Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project – Saving chimpanzees by creating more sustainable land

The Tonkolili Site is what is known as a forest-farm mosaic. Farmlands are interspersed with forest fragments. Chimpanzees occupy the forest fragments and oftentimes forage in the farmlands. The damage to the crops that the local communities endure is significant. The already deeply impoverished communities struggle to survive with the losses incurred from the presence of chimpanzees. This has led to the deep conflicts between humans and chimpanzees and has, ultimately, led to chimpanzees being killed in these types of human-dominated landscapes (something that is a growing reality for all wild chimpanzees).

The Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project, having established a successful moratorium on all chimpanzee killing in the area since its inception in 2012, is committed to finding ways to mitigate conflicts between humans and chimpanzees.

Much of the Tonkolili Site is covered with seasonal floodplains, called “bolilands”. These areas cannot be cultivated without heavy equipment. The impoverished villages involved with the Tonkolili Project cannot afford heavy equipment and must cultivate all their field by hand.

If the bolilands could be utilized for agriculture, this would add 40 hectares of agricultural land for the communities. This would lessen the impacts of crop damage by chimpanzees.

We are endeavoring to raise funds to rent a tractor in order to plow 40 hectacres. The cost, relative to the positive effects it would have for the villages and chimpanzees, is very low. For $2500, a tractor could be rented and rice could be purchased to plant in these new fields.

Our aim is to raise these funds by the end of planting season (April). If we go over this amount, we will be able to cultivate more acres of boliland.

Thank you, as always, for your support!

The Tonkolili Chimpanzee Project is now a 501(c)3 tax deductible charity.