Barbara Fruth is the director of the Project. She has worked for more than 15 years in Africa. Coming with a profound academic background, she conducted basic research on primate behavioural ecology. The omnipresent need for social, ecological and economical improvements on ground, nurtured the need to go beyond pure academics. In view of an efficient contribution to conservation, she designed the project in 1999. With an implementation of basic and applied research, an integration and formation of young scientists of the country of origin, and an interdisciplinary approach she identifies and develops research areas that shall contribute to save the last intact habitats of the African continent [more].

Musuyu Désiré Muganza graduated in 1996 as a pharmacist from Kinshasa University. He joined the Max-Planck-Project (bonobo behavioural ecology) in 1997. At that time he focused on selected bonobo food & medicinal plants. In 1998 he came with a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to Regensburg University, Department of Pharmacy. There, he learned various techniques including phytochemical documentation (HPTLC analysis) and structure determination of substances. Within the biodiversity-project, he started the phenological data collection in 2002, and contributed to the interviews with local villagers. Currently, he works on taxonomic identification. In Kinshasa he is responsible for the project-laboratory and the phytochemical documentation of the medicinal plants. He is currently studying epidemiology at the University Victor Segalen in Bordeaux, where he is expecting to obtain his Diploma (DU) in 2005.

Etienne Mabonso Kibangu studied at Kisangani & Kinshasa University. He graduated in Biology in 1999 and joined the project end of 2002. He has contributed to the collection of phenological, taxonomical and phytosociological data. His special interests are on the ecology of the genus FICUS and on the diversity and sociological characteristics of the segregated savannahs in the area. In 2004/05 he has spent two months at the University of Brussels for identification and verification of collected taxa. He is accepted by the department of ecology for the DEA program focusing on the diversity and sociology of savannah fringe vegetation.

Gaby Kitengie Matshimba graduated in Biology from the Institut Universitaire Pédagogique National in 2003 in Kinshasa. He joined the project in 2004 as homologue of the local conservation authority (ICCN). He has contributed to the collection of phenological and taxonomic data. His current interests are on the nutrition of apes and monkeys where he intends to join a DEA program investigating in feeding competition between bonobos and sympatric monkeys.

Nono Bondjengo Ikombe graduated as agronomist from Kinshasa University in 2003. He joined the project in 2004 as homologue of the local conservation authority (ICCN). He has contributed to the collection of data on taxonomy and feeding ecology. His current interests are on the nutritional analysis of feeding plants. He intends to join a DEA program investigating in the identification and quantification of secondary compounds of selected plant species.

Bibiche Mato Kelenda graduated in Biology in 2003 at Kinshasa University. Her graduation-thesis focused on wild growing medicinal plants in the Kinshasa. She joined the project in 2004, focusing on the use of local plants by the women of the villages under study. In Kinshasa she is involved in plant identification. She has been accepted for a DEA Program of the Department of Biology at Kinshasa University.

Guy Ilumbe Bayeli graduated as Botanist from Kinshasa University in 1999. He joined the project in 2002. His major interest was on the phytosociology of the area under investigation. In 2003, he went for five months to join the Department of Phytosociology at Brussels University. There he analysed his data. He joined the DEA program at the department of Biology at Kinshasa University, where he finished his DEA in Dezember 2004.