Canadian Ape Alliance

Mapping the Forgotten Landscape

Organization
Canadian Ape Alliance

Author
Canadian Ape Alliance

ESRI Software
ArcGIS, ArcPad

Data Sources
CARPE, FAO, UNOCHA, UNEP, GLCF, Original Field Data

Description
A partnership between the Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation and the Canadian Ape Alliance was established in 2007 to facilitate the discovery and conservation of the Thsuapa-Lomami-Lualaba landscape.  Exploration of the entire Tshuapa-Lualaba core forest will be conducted to determine the presence of bonobo, a variety of monkey species, okapi, Congo peacock, large ungulates, and elephant.  Inventories will be conducted within forest sectors, focusing on regions of interest identified in the original exploration.  Development of collaborative bonobo conservation projects will be established with strong representation from local communities, national institutions, and conservation NGOs.

The Canadian Ape Alliance will be supporting the project with digital mapping support and analysis, in the field and in remote locations.   A recipient of an ESRI Conservation Grant in 2005, and with generous hardware and equipment support from Trimble Corporation and WESA, the Canadian Ape Alliance GIS project team is working closely with LWRF in developing an accurate and comprehensive base map for the new landscape region for immediate and future field conservation applications.  Existing geospatial data is very limited for the region and general in nature, with basic hydrology, topography, and cultural features available from a variety of sources (CARPE, FAO, UNEP, UNDP, UNOCHA, WRI).  Using imagery analysis from multiple satellite imagery, members of the Canadian Ape Alliance team are beginning to peel back the dense canopy of the region and refine, and in some cases, create new geospatial data in some of the most remote areas of the Congo basin.

Acknowledgements
ESRI, Trimble Corporation, ARCUS Foundation, Alexander Abrahams Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service (Great Ape Conservation Fund).