SAVE VIRUNGA
Stop Oil Exploration in Africa's Oldest National Park
Local communities, local conservationists and human rights organizations oppose the search for oil and defend the right of these local populations to a healthy environment and sustainable development option. These stories are intended to give a voice to local communities living in and around Virunga National Park. It is their voice, their fears and feelings about oil development.
Virunga, one of the wonders of Africa, is home to rare gorillas—and plagued by violence and economic tension. BY ROBERT DRAPER PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRENT STIRTON This story appears in the July 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine. When the ranger studied the ragtag crew he was supervising, seven young men repairing a rugged road that… Read More
The huge national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most dangerous conservation projects in the world. But thanks to the efforts of a committed force of rangers, populations of endangered species are recovering and locals say the park offers hope for the whole region. Jason Burke in Virunga national park,… Read More
Virunga National Park is under threat and witnessing an increase in attacks and misinformation around its development projects in North Kivu. Everything started a few months ago with recurrent militia attacks in and around the construction site of its third Hydropower plant of 12,8 MW close to Lubero. Making it very difficult for the park… Read More
Secrets in the Mist offers an intimate account of the life and legacy of the iconic primatologist Dr Dian Fossey, 32 years after her vicious murder. Under the watchful assistance of the late anthropologist Dr Louis Leakey and sponsorship by National Geographic, Dian Fossey (1932-85) set forth to explore and study the endangered mountain gorillas… Read More
On the edge of the DRC is a place where nature puts on such a show, it ignites passions in rangers and visitors beyond compare. Welcome to Virunga National Park, home to more species of wildlife than any other reserve in Africa. by Scott Ramsay ‘You’re still alive!’ laughed Daniel Hanamali, our local guide. We’d… Read More
Marginalised for decades, Pygmy peoples are fighting for recognition and land rights. Even the term ‘pygmy’ is laced with historical racism and prejudice; they are not treated as equal citizens in their home country. At the heart of pygmy culture is their forest, central to their spiritual beliefs, and ancestral heritage it is also their source… Read More
Virunga National Park was created in 1925, contained within 790,000 hectares the greatest biological diversity of any park in Africa: from steppes, savannas and lava plains, swamps, lowland and montane forests to volcanoes and the unique giant herbs and snowfields of Rwenzori over 5,000m high. Thousands of hippopotamuses lived in its rivers, its mountains are a… Read More
Bantu Lukambo and Josué Kambasu Mukura have risked their lives while working to protect Virunga National Park, which is exposed to many threats including extractive activities, poaching and armed conflict. Engaging with local communities, they strive to demonstrate the huge potential of the park as a sustainable way out of poverty. Virunga National Park, Democratic… Read More
This short video and testimonies of Virunga’s Women show how the Virunga Alliance, with its four pillars Tourism, Agro Industry, Sustainable Fisheries and Renewable Energy, is enhancing women’s engagement and empowerment through the creation of equal opportunities for men and women and contributing to sustainable peace building outcomes in DR-Congo. Women Empowerment refers to the… Read More
The following excerpt is based on an old ‘revised’ guest blog by Esther Marijnen, Blaise Muhire and Judith Vermeijden. It looks into the challenges of conservation amidst conflict, violence and poverty in Eastern DRC and more particularly within and around Virunga National Park. It reminds us an important lesson about conservation: Conserving Virunga For and With Congolese… Read More
Ahead of the COP21 , this was in 2007, Dr Richard Leakey argued that conservation alone could not save threatened species such as the mountain gorilla. He called for action on humans’ needs as well, and the fight against global warming. JULY 2007 “Millions of people were horrified by the recent slaughter of mountain gorillas that dominated… Read More
Oil exploitation in Virunga’s block V is similar to the final of an important soccer game between the government with its petroleum allies, and the local communities that depend on inexhaustible natural resources and their supporters, civil society organizations working on the protection of the environment. Both teams have been trained to use the legal instruments that are at… Read More
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