剛果共和國最近新規劃了大片的雨林保留區，以對瀕臨絕種矮黑猩猩（bonobo，又名巴諾布猿）保護行動給予激勵。只有在剛果發現的矮黑猩猩屬於很少人知道的大猩猩品種。矮黑猩猩居住在剛果盆地的中心，這片非洲最大的雨林因為工業砍伐，影響矮黑猩猩的棲地。
剛果共和國環境部長博基亞加（Didace Pembe Bokiaga）於2007年11月初正式公告這片保護區，他表示「這項舉動將剛果共和國的保留區面積增加至10.47%，有助於達成15%的目標。」
桑庫魯（Sankuru）自然保留區占地1萬1803平方英里的熱帶雨林，面積比美國麻薩諸塞州還要大，其中居住著大象和其他稀有的哺乳類動物，以及世上僅存數千隻的矮黑猩猩。
矮黑猩猩保育組織也從華盛頓總部共同慶賀這片新保留區的誕生。「這是對保護世上第二大雨林重要區域有紀念價值的一步，保護矮黑猩猩之所以重要，並不只是因為人類血緣上和猿類比較親近，而是因為所有在地球上生物的存在都被氣候變遷所威脅，」矮黑猩猩保育組織會長暨發起人之一柯希（Sally Jewell Coxe）表示。
桑庫魯保留區位於保護區地帶的南端，這個保護區是矮黑猩猩保育組織在「矮黑猩猩和平森林」裡以社群為基礎所發展出的。據柯希表示，這個計畫在2002年發起之初就得到剛果總統卡畢拉（Joseph Kabila）的支持。
桑庫魯地區近來因為剛果內戰受到嚴重影響，除了當地飽受驚嚇的人民之外，還犧牲了400萬條人命，柯希表示這個數字比二次世界大戰以來的任何戰爭死亡人數還要多。「現在這個人道危機必須被解決，」柯希表示。「桑庫魯人民的生活所需都仰賴森林，除了交易叢林裡得到的肉類外，如何幫助他們發展新的經濟機會，是目前最重要需解決的問題。」
A vast rainforest nature reserve has been newly set aside by the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, to encourage improved protection for the endangered bonobo, a great ape species that few people even know exists. Found only in the DRC, bonobos inhabit the heart of the Congo Basin, Africa's largest rainforest, now threatened by industrial logging.
DRC Minister of the Environment Didace Pembe Bokiaga officially declared the reserve earlier this month, saying, "This increases the total area of protected land in the DRC to 10.47 percent, bringing us closer to our goal of 15 percent."
Larger than the state of Massachusetts, the new Sankuru Nature Reserve encompasses 11,803 square miles of tropical rainforest that shelters forest elephants and other rare mammals alongside the remaining few thousand bonobos.
From its headquarters in Washington, DC, the nonprofit Bonobo Conservation Initiative joins in the rejoicing over the new reserve.
"This is a monumental step towards saving a significant portion of the world's second largest rainforest, of critical importance to the survival not only of humankind's closest great ape relative, the bonobo, but to all life on Earth given the increasing threat of climate change," said Sally Jewell Coxe, president and co-founder of the Bonobo Conservation Initiative.
The Sankuru reserve is the southern anchor for a constellation of linked, community-based reserves being developed by Bonobo Conservation Initiative in the Bonobo Peace Forest, a project that Coxe says has enjoyed the support of DRC President Joseph Kabila since its inception in 2002.
The Sankuru region was hit hard during the recent war in the Congo, which devastated the local people and claimed four million lives, Coxe says, more than any war since World War II.
Now the humanitarian crisis must be addressed," says Coxe. "The people of Sankuru rely on the forest for every aspect of their livelihood. Helping them to develop new economic opportunities apart from the bush meat trade is one of the most urgent priorities."
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In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
