The original plans for the area is believed to have aimed at preventing the exploitation of mineral resources rather the protection of the nature and the wildlife.

On 20 November 1970, Presidential Decree no 70-312, which is bound to the law that had created the ICCN the previous year, was signed into force by Joseph Désiré Mobutu.

This precarious security situation has made it difficult for the rangers to patrol the Park, especially after the ICCN was coerced by the Congolese army into guiding their attacks towards the Simba.

[3] These surveys, combined revealed that Maiko is highly threatened yet supports an important reservoir of endemic and rare species.

All observations pointed to the intense hunting pressure caused by miners and the widespread use of guns as serious threats to the remaining animal populations.

In 2010, FFI initiated the construction of health centers and schools in villages falling inside the zone of influence of the Simbas.

The same year FZS launched an ambitious project aiming at turning the Simbas problem around by recruiting some of them as park rangers and allowing a de facto social reintegration which would directly benefit nature conservation in Maiko.