The okapi is a species that lives within one of the most dense and difficult to navigate ecosystems in the world, it has adapted to be secretive, skittish, and hard to find. Most conservation techniques and solutions require ample knowledge about the species in question; habitat ranges, territory sizes, population fluctuations, and the intricacies of how they interact with members of their own and other species. The okapi's elusive behavior as well as their isolated and sometimes dangerous habitat continue to make it difficult for conservationists to get a handle on this species.

Despite the difficulties, there are policies and plans in place to protect the okapi. First of all, the okapi is a fully protected species under Congolese law and is a national symbol appearing on both the ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature) insignia and Congolese banknotes. Secondly, the IUCN identifies both the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Réserve de Faune à Okapis; RFO) and the Maiko National park as two protected areas containing significant populations of the species. Populations of okapi exist in other areas but in smaller numbers or in unprotected and unregulated areas. The ICCN is the government agency in charge of the protected areas within the DRC but they are often understaffed and underfunded, they struggle to maintain proper security and put into practice proper conservation techniques. Outside of the DRC, many okapi are held in internationally connected collections, within zoos and other refuges. Many of these organizations have come together in the past to evaluate and discuss the role of captive populations of okapi and how they can be most effective through captive breeding and education efforts. 

There are several ways to attempt to determine the population of a species so rarely seen in the dense foliage of the rainforest, but none of them are perfect or can give a full picture of the populations of okapi that are present in the wild. In addition, continued hunting of the species and population surveys in more protected areas lead researchers to believe that the populations present are declining. Coupled with more and more logging and clearing of the rainforest in order to grab more resources or make room for agriculture and housing projects, there is rising concern about the safety of the okapi and its precious ecosystem. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has also experienced much civil unrest in recent years, the presence of illegal armed groups that participate in the poaching and hunting of other species are also a concern. In some cases these groups have posed such a danger to conservationists themselves that it has prevented effective conservation actions and surveys from taking place.

With the okapi facing so many threats from both local and international sources, they require solutions capable of tackling both local and international problems. 

The okapi is an important species, one worth caring about and maintaining in order to conserve the diversity of one of the only living members of the Giraffidae family. This species is not only evolutionarily unique, they happen to have adapted to living in one of the most diverse ecosystems on our planet. The rainforests of the Congolese area make up the second largest rainforest in the world, and are the only major rainforests which absorb more carbon than they emit. Furthermore, the Ituri rainforest, one of the two major strongholds for the okapi population, where the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (RFO) is located, is also a major ancestral home of great importance to the local pygmies who still live there. Also of note is the fact that the southern and eastern portions of the Ituri forest have been significantly damaged by the expansion of human settlements since 1980, limiting a good chunk of the okapi's available range in an area where it was once thriving.