Bonobo (Pan paniscus) Conservation Strategy 2012–2022

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4.5.5 Strategy 5 Sustainable Funding

The bonobo’s geographic range covers a huge area in an extremely isolated region of DRC. Given 

that there is genuine political will to ensure effective protection of bonobos, this will only be possible 

if the necessary human, technical and financial resources can be guaranteed over the long-term. 

The sustainability of funding is therefore a central element to ensuring the survival of bonobos.

Until now, funding for bonobo conservation has come from bilateral and multilateral cooperation, 

international and national NGOs, private foundations, research institutes and the Congolese state. 

These funds are generally linked to cycles that are specific to each donor and which are often 

short-term. This makes it difficult to establish programmes where activities can proceed without 

interruption over the long-term. Furthermore, with respect to bilateral and multilateral cooperation, 

biodiversity conservation often takes second place to more immediate and visible needs faced in 

the DRC (humanitarian, social, political, institutional).

The emergence of new funding mechanisms, such as debt-for-nature swaps, REDD+, Payment 

for Ecosystem Services and biodiversity offsets, opens new prospects for achieving sustainable 

funding. However, these mechanisms are relatively new and details of how they will operate are 

still under study.

Strategy 5: Sustainable funding 

Strategic objectives Priority actions

Priority level 

Moderate

 ê

High 

 

êê

Very high

 êêê

S5/O1

By 2022, sustainable 

sources of funding 

for bonobo 

conservation 

effectively support 

PA management, and 

other programmes 

and initiatives 

securing bonobo 

conservation*

Evaluate bonobo conservation funding needs. This will 

require drawing up business plans for PAs and buffer 

zones in the bonobo range, and evaluating the costs 

of activities outside the bonobo range (e.g., awareness 

building, lobbying)

êêê

Undertake studies to evaluate the potential for forests in 

the bonobo range to access different funding mechanisms 

(e.g., biodiversity offsets, carbon markets, PES, REDD+)

êê

Undertake a feasibility study for the establishment of a 

sustainable funding mechanism; this study should take 

into consideration the different initiatives currently being 

explored in the DRC

êê

Elaboration and submission of funding proposals 

(favouring partnerships between conservation 

organizations, government agencies and development 

and/or health agencies)

êêê

* in accordance with the Goal of this plan

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4.6 Monitoring Plan

A monitoring plan provides the framework for following up on implementation of a conservation 

strategy and assessing the effectiveness of the actions undertaken. A clear monitoring framework 

will need to be drawn up for the species as a whole and for each site, including specific, measur-

able targets for bonobo population size and distribution, threat levels (based on signs recorded in 

the field, remote sensing and disease indicators) and interventions (especially law enforcement). 

The framework will include the types of data to collect, the method by which they should be col-

lected, and the timing of data collection. Normally the framework will include a regular (at least 

every five years) cycle of population surveys, annual landscape-wide threat monitoring, annual (if 

possible) or at most every three years surveys of habitat integrity (e.g., remote sensing) and collec-

tion of human impact data in the most threatened parts of the bonobo's range during year-round 

antipoaching patrols. Disease monitoring will require collaboration with key partners in wildlife and 

human health, and should focus on both health monitoring of bonobos themselves and on identify-

ing emerging epidemics that could impact bonobos (especially Ebola and Marburg).

The A.P.E.S. Portal

7

 is developing composite indices to measure great ape population status, 

threats to great apes and conservation actions. These indices combine information from different 

sources, can be calculated for any time period, and are directly comparable. They can be set to a 

starting value (e.g., 1) for Year 1 of the plan, and can be used to improve the quality and relevance 

of the monitoring plan. It is likely that for law enforcement monitoring, the SMART tool

8

 (or the 

MIST

9

 tool, later shifting to SMART

10

) will be used to assess effectiveness of law enforcement, and 

triangulation will be done through the population and distribution data held in the A.P.E.S. data-

base. All new bonobo survey data will be archived with the A.P.E.S. database. 

7 http://apesportal.eva.mpg.de/

8 http://www.smartconservationsoftware.org/Home/WhatsSMART.aspx

9 http://www.ecostats.com/software/mist/mist.htm

10 http://www.smartconservationsoftware.org/Home/HowcanSMARTworkforyou.aspx

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Strategy 1: Strengthening institutional capacity and monitoring progress towards targets

Indicator

Type

(performance, 

progress, 

impact)

Method

Existing 

data

Organisation

responsible

Date or frequency

Where

Cost

(low, 

medium, 

high)

S1/O1

By 2022, poaching within PAs is significantly reduced and bonobo densities are stable or increasing, compared to baseline surveys

Bonobo density is maintained or increased 

from 2014 levels

Progress

Standard line transects 

carried out, data analysed 

and reported on

Partial (site 

dependant)

ICCN and partners Full surveys of PAs 

implemented every 

four years

All sites

Medium 

Bonobo distribution throughout the region is 

maintained or increased from 2012

Progress

All georeferenced data 

from surveys, recces 

and antipoaching patrols 

collated and analysed in 

occupancy framework

Partial (site 

dependant)

ICCN and partners Data collection 

continuous, analysis 

every year, if 

possible

All sites

Medium

Frequency of bonobo poaching incidents 

detected per patrol per year is reduced by 

80% compared to 2013

Performance

Law enforcement. Enter 

data into MIST or SMART

Partial

ICCN and partners Continuous

In PAs

Medium

Poaching-free area of PAs increases to 85% 

of PAs or more

Impact

Law enforcement. Enter 

data into MIST or SMART

Partial

ICCN and partners Continuous; 

monthly reports 

by patrol staff and 

annual reports 

with full site maps 

produced

In PAs

Medium

S1/O2 

By 2022, the network of PAs shelters 90% of bonobos and the full range of their known ecological diversity

PAs within bonobo range cover the full suite 

of ecological conditions and correct relative 

proportions

Performance

Surveys

Remote sensing analyses

Incomplete

ICCN and partners Continuous

Priority sites

Medium

PA dimensions/number are increased to fulfil 

the 90% target by 2022

Performance

Government changes shape 

of, or extends boundaries, 

or creates new, PAs 

Incomplete

ICCN and partners Continuous

All sites

Low

Proportion of bonobos in PAs increases 

from 2012 onwards

Impact

Bonobo population survey 

data from outside PAs are 

compared with survey data 

from inside PAs

Incomplete

ICCN and partners 4-yearly surveys 

of both PAs and 

the areas outside 

PAs that contain 

bonobos

Priority sites

Medium

Table, Strategy 1, continued on next page

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