From May 21 to 25, 2018, the Deputy Director of Salonga National Park Lucien Lokumu and the Legal Affairs and Litigation Officer Hervé Kimoni met on the occasion of an inter-institutional dialogue various stakeholders involved in anti-poaching activities. The objective of the mission was meeting with different authorities to improve the implementation of the anti poaching strategy, both in the National Park and its surroundings, while also improving the monitoring and the legal care of persons accused of poaching. This short mission allowed the National Park Team to meet with the vice provincial governor, the head of the national police, the prosecutor of the republic (prosecutors), the officials of the National Intelligence Agency, the armed forces of the the DRC and the Bonobo Operation to discuss the difficulties faced by these institutions and the National Park and discuss common solutions and work prospects.
“These meetings were important for several reasons: firstly, for the visibility of the National Park, because it allowed us to be identified as interlocutors and to establish contacts with these stakeholders. Secondly, to ensure that the authorities can easily get in contact with Salonga National Park administration when they are confronted with legal and operational questions, regarding the management of the park  as well as on community conservation questions or other topics. Lastly, the encounters and contacts helped redefine the terms of collaboration, particularly with the FARDC and the public prosecutor’s office” , explained Hervé Kimoni.
The Deputy Director and his colleague also met with the Mayor of Boende and the President of the local Civil Society.
The fruitful exchanges with the different institutions made it possible to highlight the value of SNP, but also the need to establish a dynamic framework of continuous  collaboration with these various institutional partners – with regards to concrete sites, joint oversight missions, and a stronger judicial cooperation.