SAVE VIRUNGA
Stop Oil Exploration in Africa's Oldest National Park
Just a few days ago, another six rangers were killed in an ambush at DR Congo’s Virunga National Park. This is a small fraction of the more than 200 rangers killed in the past, including 12 last April in the deadliest of such attacks in recent memory. We always seem to notice rangers in their… Read More
The real cure for COVID is renewing our fractured relationship with the planet JAMES MASKALYK AND DAVE COURCHENE If humanity is to endure, the coming months must hold healing, not just of populations across the globe from the coronavirus, but of the Earth herself. As is true of many zoonoses (diseases that jumped from animals),… Read More
A group of about 580 savanna elephants recently returned to Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after crossing over from Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. The reappearance of the elephants brings hope to a park that’s been beset with civil unrest, violence, and poaching for decades. In May, Virunga National… Read More
2020 will go down as a somber year in human history with a global pandemic and a year full of protest against racial injustice. For Virunga National Park, 2020, will be remembered as the deadliest year in the history of the park with 21 Rangers and Employees who tragically lost their lives in 2020. Today… Read More
All these amazing pictures are from Patrick Tete (@PatrickTete_)
Virunga National Park has for more than two decades been going through a period characterized by various threats due not only to the activism of armed groups but also to the pressure exerted by local communities on natural resources, a phenomenon resulting from manipulations on the part of certain political leaders. Faced with this last… Read More
As mountain gorillas number more than 1,000 and India’s tiger populations rebound, recovery efforts reap their rewards. By Nick Clark31 Jul 20 As we mark World Conservation Day this week, it is a good time for some heartening news from the environmental world, which shows how the determined efforts of the few can create positive change… Read More
Activists praise decision to reject energy ministry’s proposal to dam the world-famous waterfall Conservationists in Uganda have hailed a bipartisan decision to reject the government’s plan to construct a hydro-power dam at the country’s biggest tourist attraction. Lawmakers unanimously adopted a report by the 28 member parliamentary committee on environment on Thursday, rejecting the Ministry of Energy… Read More
Armed groups that have been roaming eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for decades are known for killing and raping civilians. But they are also responsible for environmental crimes of ever-growing proportions, particularly in the famous Virunga National Park. BY EPHREM RUGIRIRIZA AND CLAUDE SENGENYA, JUSTICEINFO.NET “An illegal charcoal cartel is helping to finance one of… Read More
Companies must take action to respect the rights of communities at risk in East Africa’s oil frontier In research released today alongside FIDH and partner organizations, Oxfam highlighted the major risks of oil projects led by French energy giant Total in Uganda and Tanzania, which would require over 12,000 families to lose land and endanger… Read More
More than 500 dams are planned or under construction within protected areas, according to a new study published in Conservation Letters. These findings raise red flags as dams can have detrimental impacts on livelihoods of local communities such as fishing and floodplain farming, species movements, sediment flows to downstream deltas and floodplains, and other critical… Read More
To Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné and all backers of the EACOP project: “As global citizens, we urgently call on you to cancel the East African Crude Oil Pipeline and stop drilling in national parks. Your plans threaten to destroy precious biodiversity hotspots and wildlife habitats – displacing tens of thousands of farmers. This project seriously… Read More
