The Bombo Lumene Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with the ICCN and the management of the Bombo Lumene Estate and Reserve to support and restore the reserve in order to protect its unique ecosystem and biodiversity, and to support the surrounding communities that depend on it. Our partnership with the ICCN and the administration of the Bombo Lumene Reserve allows us to take action at all levels—whether scientific, technical, or financial.

The foundation was established in early 2021 in response to the rapid growth of Kinshasa and the pressure this was placing on Bombo Lumene’s natural resources. Due to years of mismanagement and a lack of funding, the reserve has suffered severely from human encroachment, illegal logging, charcoal production, the illegal sale of reserve land by local authorities, slash-and-burn agriculture, and poaching of its wildlife. We quickly realized that these threats would only continue to grow as the population of neighboring Kinshasa skyrockets to over 25 million, and that it is time to act now.

The Bombo Lumene Foundation tackles these challenges head-on by focusing on the development of ecotourism, the development of the reserve’s infrastructure, support for community development and education, support for reserve rangers and anti-poaching efforts, wildlife inventory and monitoring, and contributing to food security. Together, we aim to transform Bombo Lumene into an ecologically, socially, and financially sustainable reserve, capable of both reducing poverty in the region and protecting a unique ecosystem.

Our goal is for Bombo Lumene to survive and thrive despite Kinshasa’s population growth and the challenges that come with it, and to become a model for ecotourism, conservation, and development in western Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our mission is to preserve this unique landscape and its biodiversity for future generations.