What Primate Expertise does

Primate Expertise (PEx) is a nonprofit conservation organization headquartered in Bukavu, South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, founded circa 2013–2015 by primatologist Dr. Augustin K. Basabose. It operates a multi-site community-based primate conservation program across at least four landscapes: Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Grauer's gorilla), Idjwi Island and the Idjwi-Nyamusisi Nature Reserve (Schouteden's blue monkey), the Itombwe Nature Reserve (biomonitoring), and the Nyangezi escarpments (baboon). The organization is structured around three program pillars — Conservation Science, Reforestation, and Livelihood — delivered through an 18-person team that combines field research, habitat restoration, and alternative-income generation for Bantu, Batwa, and pygmy communities. Its technical core includes a novel, non-invasive seed restoration method that germinates intact seeds recovered from gorilla and chimpanzee dung to produce native seedlings for buffer-zone reforestation around KBNP, supplemented by a 20-camera-trap biomonitoring network in the Tshibati sector. Its business model is nonprofit grant-funded: PEx receives core support from a flagship partnership with Wild Earth Allies (since 2017), supplementary grants from Berggorilla and GIZ, and in-kind research support from Kyoto University's Primatology and Wildlife Science program and CRSN-Lwiro; all programs are delivered free of charge to beneficiary communities, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Primate Expertise

Legal name

Primate Expertise

Website

https://primatexpertise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Primate Expertise is a DRC-based nonprofit that conducts community-based primate conservation across four landscapes in eastern Congo, delivering Grauer's gorilla, blue monkey, and baboon research, ape-dung seed reforestation, and livelihood programs to indigenous and local communities around protected areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI)

Keywords

• Primate conservation services
• Wildlife habitat restoration
• Community-based conservation
• Environmental education programs
• Biodiversity field research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bukavu

HQ country

Congo - Kinshasa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Primate Expertise is a nonprofit organization that funds its operations through donations, grants, and financial support from international conservation partners and development organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Primate Expertise is a Bukavu-headquartered nonprofit conservation organization that conducts field research, biomonitoring, habitat restoration, and community-based conservation programs for non-human primates in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its core deliverable is integrated primate conservation work — research, reforestation using ape-dung-collected native seeds, camera-trap biomonitoring, and alternative-livelihood community programs — executed across Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Idjwi Island, Nyangezi, and Itombwe Nature Reserve.

Product overview

Primate Expertise is a non-profit conservation organization based in the Democratic Republic of Congo that operates a portfolio of interconnected programs focused on non-human primate research, conservation, and community engagement. The organization combines three core program pillars: Conservation Science (research and monitoring), Reforestation (habitat restoration using innovative seed dispersal methods), and Livelihood (alternative income generation for local communities). Key offerings include the Grauer's Gorilla Conservation Program at Kahuzi-Biega National Park, the Blue Monkey Conservation Program on Idjwi Island, the Ape Trees Reforestation Initiative, Community Livelihood Programs (beekeeping, saponification, traditional pot production, sewing training), Environmental Education and Outreach, and Camera Trap Monitoring Systems. The organization works in partnership with Wild Earth Allies and receives support from international donors including GIZ and Berggorilla.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grauer's Gorilla Conservation Program Research, monitoring, and community-based conservation program for Grauer's gorillas at Kahuzi-Biega National Park, including camera trap monitoring, community education, and habitat restoration for partner ICCN/PNKB.
• Blue Monkey Conservation Program (Cercopithecus mitis schoutedeni) Conservation program for the endemic Schouteden's blue monkey subspecies on Idjwi Island, delivered through research, community education, and habitat protection at the Idjwi-Nyamusisi Nature Reserve.
• Ape Trees Reforestation Initiative Forest restoration program that collects intact seeds from great ape dung, germinates them in community nurseries, and plants the seedlings to regenerate native tree species in degraded buffer zones around Kahuzi-Biega National Park and on community lands.
• Community Livelihood Programs Alternative income-generating activities for communities surrounding primate habitats, including beekeeping, saponification training, traditional pot production, and sewing/cutting training, designed to reduce pressure on natural resources.
• Environmental Education and Outreach School-based environmental education programs, community awareness campaigns, and 'Friends of Nature' children's clubs that inspire young Congolese students to pursue primate conservation and wildlife sciences.
• Camera Trap Monitoring System Remote wildlife monitoring service using Bushnell camera traps installed at Kahuzi-Biega National Park to track Grauer's gorillas, chimpanzees, and other elusive species, and to monitor poaching activity.
• Baboon Conservation at Nyangezi Conservation and habitat restoration program for baboon populations in the Nyangezi area, delivered through community involvement and environmental monitoring.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200 hectares restored inside KBNP and 14 hectares restored in community spaces
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ICCN is the national conservation authority managing DRC's national parks. The ICCN General Director visited PEx offices in February 2026, reinforcing collaboration on Grauer's gorilla conservation involving local communities.
• GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022GIZ partnered with PEx and WEA to organize community sensitization workshops on the socioeconomic importance of Ape trees around KBNP during the National Tree Day celebration.
• Wild Earth Allies (WEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Wild Earth Allies is the primary strategic partner of Primate Expertise, providing substantial financial support for conservation programs including Grauer's gorilla conservation at KBNP, bamboo projects on Idjwi Island, solar power installation for PEx offices, and pygmy livelihood programs. The partnership is described as a flagship collaboration driving the core conservation mission.
• Kahuzi-Biega National Park (PNKB/KBNP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017PNKB is the primary protected area where PEx conducts Grauer's gorilla conservation research and reforestation. PEx collaborates with park rangers, donates equipment (camera traps), and conducts joint training on GPS and camera trap use.
• IRCFI (Initiative pour la Restauration et la Conservation des Forêts d'Idjwi)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013IRCFI is the local community-based organization that collaborates with PEx on blue monkey conservation on Idjwi Island, providing technical support for research and community education programs.
• WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner among the Kahuzi-Biega National Park conservation partner network alongside other international NGOs.
• WWFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner among the Kahuzi-Biega National Park conservation partner network.
• FFI (Fauna & Flora International)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner among the Kahuzi-Biega National Park conservation partner network.
• CRSN/Lwiro (Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles de Lwiro)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEx collaborates with CRSN-Lwiro researchers on primate research, seed germination experiments, and training. Dr. Augustin K. Basabose serves as head of the primatology laboratory at CRSN-Lwiro.
• CRPL (Centre de Réhabilitation des Primates de Lwiro)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEx collaborated with CRPL on the ape dung seedling project, distributing germinated plantlets for reforestation around the primate rehabilitation center.
• PWS - Primatology and Wildlife Science (Kyoto University)majorTechnology or IntegrationPWS (Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science) of Kyoto University donated Bushnell camera traps to PEx for long-term ecological studies on Grauer's gorillas and chimpanzees in Kahuzi-Biega National Park.
• Université du Cinquantenaire de Lwiro (UNIC-Lwiro)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIC-Lwiro, a public university, established a green zone on its compound planting seedlings germinated from seeds swallowed by Kahuzi apes, as part of the ape dung restoration project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• African Wildlife Foundation: African Wildlife Foundation is a pan-African conservation NGO with active gorilla and forest programs in DRC and the Albertine Rift — the same ecoregion where PEx operates. Comparable community-based and species-conservation model, but operating at significantly larger scale and budget.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS): WCS is a major global conservation NGO with a long-running, large-scale program at Kahuzi-Biega National Park — listed in PEx's own partner network. It is a broad incumbent operating gorilla, elephant, and forest programs across multiple DRC landscapes with substantially greater funding and staffing.
• WWF: WWF is a global conservation incumbent with extensive great ape and forest programs across the Congo Basin, including work at or near Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Listed in PEx's partner network. Operates at substantially greater scale and competes for the same institutional donor pool.
• Fauna & Flora International (FFI): FFI is a long-established UK-based conservation NGO with active great ape and forest programs in DRC, including Itombwe Nature Reserve where PEx also operates. It is a broad incumbent with comparable species priorities, a broader geographic footprint, and a larger institutional funding base.
• Frankfurt Zoological Society: Frankfurt Zoological Society funds and operates major protected-area management and species conservation programs in the Congo Basin and Albertine Rift, including Grauer's gorilla habitat. A broad incumbent with a similar conservation focus but substantially larger institutional capacity.

Direct peers

• Gorilla Doctors: Gorilla Doctors (formerly Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project) provides veterinary care and health monitoring for wild great apes across the Virunga massif and has expanded into Grauer's gorilla range. It is a directly comparable specialized NGO operating in overlapping eastern DRC gorilla conservation territory.
• International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP): IGCP is a coalition-based program focused on conserving the Critically Endangered Grauer's gorilla and its forest habitat across the DRC. It is one of the most directly comparable peers in terms of species (Grauer's gorilla) and geography, and competes for the same pool of great-ape conservation funding.
• Wild Earth Allies: Wild Earth Allies is PEx's flagship strategic partner and a US-based conservation nonprofit with active Grauer's gorilla and great ape programs in Kahuzi-Biega National Park and on Idjwi Island. It is the closest operational peer — same landscapes, same species focus, and a co-funding relationship that makes their programmatic models directly comparable.
• Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund: The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund operates one of the world's longest-running gorilla research and conservation programs, focused on the Virunga mountain gorilla population adjacent to the same eastern DRC / Great Lakes region where PEx works. It is a direct peer on gorilla science, anti-poaching, and community-based conservation, with a much larger academic and donor footprint.
• Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe: Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe is a German nonprofit dedicated to gorilla conservation in Africa and a direct, smaller-scale funder peer to PEx. It has already provided seed-funding for PEx's ape-dung restoration work, making it an unusually close programmatic peer as well as a past collaborator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyAAGFGoWYTNSRadM1tvwGA
• Facebookfacebook.com/primatexpertise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/primate-expertise

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Primate Expertise