Corneille Ewango braved dangers that most of us can’t even imagine, in order to protect the animals and plants of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve during the First and Second Congo Wars. Not long after the war’s official end, Ewango was rewarded for his efforts with a scholarship to the University of Missouri-St. Louis where he earned his master’s degree in Tropical Botany. While studying in the US, he was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize and in 2007 — the same year that he gave his TEDTalk — was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. Today, he is at Wageningen University in the Netherlands where he is studying for a PhD in Forest Ecology and Forest Management.

Although Ewango continues to succeed and increase his capacity to help his country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, he can only do so much, and the problems of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve and others like it continue. The reserve, named for its high numbers of okapi, is located in the Ituri tropical rainforest in the northeast of the DRC and is one of five World Heritage Sites in the country. The Ituri region is still one of the most politically unstable areas in the DRC. Conflict between ethnic and military groups presents an insurmountable challenge to conservation efforts. Contributing to the conservation challenge is the Central African “bushmeat” problem, which has developed as poor living conditions have caused many Congolese to poach animals in order to supplement their diet or to gain income. Problems of unchecked, and often illegal, logging and mining also plague the area. The length and severity of the ongoing conflict in the DRC has a devastating effect on its people, as well as its flora and fauna. Ewango’s talk is over two years old, but it describes a crisis that is far from over.

Twitter URL: http://on.ted.com/2R

Watch Corneille Ewango’s talk on TED.com where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 475+ TEDTalks.

Get TED delivered:
Subscribe to the TEDTalks video podcast via RSS >>
Subscribe to the iTunes video podcast
Subscribe to the iTunes audio podcast
Get updates via Twitter >>
Join our Facebook fan page >>

Subscribe to the TED Blog >>

Unsurprisingly, almost half of the National Geographic Explorers, as well as a few members of their staff, have given TEDTalks. Below the jump is a list of links to all the talks that bring TED and National Geographic together.

Here’s National Geographic Explorer and TED Prize 2009 winner Sylvia Earle:

National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence:

Robert Ballard, Oceanographer
Robert Ballard: Exploring the ocean’s hidden worlds

Jared Diamond, Scholar
Jared Diamond: Why societies collapse

Louise Leakey, Paleoanthropologist
Louise Leakey: Digging for humanity’s origins

Paul Sereno, Paleontologist
Paul Sereno: What can fossils teach us?

Jane Goodall, Primatologist and Environmentalist
Jane Goodall: What separates us from the apes?

Jane Goodall: Helping humans and animals live together in Africa

Wade Davis
Wade Davis: Cultures at the far edge of the world

Wade Davis: The worldwide wed of belief and ritual

Tierney Thys, Marine Biologist/Filmmaker (a 2004 Emerging Explorer)
Tierney Thys: Swim with giant sunfish in the open ocean

Spencer Wells, Genographer (a 2004 Emerging Explorer)
Spencer Wells: Building a family tree for all humanity

Zeresenay Alemseged, Paleoanthropologist (a 2004 Emerging Explorer)
Zeresenay Alemseged looks for humanity’s roots

Joseph Lekuton, Teacher (a 2006 Emerging Explorer)
Joseph Lekuton: A parable for Kenya

Corneille Ewango, Tropical Botanist (a 2007 Emerging Explorer)
Corneille Ewango: A hero of the Congo Basin forest

Nathan Wolfe, Biologist (a 2009 Emerging Explorer)
Nathan Wolfe: Hunting the next killer virus

National Geographic staff

Frans Lanting, National Geographic Photographer-in-Residence
Frans Lanting: A lyrical view of life on Earth

Keith Bellows, Editor in Chief, National Geographic Traveler
Keith Bellows: Celebrating the camel

David Griffin, Director of Photography, National Geographic Magazine
David Griffin: Photography connects us with the world