Transmission of Diseases from Humans to Apes: Extra Vigilance for Virunga

With the current outbreak of the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, global attention has been drawn to the significant health risks posed by eating wild animals. As the number of infections from the coronavirus exploded in China, the outbreak was linked to a live animal and seafood market in Jianghan District, Wuhan. The specific animal source and… Read More

Virunga: Preserving Africa’s National Parks through People-Centred Development

Home to rare and endangered species, the Congo’s national parks are also sites of human conflict. Without addressing the material drivers behind ecological degradation, conservation risks a losing battle. For Virunga, this was not an option– as Africa’s oldest national park, tackling socio-economic challenges facing local populations was a necessity in preserving its natural heritage.… Read More

Don’t Finance the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline! Protect Murchison Falls National Park

Standard Bank, Africa’s biggest lender, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) of Japan are reportedly about to finance a 1,443-kilometer crude oil pipeline through Uganda and Tanzania. If built, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) would be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world and is expected to cause large-scale displacement of… Read More

In an Imperfect World, Parks are Critical to Save DRC’s Natural Heritage such as Virunga, Maiko, Upemba…

The continuing importance of parks While community forests and conservation areas are a good way to build trust and a sense of stewardship and responsibility in the local community, national parks are still an essential conservation tool. “I think you still need parks, because you still need to have areas where biodiversity is totally protected,”… Read More

From Virunga To Uganda: Put on Your Boots, Save Murchison Falls!

There is a revived public outcry following media reports that government has proceeded with plans to allow the construction of a hydropower dam near one of Uganda‘s most spectacular natural attractions Murchison Falls. Earlier with year stakeholders in the tourism sector launch the protest calling on government to cancel plans for the dam project. They… Read More

Destroying the Earth is a Sin and Ecocide a Crime Against Peace

Protection of the environment by criminal law It is true that the criminal response comes when the crime has been committed, that it does not repair damage or prevent repetition, and that it rarely has dissuasive effects. It is also true that, because of its structural selectivity, the sanctioning function usually affects the most vulnerable… Read More

From Virunga to Upemba: Keep Kipay Investments and PowerChina out of Upemba National Park!

When Rodrigue Katembo moved from Virunga to Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2015, after uncovering the corruption attempts by SOCO International to drill for oil in the park, he probably didn’t expect to be confronted  with a similar situation in his new home, endangering not only his conservation’s effort but also… Read More

1.000 Reasons to Save Murchison Falls National Park

In Uganda, In Uganda, Murchison Falls is Number 1 China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) is one of the largest construction groups in the world. In Uganda, it built the 40-kilometer expressway between Entebbe Airport and the capital city, Kampala. The Export Import Bank of China is involved in the destruction of the Murchison Falls National… Read More

From Virunga to Uganda: Keep the Oil in the Ground – Save Murchison Falls!

Time is running out, we are losing our most precious wild places at an unbelievable pace. Last week it was the turn to Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia, the government has given green light for mining activities to start in this rich ecosystem compromising its diverse fauna and flora. Yesterday it was Virunga National… Read More

Virunga and Our Planet Call for the Best of Us, Now

“We are capable of bold, redemptive, and generous action, and such action is required of us now.” Excerpt  from  On E.B. White’s Urgent Calls for Environmental Justice Megan Mayhew Bergman Revisits The New Yorker’s “Anonymous” Editorials …. We believe we are superior to other tribes and nations, but also other life forms. Human exceptionalism is… Read More

Drilling Africa’s Great Lakes: No Virunga and No Planet B

Blocks off Africa’s coast have already been snapped up by exploration companies but what of East Africa’s enormous great lakes? With exploration well underway in Lake Albert and plans laid down for Lake Malawi, Philip Kleinfeld looks at the social, political and environmental challenges. Lake Albert Uganda Blocks off Africa’s coast have already been snapped… Read More

Protected Areas like Virunga Are a Gift Handed from One Wise Generation to the Next

“One of the major tenets behind the creation of a national park, or other protected area, is that it will not fade, but remain in essence beyond the pressures of human society, enjoyed by current generations while being preserved for future ones. The protected area is a gift, in a way, handed from one wise… Read More