18 July 2008
African Officials Pledge to Keep Virunga Parks Secure
Governments and conservationists tackle multiple concerns
Washington – Government officials from Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have pledged to protect wildlife preserves and develop tourism in the Virunga region.
The pledge came at the conclusion of a regional ministerial meeting held July 14-15 in Gisenyi, Rwanda, that was also attended by 45 delegates from conservation nongovernmental organizations, local governments and donor countries, including the United States. The Central Albertine Rift Transboundary Core Secretariat convened the meeting to tackle the complex problems afflicting the region. (See “Threat to Great Apes Highlighted at Virunga Meeting.”)
Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC are in a region known as the Greater Virunga Transboundary Landscape, where a number of wildlife sanctuaries share international borders. Of particular concern is Virunga National Park, most of which lies in the DRC. It is threatened by military conflicts between rebel militia groups and the Congolese army, illegal trade in charcoal that promotes clear cutting old-growth hardwood forests and encroachment by the human population.
“It is vital to rid Virunga National Park of militia groups who threaten both people and wildlife. Without security, economic growth from tourism and other investment will not occur,” U. S. Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, International Environment and Scientific Affairs Claudia McMurray said.
Since 2003, the United States has supported economic development and conservation efforts in the Greater Virunga Landscape through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Central African Regional Program for the Environment and the Congo Basin Forest Partnership.
SENSITIVE ECOSYSTEM, ENDANGERED GORILLA POPULATION
The Virunga region is home to a population of mountain gorillas that comprises half of the estimated 700 gorillas surviving in the African wild. Charcoal traffickers are alleged to have deliberately killed seven mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park in 2007. The area has rich biodiversity: 43 percent of Africa’s bird species, 27 percent of its mammals and 414 endemic species populate ecosystems ranging from mountains and forests to grassland and swampy lowlands.
The ministers, worried about the activity of militant groups in the DRC, said their governments would maintain security in the protected areas they share. In addition to government troops and park rangers, U.N. peacekeepers are stationed in the area.
Rangers, who are poorly funded and ill-equipped to face militias, are prevented from entering much of Virunga National Park by the militias and charcoal traffickers.
Tourism and environment ministers and representatives from nongovernmental conservation groups discussed ways to expand investments in tourism infrastructure and attract more visitors for ecotourism. Because of the violence in the DRC, most tourism is limited to Rwanda and Uganda. According to the Associated Press, more than 12,000 tourists visit Rwanda annually to see the mountain gorillas, paying about $500 apiece to do so.
Local poverty is another issue that affects the wildlife preserves. Keeping the parks secure is important so that tourism can grow and provide sustainable livelihoods for families in the vicinity.
Habitat encroachment by human populations is an issue wildlife sanctuaries throughout the developing world are facing, particularly as the needs of a growing population outstrip available natural resources. The rain forest habitat of the mountain gorillas in Virunga is being destroyed by charcoal traffickers’ illegal forest clearances to meet the continuous demand for cooking fuel.
MINISTERIAL “VERY, VERY SUCESSFUL”
McMurray told journalists in Kigali, Rwanda, that the killing of gorillas in 2007 was “a symptom of the instability in the park caused by the presence of militia groups, rather than a result of the ongoing poaching activities that unfortunately still occur in some places.” She added the U.S. government was “concerned that our longstanding traditional conservation work in this region, with our partners in the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, was under threat, along with the mountain gorillas and the people living around the park.”
The ministerial summit held “to attack these issues head on,” McMurray said, “was very, very successful, in our view.”
In the declaration, ministers committed to regional investment in tourism and infrastructure to alleviate poverty and promote economic growth.
“[Most important], the ministers underscored the need for security and stability in Virunga National Park if increased economic activity is to become a reality,” McMurray said, adding, “The United States is committed to pursue these goals with the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda through the Transboundary Core Secretariat.”
“We intend to work with other international partners to build on the work produced by this week’s conference to ensure that the precious resources of this region --most especially the rare mountain gorillas -- can overcome recent threats and flourish well into the future.”
