Background of the Project
The Mondika Research Station lies within the Djeke Triangle, a forested corridor adjoining Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in the northern Republic of Congo.
It is located near the border with the Central African Republic, within the larger Sangha Trinational conservation zone.
This region falls within the Sangha River catchment, itself a sub-basin of the Congo River, the second largest river basin in the world by discharge volume.
The area remains among the least fragmented rainforest blocks in Central Africa.
Ecological Setting: The Ndoki Forest System
The Ndoki Forest is a closed-canopy lowland rainforest characterised by Gilbertiodendron dewevrei monodominant stands and high floristic endemism.
It supports a wide variety of vertebrates, including forest elephants, chimpanzees, red river hogs, and several duiker species.
Tree cover exceeds 95 percent in core zones, with minimal signs of logging or agricultural intrusion. Average annual rainfall is approximately 1,600 to 1,800 millimetres.
Canopy height ranges from 30 to 50 metres, depending on forest type.
The Species: Western Lowland Gorillas
The western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is the most populous but also the most dispersed of all gorilla subspecies.
It is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, with primary threats including commercial poaching, disease transmission, and habitat degradation.
Western lowland gorillas exhibit unique behavioural traits, including extensive frugivory, fluid group composition, and larger home ranges compared to their mountain gorilla relatives.
Mondika provides the only site in Central Africa where multiple habituated western gorilla groups have been observed continuously under natural conditions.
Evolution of the Mondika Gorilla Project
1995
Dr. Diane Doran, a primatologist from Stony Brook University, established the Mondika Gorilla Project to study habituated western lowland gorillas in their natural forest environment. The initial focus was behavioural ecology.
1996–1999
Early field teams began the slow process of gorilla habituation. Local Congolese trackers, trained in animal behaviour, followed unhabituated groups daily. The forest was mapped for nests, trails, and resource patches.
2000
Kingo’s group became the first western lowland gorilla group successfully habituated for continuous observation. This milestone allowed the project to expand its research themes to include social dynamics, ranging behaviour, and foraging ecology.
2004–2007
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) formalised its operational support. Buka’s group was brought under observation during this period. The field station was upgraded with semi-permanent infrastructure for researchers, trackers, and visiting scientists.
2012
Mondika became formally integrated into the transboundary Sangha Trinational World Heritage site. This allowed stronger policy coordination with the Central African Republic and Cameroon on shared conservation objectives.
2016–2021
GTAP (Gorilla Tourism and Protected Areas project), supported by USAID and WCS, helped introduce low-volume, research-based tourism to the site. A third gorilla group, Metetélé, was partially habituated for guided visits.
2022–Present
The site currently supports three habituated groups and a fourth in the early stages of monitoring. The project combines primatology research, tourism revenue generation, local employment, and ecological monitoring under a unified model.