April 15, 2026 – Kinshasa, Gombe Municipality — Institutional and technical stakeholders from the environmental sector met on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, in the Henri Hall of the Hôtellerie Saint-Pierre Claver, for a presentation session on the activities of the Antwerp Zoo Foundation (AZF). The meeting formed part of a broader effort to strengthen cooperation in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The opening of the proceedings, marked by the performance of the national anthem, set the tone for a structured meeting focused on contextualization, information sharing, and stakeholder engagement. The moderator immediately recalled the objectives of the session, centered on the need to better communicate AZF’s presence and activities in the DRC, which remain relatively unknown to some actors in the sector.
The historical context of relations between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the city of Antwerp was highlighted, particularly through historical links dating back to the port of Aketi, a key hub of river trade and species circulation during the colonial period, as well as an older memory linked to the conservation of iconic Congolese species. This historical perspective helped situate the Foundation’s current work within a continuum of cooperation between the two regions.
The meeting was structured around three main objectives: informing participants about AZF’s mission and vision in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presenting its areas of intervention and ongoing activities, and exploring opportunities for collaboration with other organizations active in conservation.
Among the participants were Jef Dupain, Director of AZF; Jean Marie Nyolo Lonema, representing the Presidency of the Republic as Environmental Advisor; and Professor Valentin OMASOMBO, AZF Country Coordinator and main organizer of the workshop. The Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) also took part in the discussions.
In his remarks, Jef Dupain emphasized the importance of awareness-raising and the involvement of local communities in conservation initiatives. He stressed that community understanding of projects is a key driver of engagement. He also recalled his experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1994, working on conservation projects focused on bonobos.
Expanding on his remarks, he situated AZF’s current work within a long-term trajectory, reflecting on his early missions in the DRC when, as a student, he was sent to the Lomako region for bonobo research. He explained that these initial field experiences quickly revealed a fundamental reality: scientific research cannot be separated from species conservation. “To study bonobos, they must first continue to exist,” he summarized.
He also recalled that at the time, knowledge of the bonobo itself remained limited, even in Kinshasa, where the species was often confused with the chimpanzee. Efforts were therefore undertaken to raise awareness and improve understanding of this endemic species and its ecological importance.
Looking back on the early stages of institutional engagement, Jef Dupain referred to initiatives launched in the 1990s, including discussions on protecting habitats in the Lomako basin, a zone now integrated into conservation frameworks. According to him, these experiences shaped AZF’s current approach, which is based on the close link between conservation, research, and community involvement.
Created in 2019 by the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, the Antwerp Zoo Foundation develops an integrated conservation approach combining species protection, innovative financing mechanisms, and the involvement of local communities and Indigenous peoples. The presentations highlighted two flagship species at the core of its work: the bonobo and the okapi.
The sessions also focused on AZF’s areas of intervention in the DRC, particularly around the Lomako-Yokokala Faunal Reserve in the Befale territory. In this context, the pilot project “Bonobo Credit” was presented as an innovative mechanism aimed at rewarding local community conservation efforts through biodiversity credits.
Speaking on behalf of ICCN, Ms. Chantal SHALUKOMA explained the implementation of this mechanism, noting that the “Bonobo Credit” system has already been launched but is expected to expand further in a more structured and reassuring way. She recalled that the project had attracted particular interest, especially due to its launch in the presence of the Head of State, and stressed the need to better articulate existing contractual frameworks between AZF and ICCN.
She referred to a first agreement covering the 2020–2025 period, primarily focused on developing tourism around bonobos in the Lomako-Yokokala area. According to her, progress has been made, including the habituation of around thirty bonobos—a complex process compared to other species. This development now allows limited observation of these primates in certain areas, despite ongoing accessibility challenges.
The ICCN representative also expressed the desire to scale up the partnership, consolidating achievements and strengthening community understanding of conservation mechanisms. She emphasized the importance of ensuring that the benefits of these initiatives—whether conservation-related or economic—are clearly felt at the local level.
She further recalled national policy orientations presented by the Principal Advisor to the Head of State in charge of Environment, Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, who introduced the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor project as a community-managed protected area of approximately 540,000 km², one of the largest in the world. This corridor aims to position the DRC as the first country to achieve the 30×30 target of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, dedicating 30% of national territory to conservation.
According to Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, this ecological corridor stretches over approximately 2,300 kilometers, linking the east and west through the Congo River. It is presented as a vital space for the global climate, covering nearly 67% of the DRC’s peatlands. Its strategic objectives include biodiversity protection, facilitation of species migration, strengthening climate resilience, and reducing carbon emissions.
Within this framework, AZF initiatives, particularly in the Lomako-Yokokala area, are aligned with this national vision by contributing to the gradual structuring of ecological corridors and the consolidation of conservation efforts on the ground.
Professor Valentin OMASOMBO, in his capacity as Country Coordinator and workshop organizer, encouraged participating organizations and partners to further integrate AZF into sector-wide initiatives in order to strengthen coordination and improve the effectiveness of field actions.
Throughout the discussions, the session highlighted a shared commitment to reinforcing synergies among conservation stakeholders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while improving the visibility of ongoing initiatives. The workshop concluded late in the afternoon, marking the end of a meeting dedicated to presenting, exchanging, and contextualizing the activities of the Antwerp Zoo Foundation in the DRC.
By Deo MALELA