The bonobo (Pan paniscus) is classified as Endangered (EN A4cd) on the IUCN Red List 2008 (Fruth et al., 2008) indicating that it has a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. It is also listed on Appendix I of CITES.

Bonobos occur only in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They have a discontinuous range in the central Congo Basin of Equatorial Africa, south of the Congo River and are confined to an island-block of forest comprising approximately one-fifth of DRC (Thompson, in press). Their range extends from the Lualaba River in the east, to the Lubefu River south of the Kasai/Sankuru River system, and west as far as Bolobo village and around the Lake Tumba/Lac Ndombe area (Thompson, in press; Fruth et al., 2008). Bonobos have recently been found to inhabit a forest block shouldering the right bank of the Lubefu River, an area south of the Kasai/Sankuru River system previously believed to be the southern limit of their distribution. This is an exciting finding as it expands known bonobo range (Thompson, in press). Recent surveys suggest a total bonobo population approximating 50,000 (Thompson, in press) but whilst this is greater than previously estimated these numbers should be interpreted with caution as the overall trend is one of decline (Fruth et al., 2008). Uncertainty surrounding their range and number reflects the challenging political environment in which conservation practitioners operate. To learn more about their distribution please activate the Pan paniscus range layer in the interactive map.

The greatest threat to bonobo populations, both spatially and in terms of level of impact, is commercial hunting. This is fuelled by a growing demand for bushmeat, the availability and use of modern weaponry (a residue of civil war), the disappearance of local taboos protecting bonobos, and poor law enforcement (Reinartz et al., in press). In some areas local taboos against bonobo hunting still exist, in others they have disintegrated due to changing cultural values. Whilst commercial hunting generally targets large-bodied ungulates and monkeys, the growing predominance of bushmeat commerce as an income-generating activity has increased the number of commercial bushmeat hunters (Fruth et al., 2008). Bonobos are slow-breeding and particularly susceptible to loss by poaching or indirectly by snaring. The trade in live bonobos as pets remains a problem. Females with young are vulnerable as a threatened mother will carry her offspring even when it has grown to half her size, slowing her down and making her an easy target (Fruth et al., 2008; Lacambra et al., 2005).

Habitat loss (forest fragmentation, expansion of agricultural activities) is the next biggest threat after hunting. Logging and agriculture are the main culprits of large-scale habitat destruction in DRC but whilst logging has not yet reached the levels of other Central African countries, and bonobos do quite well in secondary forests, logging concessions overlap widely and encroach into highly fragmented bonobo habitat (Lacambra et al., 2005; Reinartz et al., in press). Currently these threats are mainly felt in the Lac Tumba region, because of the easy river access for transporting the timber out of the region (Aveling, 2011). In 2007 China gave DRC a $5 billion loan in exchange for opportunities to build massive infrastructure, mining, bioenergy, forestry and agricultural businesses. The large-scale loss of old growth forest and parallel build-up activities of extractive industries, such as road and rail networks, facilitating the movement of bush meat, will severely impact the survival of bonobos and many other species of wildlife (Thompson, in press).

Poverty is a pervasive issue, particularly the need to engage in unsustainable activities such as hunting and slash and burn agriculture, in the absence of subsistence alternatives. Living conditions are difficult in much of DRC and rural populations still rely on forest products for food, shelter and fuel. Local people have poor sanitation and rudimentary healthcare, and human diseases or parasites may be transmitted to bonobo populations. The impacts of disease are not well understood but on the basis of knowledge and experience in gorilla and chimpanzee range, and the repeated outbreaks of deadly diseases (like Ebola) within bonobo range, suggests that zoonotic disease transmission (human to bonobo) is probably a current or imminent threat (Aveling, 2011). The risk of transmission increases with increasing human population density as well as increasing proximity with wildlife (Fruth et al., 2008).

Scientists began to explore the area’s biodiversity in 1973, and academic research and conservation interests flourished during the 1970’s and 1980’s. From 1996 the civil war greatly disturbed these activities although many have since resumed. These conservation and research actions have included population surveys, support for conservation infrastructure, strengthening of government staff capacity, sustainable use of natural resources directed at local communities, education programmes, scientific research with a focus on the social behaviour of bonobos and comparative studies to chimpanzees, and the rehabilitation and re-introduction of confiscated bonobo’s (Lacambra et al., 2005). The Institute Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) is responsible for managing the country’s protected areas and related research but the main active and permanent presence on the ground is provided by NGOs and research programmes.

There are currently eight officially gazetted protected areas recognized at the national level in bonobo range and these are: Domaine de Chasse d'Oshwe, Kokolopori Reserve, Parc National de la Lomami and Reserve de Faune, Parc National de la Salonga, Réserve de Faune de Lomako-Yekokala, Reserve Scientific du Luo, Sankuru Nature Reserve and Tumba-Ledima Nature Reserve (pers. comm., J. Thompson, Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation, April 2011). Although these areas are thought to harbor sizeable numbers of bonobos, the threats cited above puts all populations at risk irrespective of the conservation status of the area. This is due to negligible law enforcement and corruption, exacerbated by persistent political and economic instability.

Bonobo experts have drawn up strategies for the protection of the various populations through a number of meetings and workshops, and an action plan for bonobos was published in 1995 (Thompson et al. 1995). To date, few of the priority actions previously identified have been accomplished, and with the drive for greater planning and coordination to increase efficiency and impact of actions, a series of meetings with the aim of developing an up-to-date strategic and collaborative plan for bonobo conservation were undertaken in 2009-2011. Whilst the strategic plan is still under development a recent convening in January 2011 comprising 68 people representing 33 organizations and government departments identified key strategic areas to guide future interventions. These are: strengthening institutional capacities for law enforcement and sustainable management of forest biodiversity (protected areas and buffer zone management, forest management and land-use planning); consultation and collaboration with local actors; awareness building and lobbying; research and monitoring; and sustainable funding (Aveling, 2011).

The strategic plan will produce a conservation strategy with specific actions with roles and responsibilities, timelines and costs, as well as built-in mechanisms for follow-up monitoring and evaluation, and funding. It will provide a clear investment plan for researchers, conservationists, and donors, and will assist habitat country governments in developing strategies for the conservation of bonobos. It will, if fully implemented, go a long way to supporting the maintenance of viable bonobo populations.