Ituri Forest, D.R.C.

Okapi Wildlife Reserve

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, located in the Ituri tropical rain forest in the northeastern corner of the Congo Basin, is one of the five World Heritage Sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C., the former Zaire). Named for its high concentration of okapi (Okapia johnstoni), the only living relative of giraffe, the reserve contains roughly one-sixth of the species' wild population. The forest, on the other hand, derived its name from the Ituri River, a tributary of the Congo River. This region was one of the important lowland forest refuges in Africa during the peak of last glaciation (about 18,000 years ago), harboring many species imperiled from global climatic change. It is also home to the hunter-gatherers of the Mbuti and Efe forest people (collectively known as Pygmies) and the farmers of various Bantu and Nilotic ethnic groups, who have inhabited the forest for hundreds of years. In 1992, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve was established to conserve the exceptionally high species diversity and endemism of the Ituri forest. The reserve is bound by the Nepoko River to the north and the Ituri River to the south, occupying an area of nearly 13,150 km2 (roughly 5075 mi2).

Satellite view of Epulu

Epulu, the main town in the Okapi Reserve, viewed from the IKONOS satellite

Today, the Ituri region is the most politically unstable area in the D.R.C., constantly struggling from ethnic and military conflicts (IRIN 2002). The field condition makes both conservation and humanitarian efforts extremely challenging. Consequently, forest monitoring via satellite imagery is particularly useful in the region.