Eastern Zaire Gorilla and Forest Survey Project was approved through the signature of a collaboration convention between the Government of Zaire and the Wildlife Conservation Society in 1992. Former President Deputy General of Zaire’s Nature Conservation Institute (IZCN), Dr. Mankoto ma Mbaelele, was the founder of the project along with his WCS partners. In short, the goal of the project was to determine clearly the present distribution of Gorilla gorilla graueri as well as to survey, in the best possible way, the discrete populations of this gorilla subspecies. The project also focused on the biological exploration of not easily accessible areas of eastern Zaire’s forest, with particular attention given to large mammals. The project fulfills the function of training conservation personnel from Zaire in the processes of censusing and surveying.

Between January and August 1994, project agents worked in Kahuzi-Biega National Parc’s extension (PNKB). They covered 319 kms of transects as well as 601 kms by survey methods. The agents completed the sampling of four areas, covering a total of 1,348 km2, by transect methods. Between February and June 1995, teams entered the field to work in the forest bordering PNKB’s extension, that is in Babira-Bakwame’s community (Kasese sector). This time the agents worked in three sampling areas, covering a total of 504 km2. They covered 161 kms of transects as well as 490 kms through survey methods. The survey results will appear soon (Hall et al. submitted them for publication).

According to the project’s plan, project personnel were to conduct fieldwork in Maïko National Park (PNM) this year. However, thanks to previous exploration of PNM (Hart & Sikubwabo, 1994) as well as to the data obtained during the initial stages of the project, we were able to estimate the number of the park’s gorillas without entering it. Therefore, this year, the project goes on to the next sector: Itombwe Forest. Between February and June of this year, Mr. Omari Ilambu and Mr. Faustin Bengana, both from IZCN, will survey this forest. They will use both transect and survey methods in order to locate accurately gorilla populations as well as estimate their numbers. Dr. John Hart will join them for a month and will conduct a bird survey.

Considering the human disturbance due to the arrival of several hundreds of thousands of refugees in the region of the original sector of PNKB, the project also plans to organize a census of this sector, which was last surveyed in 1990 (Yamagiwa et al., 1993). This operation will enable us not only to witness the demographic changes that have occured since the last survey, but it will also provide vital data concerning the impact of the refugees on the park. We hope to undertake this survey between June and August 1996.

Having completed these steps, we will still have to locate and survey greatly isolated populations of the northern region of Kivu, where Emlen & Schaller (1960) located several gorilla concentrations. Colleagues identified, recently, several of these populations (e.g. Mwanza et al., 1988; Hall & Wathaut,1992). Considering the cost and the danger of such projects, we call upon all of our colleagues who plan to visit these areas to collaborate and coordinate their work with us.

• Jefferson S. Hall, Wildlife Conservation Society
• Omari Ilambu, Zaire’s Institute Nature Conservation (IZNC)
• Inogwabini Bila-Isia, Wildlife Conservation Society