Jef Dupain

Congo Heartland Director
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

 

It takes a certain kind of man to coordinate the conservation initiatives in a place as wild and unpredictable as AWF's Congo Heartland. That man is Jef Dupain.

Jef does not know the meaning of giving up. In 1994, this Belgian primatologist set out for the Lomako Forest in one of the remotest parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to study the endangered bonobo, our closest living relative. The research camp Dupain established was not for the faint-hearted. Reaching it took four days by dug-out canoe, followed by an arduous trek through heavy jungle.

When civil war broke out in 1997, Dupain was forced to flee the camp, indeed the country, but not until he was in the path of armed troops. Determined to stay nearby, Dupain spent his ‘exile’ in Cameroon, amassing valuable conservation lessons that would one day benefit bonobos and the forest habitat they need to survive.

In 2003, AWF hired Dupain to head our conservation programs throughout the entire Congo Heartland. Though his responsibilities now extend well beyond Lomako, Dupain remains a passionate advocate for bonobos and has been instrumental in the creation of DRC’s first recognized nature reserve managed in partnership with the local community, the Lomako Yokokala Faunal Reserve.

Dupain reminds us that people must always be part of the conservation solution. As a village elder once told Jef, “We went through hard times with hunters from neighboring villages killing our animals… our desire is to have people here to help us protect our monkeys and our forest.” In his new role at AWF, Dupain is working to do just that.

>Learn more about Jef's work in our Congo Heartland.