Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve | |
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Kokolopori Bonobo Nature Reserve | |
Location | Djolu Territory, Tshuapa Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Coordinates | 0°04′39″S 22°50′32″E / 0.0774°S 22.8422°E |
Area | 4,875 km2 (1,882 sq mi) |
Established | 2003 May 2009 (official recognition) | (local accords)
Operator | Kokolopori communities Vie Sauvage |
The Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve is a nature reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The 4,875-square-kilometre (1,882 sq mi) reserve is a protected area for endangered bonobos and uses a community-based model of natural resource management undertaken by residents of the villages of Kokolopori and the local conservation organisation Vie Sauvage.
The reserve was founded in 2003 through accords between local villages and Vie Sauvage with assistance from the Bonobo Conservation Initiative. It was formally recognized by the DRC government in 2009. Located in the Djolu Territory of Tshuapa, the reserve hosts 1,000 to 1,800 bonobos. Scientific research in the reverse is centred on four bonobo communities that have been habituated to the presence of humans.