The Okapi Wildlife Reserve (French: Réserve de faune à okapis) is a protected area located in the Ituri Forest in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the borders with South Sudan and Uganda. It covers about 14,000 square kilometers, which is roughly one-fifth of the forest's total area. In 1996, the reserve was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its large number of endangered okapis and its rich variety of plant and animal life. Today, the reserve faces a major threat from Islamist terrorist groups, such as the Allied Democratic Forces, who in 2025 caused the deaths of more than 1,700 civilians in the surrounding area of north-eastern Congo.
Ecology
The wildlife reserve covers about one-fifth of the Ituri Forest. As a Pleistocene refugium, the forest has thick forests with many types of trees that stay green all year, with Mbau trees (Gilbertiodendron dewevrei) being the most common. The Nepoko, Ituri, and Epulu rivers flow through the reserve, surrounded by swamp forests. Rocky areas made of granite in the northern part of the reserve protect the habitat of Encephalartos ituriensis, a cycad species that is at risk of disappearing.
Because the climate here stayed stable during many ice ages, the wildlife reserve and the Ituri Forest together protect a unique group of plants and animals. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is named after the okapi, an animal that lives there. In 1996, there were between 3,900 and 6,350 okapis, out of a total global population of about 10,000 to 20,000. At that time, there were about 7,500 elephants and 7,500 chimpanzees in the reserve. These numbers may have decreased a lot in recent years because of hunting and political problems.
Other animals found in the reserve include leopards, forest buffalo, water chevrotains, bongos, Bates's pygmy antelope, and giant forest hogs. The Ituri Forest is home to 17 primate species, more than any other African forest.
The reserve has over 370 types of birds and is one of the most important places in Africa for protecting birds. Many of these birds are found only in the Congo Basin, including the endangered Congo peafowl.
The large Mbiya Mountain overlooks the Epulu village. The reserve is also home to nomadic Mbuti pygmies and Bantu farmers.
History
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve was established in 1992 with the help of the Okapi Conservation Project. This project continues to support the reserve by training wildlife guards and providing them with tools, as well as helping nearby communities improve their lives. In 1997, the reserve was added to the list of World Heritage Sites that are in danger. Major threats include deforestation from slash and burn farming, hunting for bushmeat to sell, and gold mining. By 2005, fighting in the eastern part of the country reached the reserve, forcing staff to leave or be evacuated. Poor political and economic conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have also caused funding shortages. It is hoped that eco-tourism can be developed in the area, which may increase funding and raise awareness about the reserve.
Conservation
The wildlife reserve has a facility located on the Epulu River called the Epulu Conservation and Research Center. This facility was established in 1928 by American anthropologist Patrick Putnam as a capture station, where wild okapis were captured and sent to zoos in America and Europe. Until 2012, it continued to operate as a capture station, but it no longer sends okapis abroad. In 2012, a rebel attack resulted in the death of all the okapis that were kept in captivity at the facility. The center decided to focus only on protecting wild okapis in the reserve until the fighting stops. The center carries out significant research and conservation efforts.
Gold mining
As of 2015, there was a small-scale gold mining camp called Muchacha inside the reserve. This camp employed about 8,000 people and was controlled by a group of rebels known as Mai-Mai Simba. This group wanted to free the local people from rules about how the reserve's land could be used. Colonel Lucien Gedeon Lokumu, the reserve's warden, started a military operation called Safisha to remove rebel forces and mining activities from the reserve.
In June 2021, a report from the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo warned about partially industrial mining activities within the reserve. These operations were located 12 kilometers south of Bandegaido. The mining took place in the Muchacha Ming Complex (MMC), which had a permit from the official DRC Mining Cadastre. The permit was held by a Chinese businessman named Kong Maohuai through his company, MCC Resources. Another company, Kimia Mining Investment Sarl, was also working at the mine. Mining is not allowed in the reserve, and troops from the FARDC military were illegally protecting the mining site.
Later that month, Congolese officials took control of 31 kilograms of gold (worth about $1.9 million) from the Muchacha mine. As of 2022, groups like the Council for Environmental Defense through Legality and Traceability (CODELT) and Alerte Congolaise pour l'Environnement et les Droits de l'Homme (ACEDH) claimed that mining activities were destroying untouched rainforests inside the reserve.
Rebel attacks
On June 24, 2012, the Epulu Conservation and Research Center was attacked, stolen from, and set on fire by a group of Mai-Mai rebels led by Paul Sadala, also known as Morgan. This group included people who hunted elephants illegally and mined without permission. During the attack, 13 of the 14 okapis at the center were killed right away, and the last one died later from its injuries. Six people, including two wildlife rangers, were also killed. Many local people, including children, were taken against their will, but they were all released later. In early August, the situation became safer because of Congolese army troops and guards from the Congolese Wildlife Authority. Work to repair the center began, and with help from donations worldwide, the center was rebuilt one year after the attack.
On July 14, 2017, an attack happened near Mambasa in the reserve area, possibly by Mai-Mai rebels. Foreign journalists (two from Britain and one from the United States) and several park rangers were not hurt, but five local reserve workers (four wardens and one tracker) were killed. Some attackers were also killed.
Rebel threats continue. In March 2026, a local Congolese organization called the Consortium for the Safeguard of the Environment (COSAE) warned about dangers from the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist terrorist group active in Ituri province that controls parts of the reserve. Earlier that month, the ADF carried out a deadly attack on villages near the reserve, killing 50 civilians.