Rediscovered in a Forgotten Park: The Elusive Upemba Lechwe
A Lost Species Comes Into Focus
In the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, amidst the remote wetlands of the Kamalondo Depression, a fleeting moment has reignited hope for one of Africa’s most elusive antelopes. The Upemba lechwe (Kobus anselli), unseen by science for decades, has finally been captured in a photograph—an image that may serve as both a testament to its resilience and a clarion call for its conservation.
In March 2025, during an aerial survey over the Zone Annex of Upemba National Park, researchers observed a few of these rare antelopes moving through the swamps. While most of them vanished into the thick reeds, one individual paused just long enough for biologist Manuel Weber to take a photo—the first ever published photograph of this animal alive. Until now, the Upemba lechwe had been known only from museum specimens and field reports, its existence bordering on legend.
Vanishing Into the Marshes
Once numbering in the thousands in the 1970s, the Upemba lechwe’s population has plummeted due to decades of poaching. The recent aerial count found only ten individuals, suggesting that fewer than 100 survive. These antelopes, with their golden-brown coats and unique physical features, are now restricted to a single, shrinking range in the western portion of Upemba National Park.
With its long, lyre-shaped horns and swamp-adapted limbs, the Upemba lechwe is a wetland specialist—an ecological jewel in a vast floodplain. But without swift action, it may disappear before the world truly gets to know it.
Upemba – One of Africa’s Best-Kept Biodiversity Secrets
The Upemba landscape stretches over two ecological structures that are known for their endemism: The Kibara and Manika/Biano grassland plateaus, on the one hand, are known for their endemism particularly in dragonflies, plants, and birds. On the other hand, the Kamalondo depression wetlands are a hotspot in fish diversity, with at least 2 endemic birds, and the Upemba lechwe.
Yet, although great work over the last 80 years has illustrated this, many of the elements are poorly documented, still unknown, or “lost to science” due to no recent records. Adding to that the mounting anthropogenic pressures, they are facing a situation with high stakes in terms of conservation.
“It is for this reason that we are trying to work on baselines of the status of Upemba’s biodiversity, to direct our management efforts where it is most needed,” said Manuel Weber.
The Upemba Lechwe is an important piece in the puzzle, since large mammals are the first taxon that vanishes, and because the population is endemic to the Kamalondo depression. This comes with great responsibilities for the park, since the success of the park’s efforts may be decisive on the survival or extinction of this population.
Conservation frontlines
Upemba National Park is no stranger to hardship. Once plagued by militia activity and dubbed the “triangle of death,” the park is now in the midst of a hopeful transformation.
The lechwe in Upemba National Park faces mounting threats, primarily from meat poaching and the increasing encroachment of agriculture into its habitat. Local poverty makes bushmeat a tempting source of income, placing significant pressure on this vulnerable species.
In response, targeted anti-poaching strategies are being developed, including the planned establishment of a new ranger outpost to boost surveillance and deterrence. Despite current resource limitations, efforts are underway to train and deploy 80 new rangers by September, strengthening the park’s protection capacity.
Community engagement is also a key pillar, with awareness campaigns focusing on the lechwe and other species. Alternative protein sources such as fish farming and improved fisheries are being introduced to reduce reliance on bushmeat and promote more sustainable livelihoods.
Immediate conservation actions
The following immediate conservation actions are being prioritized to safeguard the Upemba lechwe and reduce threats to its survival:
- Establishing a permanent presence of rangers in the species’ core habitat to mitigate poaching and monitor the population.
- Conducting additional ground and aerial surveys across the entire Kamalondo Depression to refine population estimates and assess human encroachment (and collect samples for genetic analysis).
- Collecting data on the pressures affecting the species and evaluating the feasibility of in situ protection measures.
- Deploying community conservation teams modeled on the successful “Hugo teams” from Virunga National Park. These teams will be composed of trained local residents who act as frontline conservation agents—raising awareness, monitoring wildlife, reporting threats, and serving as liaisons between the park and surrounding communities. Their presence will also help reduce pressure on the lechwe’s habitat and discourage poaching.
Community engagement
Currently, local communities are not involved in protecting the Upemba lechwe or included in awareness efforts—an urgent gap the park is now addressing. By engaging communities directly, the park aims to build local stewardship for the lechwe and its wetland habitat. This approach will be reinforced through broader sensitization campaigns and alternative livelihood options like sustainable fisheries and agriculture to reduce pressure on critical ecosystems.
Long term strategies
Saving the Upemba lechwe from extinction is about more than protecting a single species—it’s about securing an entire landscape with extraordinary but overlooked conservation value. By building Upemba’s profile around this rare antelope, the parks aims to raise awareness and catalyze action.
The lechwe share their habitat with Katanga’s elephants and other key species like the endemic black-lored waxbill. As a flagship species, the lechwe can serve as an umbrella for broader biodiversity conservation in the Kamalondo Depression, helping to protect this vital and vulnerable ecosystem as a whole.
How does the rediscovery of the Upemba lechwe influence broader conservation strategies in the region?
The rediscovery of the Upemba lechwe is a powerful reminder of the ecological richness of the Upemba landscape, one of the most unique ecosystems in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although this species and the landscape itself have been largely overlooked for many years, the lechwe’s continued existence underscores the urgent need to refocus conservation attention and resources on this critical region.
This rediscovery reinforces the message that Upemba is not a forgotten landscape, but a national treasure that holds immense value for biodiversity, culture, and future generations. The lechwe, endemic to this ecosystem, is now a symbol of what is at stake. Its critically endangered status places a collective responsibility on all stakeholders, from local communities, government institutions, conservation partners, and to the international community to act decisively to prevent its extinction.
“We hope that the rediscovery of the Upemba lechwe generates attention for the landscape, and that this attention can be translated into conservation efforts that reflect the complexity of the landscape—in other words, that they yield ecologically sustainable outcomes while being socially acceptable,” said Tina Lain, park manager of Upemba.
How can the international community support the conservation of the Upemba lechwe?
The international community can play a critical role by elevating the Upemba lechwe to a global conservation priority—just as it did with the mountain gorillas of the Virunga Massif. With fewer than 100 individuals remaining, urgent and coordinated action is needed to prevent extinction, beginning with the protection of the species’ last remaining habitat.
Despite its ecological significance, the Upemba landscape remains under threat. An oil block overlapping this fragile area has been open for exploration since 2022, posing a major risk to the lechwe and the broader wetland ecosystem. Industrial developments such as oil extraction have no place in this irreplaceable biodiversity refuge.
Strong political will from the DRC, supported by sustained international technical and financial backing, is essential. Equally important is investing in alternatives that promote local development while safeguarding conservation goals—such as sustainable livelihoods, habitat restoration, and inclusive, community-led conservation.
Saving the Upemba lechwe is not only about protecting a species on the brink; it’s about securing the future of one of the DRC’s most biodiverse yet overlooked ecosystems. The time to act is now.
