79 Conservation Capacity Building The Congo Basin Institute has partnered with universities around the world to build higher education resources in Central Africa. People from local villages are trained in ecological research techniques, such as wildlife surveys, and hired at a professional wage to work on conservation projects. The aim is to gather traditional ecological knowledge about this critical natural area. “The Baka know 300 species of tree, the seeds from those trees, and they can identify the seedlings from those trees,” Smith said. “We now have professors of the forest who not only know the Baka names but all the Latin names. They are a phenomenal resource for anyone trying to do conservation work in the Congo Basin.” CBI aims to extend the network of field research stations in the Congo Basin to improve monitoring and preservation efforts. There are just a handful of stations now, in contrast to the hundreds that dot the Amazon in South America. Yet this region holds similar biodiversity value and the critical climatestabilizing role of carbon sequestration. CBI started a school for young people in 2020. There, the professors of the forest transmit their knowledge to future generations. Maps play an important role in the classroom to show interconnections that can be reinforced in the forest. Already, the partnership is seeing benefits to the local natural world. When the Zoological Society of London set out to study the giant pangolin, a 70-pound endangered species closely related to the most-trafficked mammal, they had difficulty finding any. “They asked me if the Baka guides could help,” Smith said. “Our trained crew quickly found 20 burrows, set up camera traps, and captured the first images of a giant pangolin coming out of its burrow.” The Congo Basin Institute has mapped areas important for protection from the pressures of climate change. Professors of the forest teach children about plants and wildlife and their interactions.
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