Dominique Bikaba (Bashi Tribe, Eastern Congo, DRC), was born in the area that is now the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Strong Roots Congo, a grassroots conservation and sustainable development organization operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that backs initiatives like connecting community forests to link great ape habitats between protected areas. He holds a degree in Rural Development with specialization in Regional Planning, and a Masters from the Yale School of Forestry, where he focused on Ecosystem Conservation and Management. He has contributed to long-term research on great ape ecology in his home area, on forest governance and management, and on management of protected areas. An advocate for integrating Indigenous knowledge with applied science, Bikaba has complemented long engagement in his home area with advisory and other work with national and international organizations. He is a prominent member and Council member of the ICCA Consortium (a global movement and network of territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities, or “territories of life”).