Our Partners Empower Communities

The necessary and empowering work we do with communities in and around Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Itombwe Nature Reserve, and on the corridor linking these areas would be impossible without the ongoing support of our partners. 

Partners in Conservation

Founded in 1991 at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Partners In Conservation (PIC) collaborates with partners in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to respectfully help initiate and implement solutions to conservation problems. While many conservation programs come from the perspective of saving endangered animals and habitats first, PIC approaches conservation in these areas holistically, educating local people about the importance of conservation and giving them alternative means to earn wages that are conservation-friendly. PIC's fundamental belief is that by helping local populations to better their lives and thrive without poaching or deforestation, these people then are empowered to conserve their wild places. By collaborating with conservation partners who provide local populations with education, skills, and livable-wage jobs, PIC is able to help local people become directly invested in saving their environment, which in turn, helps to conserve gorillas and other vulnerable wildlife in this area of the world.

Forest Health Alliance

The Toronto-based Forest Health Alliance was founded as the Canadian Apelliance in 2000 by Dr. Kerry Bowan, one of the country’s leading bioethicists, as a response to the ongoing bushmeat crisis in Africa. Comprising a small group of like-minded colleagues and friends, the Canadian Ape Alliance is committed to protecting the threatened and endangered great ape populations found in remote pockets throughout the Congo Basin and beyond. While wildlife conservation remains central to its mission, the Canadian Ape Alliance has broadened its mandate over the years. Today, it also reaches out to indigenous human inhabitants through initiatives designed to raise awareness about the plight of forest animals and to provide incentives to curtail the continued slaughter. Members are also directly involved in a large-scale GIS and GPS mapping project, helping to establish an accurate, up-to-date picture of Central Africa’s topography and document the level of biodiversity that currently exists there.

Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature

The Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature is a Congolese governmental partner tasked with the protection and conservation of the Virunga National Park and Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Members of the ICCN are charged with the overall protection of the parks and the endangered mountain gorilla.

International Conservation Funds of Canada

ICFC is Canada’s leading international conservation organization. Since 2007, it has partnered on projects with local conservation organizations in Latin America, Africa and Asia. They know best what needs doing and how to go about it.​ 

ICFC’s work is science-based and committed to engaging local communities and securing lasting conservation gains in priority areas.

ICCA Consortium

The ICCA Consortium is an international association dedicated to promoting the appropriate recognition of and support to ICCAs (territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities) in the regional, national and global arena. It is comprised of Members (Indigenous People Organizations (IPOs) and Community-based Organizations (CBOs) and civil society organizations working with IPs/LCs) and Honorary members (individuals with relevant concerns and expertise relating to ICCAs). As a global institution, the Consortium collaborates with the CBD Secretariat, GEF SGP, UNEP WCMC, IUCN, research and advocacy organizations, and UN mechanisms promoting human and IP and LC rights.

 Whiteley Fund for Nature

Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a fundraising and grant-giving nature conservation charity. Established in 1993, it supports leaders in 80 countries across the Global South, benefitting wildlife, landscapes, and people.

WFN offers long-term, laddered support to courageous changemakers leading local solutions to the global biodiversity and climate crises. Through these award winners, WFN supports work rooted in communities that creates lasting benefits for wildlife, landscapes, and people.


Rainforest Trust

Rainforest Trust saves endangered wildlife and protects the planet by creating rainforest reserves through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support. These reserves include private reserves, national parks, community forests, and indigenous land titling.

Nia Tero

To add a fourth column, reduce the size of these three columns using the right icon of each block. Then, duplicate one of the columns to create a new one as a copy.

Mulago Foundation

The Mulago Foundation Conservation Fellows program supports high impact environment/conservation leaders and equips them with the right tools to design and deliver bigger, better, faster conservation outcomes. Mulago invests in scalable impact and evidence based conservation.