Student: Innocent Liengola
Internship Host: Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

There are few sites where the potential for conservation of great apes is juxtaposed with the major challenges and uncertainty as in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP). With nearly one-third of the forest occupied by armed militias from Rwanda, the region is on the cusp of drastic change, change that threatens the existence of these animals through loss of their habitat. The goal of my proposed research is to see if the habitat loss by Sericostachys scandens (invasive liana) affects the gorillas’ use of their habitat, and, by extension, the possible implications for their population recovery.

The KBNP is the important site for the endemic subspecies of gorilla, the eastern lowland gorilla; Gorilla beringei graueri. Gorillas like this one are threatened throughout the East of the DRC. This Silverback gorilla named “Mugaruka”, needs a suitable habitat. After a long walk foraging without much food, he looks tired. I am working to preserve and protect their habitat.