The Lukuru Project area is home to a human population of ca. 82,850 people across a surface area of 23,908 km². There are four (4) distinct ethnic groups represented on the landscape under two chefferies. They are the:

• Ndengese
• Ikolombe
• Isolu, and
• I yaelima.

The Iyaelima and Isolu live in territories independent of the other groups. The Ikolombe territory is overlapped by the Ndengese.

The Ndengese is the administrative ruling group over the Ikolombe and the Isolu. All groups respect a traditional taboo against eating bonobo meat.

The traditional authority is represented by:

Grand Chef Monsieur Ikonga Nsamo BOKELE Georges, Traditional Grand Chief and Chief of the Ndengese/Isolu/Ikolombe Chefferies

Chef KABANDA Bampembe, Chief of the Ngelendjale Group/Bakomo

Grande Chef Monsieur.IYO BOOTO ALFONSE, Traditional Grand Chief of the Grouppement de Isolu

Grand Chef Monsieur LONGANGA ISAKO II Camille, Traditional Chief of the Iyaelima Chefferie

We have three (3) official armed enforcement groups:

• the Police Nationale Congolaise (PNC),
• the FARDC (Force Army Republic Democratique du Congo), and
• the Garde de Parc, Institut Congo pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN)

On Monday 23 July 2007, Grand CHEF BOKELE died. His death has left a void of instability and uncertainty on the land.

Chef Bokele supported the work of the Lukuru Project as the highest traditional authority across the entire region since 2002 when his brother (Chef SIKI) was publicly executed by rebels. Although he always agreed with the activities and mission of the Lukuru Project, when the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) globally broadcast in late 2002 the enormous amounts of funding to be designated in 11 landscapes across 6 countries of central

Africa
, Chef Bokele wanted “his share” and blocked many avenues of the work. He insisted that we purchase for him a new Mercedes Benz and ship it out to the village … never mind that there are no roads or petrol (gasoline) stations in the area. It was difficult for him to comprehend that the Lukuru Project does not receive any funding or support from the CBFP.

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