Semi-Annual Report October 01, 2017 to March 31, 2018

The Reserve's management plan, developed in collaboration with local communities and indigenous peoples, aims to promote forestry and biodiversity conservation in the Itombwe massif. The plan is currently under review by the Director-General of the Institute Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) following a meeting between ICCN-HQ experts and RNI representatives. The Reserve's core zone has been delimitated, with a total of 11 km of the Reserve's core zone marked in the Burhinyi chiefdom. This effort was enhanced by local community patrols, which covered 7.3% of the Reserve. The Reserve's enforcement and compliance unit faces challenges due to the limited number of eco-guards dedicated to patrol operations. The lack of the human factor in forest management implies that the Reserve may not fully address biodiversity conservation and unsustainable use of forest resources. The Reserve's enforcement and compliance unit has conducted several law enforcement activities, including training customs and RNI judiciary police officers on the new conservation of natural resources law and writing of judiciary proceedings. The unit has also provided modern equipment for wildlife monitoring to ICCN. Regular patrols with several field teams will continue during the second semester of the fiscal year. The Reserve's micro zone partners participated in the annual CoCo meeting, which was held on December 20-21, 2017, in Bukavu. The meeting was scheduled to be held in Uvir, but was delocalized due to insecurity in the Ruzizi plains. The Reserve's implementation of the implementation of the use management plan has been strengthened, with the provincial decree N° 16/026/GP/SK on June 20, 2016, providing provisional measures updating the Reserve's limits. The Reserve's re-demarcation process in the Burhinyi chiefdom was a crucial step, involving the entire community in the process. The conservation area in the Burhinyi chiefdom was re-demarcated, with a total area of 3,822 ha representing 44.1% of the chiefdom. A consensus was reached by agreement between ICCN and the Burhinyi Chiefdom, with the whole entity being re-demarcated. The Reserve's enforcement and compliance unit has conducted several law enforcement activities, including training eco-guards on human right ethics and providing modern equipment for wildlife monitoring to ICCN. The unit has also provided training for 15 customs and RNI judiciary police officers on the new conservation of natural resources law and writing of judiciary proceedings. The Reserve's enforcement and compliance unit has conducted several law enforcement activities, including training eco-guards on human right ethics and providing modern equipment for wildlife monitoring