Kahuzi-Biega National Park and surrounding community forested areas are home to the world’s largest remaining population of Grauer’s gorillas. Eastern Areas around the Park are also among the most densely populated in the country – with population densities of up to 400 inhabitants per square kilometer. Subsistence agriculture, firewood collection, and other illegal activities have significantly contributed to escalating deforestation over the years. In the vicinity of Kahuzi-Biega National Park, all native forests have been completely cleared. This has pushed people to encroach the park’s natural resources, collecting firewood, timber, honey, mushroom, caterpillars, medicinal plants, etc.
In response to this environmental crisis, Primate Expertise engaged in the restoration of degraded and fragmented forests around Kahuzi-Biega National Park. To achieve this goal, the organization has established four nurseries located in the villages of Lwiro, Kafurumaye, Tshivanga, and Kalulu. These nurseries produced seedlings grown from seeds collected in great apes’ dungs.