Science
Conservation science is an important tool for gathering the data and information necessary for successful conservation in the Congo Basin.
WCS-Congo conservationists and researchers are involved in several applied research projects which are monitoring the density and distribution of key landscape species and human activites across Congo. These applied research projects are complemented by monitoring programs located at strategic sites, such as forest clearings or areas close to forestry exploitation.
These programs collect important data on variables such as the population structure and demography of large mammals, local and commercial hunting pressures, and other forest uses.
In the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park there are currently three applied research studies underway. Long-term research projects at Mbeli Bai and the Goualougo Triangle provide information on habitat use, ecology, behavior,and social structure of western gorillas and chimpanzees respectively. A third study being conducted in the western part of the park and in the adjacent Kabo concession investigates forest dynamics and the effects of logging and hunting on wildlife and ecological processes.