONOBOS — SAVING THE RELATIVES” part two.
PART TWO.
To Protect And Educate As the founder of Friends of Bonobos and Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary said: “Education, is the key to conservation”, one of the most important things to succeed in long-term protection of the bonobo species is education, with a focus on raising the awareness on the local, state as well as international levels. The local awareness helps to keep the people out of direct exploitation, burning, or otherwise changing the rainforest sites. State awareness should provide the legal frame and financial means to fight the illegal animal trade, having authority as well as human resources to enforce the law, thus helping radically to protect the rainforests, and all of the life being the part of these extremely sensitive ecosystems. And for the last — it is important to send the message to the world, pointing out the sad and urgent situation, as the need of protection of bonobos and other species, as well as preserving its natural habitat, not only in DRC, but globally.
The Hope For The Future
With Lola ya Bonobo´s guidance, more than 40 Kindness Clubs have been created in the schools in and around Kinshasa, the capital city. Here, the future leaders of DRC learn about their nation´s endangered wildlife, abundant biodiversity, and ecosystems, whose survival is critical for the future of the planet. They also learn about the threats to these natural treasures from poaching, to climate changes, and habitat loss. This place helps them to gain an understanding of the need for protection of the life, particularly at the place they live at. Consequently, this education helps them to get a better picture of playing their own role, in saving a better future for bonobos and consequently protecting important part of the world´s natural heritage.
To Know, Understand, And Protect
The support of donating people and organizations also makes it possible to provide education across the land via the presentations in the remote areas, rural schools, and villages surrounding our Ekolo ya Bonobo Community Reserve and in Basankusu, the nearby capital of Équateur Province. The educational events consist of the presentation and video materials, serving as the prevention, pointing out the risks of disease transmission when people hunt and consume bush meat. It also brings attention to the illegal aspects of having a bonobo as a pet, and why it is a bad idea since many times the animal will only suffer, get sick and die. Bonobos.org also cooperates with local radio stations to share information about the local environment, and other important things people should be aware of. Through these educational programs, providing access to observe the happy bonobos thriving in the wild, they strive to inspire Congolese people to take pride in their natural heritage, and to dedicate work to protect it. To give a perspective to a reader, since 2005 the organized educational programs have reached more than 570 000 people, with more than half being youth and children.
People-Oriented Conservation
To save the bonobos, society has to address the root cause of their endangerment, which is primarily the bushmeat trade. The reason behind the bushmeat trade is simple — poverty. The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the poorest nations in the world. In the critical area around Ekolo ya Bonobo Community Reserve, people lack access to basic necessities such as food, education or health care. The problem resolvent has to be much more complex and deep to reach all aspects having a persistent negative influence in particular. Decades of rainforest conservation work not only in DRC but also around the world, having taught Bonobo.org, that comprehensive and lasting change depends on local community engagement and leadership, and education. Investing in communities in particular areas of Ekolo not only supports the people themselves, but has consequently profound effects on the life of bonobos, as well as many other species living in the same ecosystem, and in a wider context the whole planet, we call Earth.
For more information, please visit www.bonobos.org
