Assessing changes in the conservation status of the Reserve in order to improve site management and contribute to its removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger

A training course on the use of the Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET) was organized at the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (RFO) from February 9 to 10, 2026.

This activity was part of a program aimed at strengthening the capacities of Reserve co-managers and their partners in order to improve the effectiveness of site management through a structured approach to analysis, monitoring, and decision-making. An initial IMET assessment was carried out in 2019, serving as a benchmark for monitoring progress.

The objective was to train management teams and partners in the use of the IMET tool and results-based management, update contextual data, collect and analyze data on management effectiveness for the period 2020–2025, identify weaknesses and propose improvement objectives, and update the Management and Development Plan (PAG) and the Operational Plan ( PO ).

<< This IMET session was followed by a workshop to assess the effectiveness of the Reserve’s management, held from February 11 to 14, 2026, led by Gabriel Zabiti Kandolo, Expert in Systemic Approach, Head of the Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Unit at ICCN, and Senior Researcher, Deputy Director >>.

This workshop enabled data to be collected and entered in a participatory manner using the revised version of the IMET form ( offline ), indicators to be analyzed, results to be compared with the 2019 benchmark, and priorities for action to be identified.

The main results of the assessment include :

<< the production of an updated score for the RFO’s management effectiveness, the updating of contextual data, a consolidated analysis of management performance for the period 2020-2025, the formulation of objectives and corrective actions based on the weaknesses identified, and the strengthening of the management teams’ capacities in planning, monitoring, and evaluation >>.

The conclusions of this assessment are an essential strategic tool for decision-making and a key lever for the continuous improvement of the management of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

These sessions brought together the two co-managers of the Reserve, the ICCN ( Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation ) and the Wildlife Conservation Society ( WCS ), and partners including Wildlife Conservation Global ( WCG ), the German development bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau ( KFW ), and GFA Consulting Group.

John Etumba, Wildlife-journalist and Freelance video-reporter at RFE1-NEWS