Dear Friends,

On a recent visit to Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park, our Conservation Director Adam Henson tracked chimpanzees with our longtime colleague and talented primatologist, Dr. Augustin K. Basabose.

Dr. Basabose conducts research geared to improving conservation of endangered Grauer’s gorillas (pictured above) and chimpanzees in Kahuzi Biega National Park in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and is the founder of a Congolese NGO called Primate Expertise. He joined Adam in Rwanda to discuss a new partnership as we intensify our work to protect great apes in Central Africa.

This builds on our work in the region, where we have long supported mountain gorilla conservation and continue to engage with the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration. We are proud to now partner with Dr. Basabose and Primate Expertise to expand our great ape work together

To kickstart this new collaboration, we are prioritizing investment in a compelling area of work. Dr. Basabose has documented the native tree species that gorillas like to eat. He has now begun seed collection from gorilla and chimpanzee dung — always rich with intact seeds of fleshy fruits — with a vision to eventually help reforest key areas of gorilla habitat, and provide tangible livelihood benefits to surrounding community members.

This simple idea — and the natural way it can help great apes and people alike — makes a lot of sense to us, and is a scalable intervention with strong potential for impact. If you agree, and would like to be involved, please consider making a donation today.

Katie Frohardt

Executive Director