Gorilla Journal 14, June 1997

Reports from Mt. Tshiaberimu

Since 1995, several trips have been undertaken to Mt. Tshiaberimu to determine whether the gorillas and the biodiversity of this area can be protected from the negative impact of human encroachment. The Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe and the DFGF (Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund) have decided to support the IZCN/ICCN in their conservation efforts. The equipment which Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe delivered to the park rangers has made their patrols much easier. In September 1996, I received two radios and uniforms for my co-workers from the DFGF-Europe. This equipment will support our efforts to maintain the tracks, to support the patrols and help locate the gorillas.
We are collecting data which will help us to understand the ecology of the gorillas and plan necessary measures to protect their habitat; at the same time, we want to take the development of the local communities around Mt. Tshiaberimu into consideration. According to the first estimate, there are three gorilla groups: one lone silverback, one group comprising four and another group comprising twelve individuals.

The Situation at Mt. Tshiaberimu in December 1996

In November 1996, the North Kivu region was shaken heavily by the war. This crisis has affected the entire Virunga National Park. The senior park officials left for Kinshasa; after their departure, the situation became much more difficult.
The activities in Tshiaberimu were also disturbed. We tried to save as much as we could of the material (equipment for communication, cameras ...). In December, we visited Tshiaberimu to assess how serious the damage was and whether the situation would permit us to resume our work. In December and January we temporarily halted all field work and focused our attention on the park rangers who had stayed in the area. The regional director of IZCN Goma (Institut Zairois pour la Conservation de la Nature), Norbert Mushenzi Lusenge, tried to convince the new political and military authorities to resume all conservation activities in the Virunga National Park.
Some rangers were still posted in Burusi and Kasimbi, and a new camp was built in the center of Tshiaberimu at Kalibina as a refuge for the rangers during insecurity. The rangers were disarmed by the ADFL (Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire). If they are not able to continue their work soon, human encroachment will probably do further serious damage to the area. To prevent this, the rangers need support. They are loyal and motivated. We need their support to ensure the survival of the gorillas in Tshiaberimu during this critical time. We must act as quickly as possible to restore the conservation measures. By collaborating with other organizations, we can save what remains and ensure the survival of this World Heritage Site.

Report from March 1997

In March, I visited the Mt. Tshiaberimu conservation area to get a general impression of the situation after the wartime in the region. I planned to spend about 2 weeks from March 12 so that I could have enough time to discuss with the park guards the possibilities to resume our activities. The trip was easy because the security was restored in different places.
When I arrived at Tshiaberimu, I received a warm welcome by a lone park ranger who was wandering around in the village of Burusi. He explained to me that the others were at the fishing village of Kiavinyonge because of the difficult living conditions in Burusi after the war. He also talked about the experience they endured during the Mai-Mai rebels attacks in January 1997. They were forced to leave the park patrol posts on 15 January and managed to survive in the neighbouring villages; some went to their native villages near Beni and Mutsora. One ranger died during the war.
While in Burusi, I sent a message to the rangers urging them to come back. They arrived together with other workers and we held a meeting to discuss what could be done after the crisis. The elder worker Kihulane speaking on behalf of the team said that they were all happy to see me back in Tshiaberimu and they were ready to start with the activities provided I could help them. He explained that out of what was stolen by the looters, they saved very little equipment. Much of the equipment that the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe had provided was lost, too.
I told the rangers that the aim of my visit was to get a general view of the situation and determine what possibilities there were to resume the activities that we had started before the war. We had a wonderful celebration at the Burusi patrol post and I invited some locals to join in. I used this opportunity to explain that the park was not dissolved and those who were clearing the forest had to stop their activities. I visited some plots with the peasants and informed them that they were cutting the forest within the park boundaries. I told the local leaders that this anarchy must stop. It was obvious that the war has had a negative impact on the conservation efforts.
Human encroachment on the park resources has greatly increased. New forest clearings had been made in the unique montane and bamboo forests; the most damaging activities included gold mining, pitsawing and making charcoal out of felled trees. In addition, traps had been set to catch mainly rodents. On our way to the Kalibina camp site, we removed 26 rodent traps. As a result of the intense activities of villagers, many new trails had been made in the forest.
Nine gold miners had settled near the camp site and built two huts in the forest. When we arrived, they were in the river 'washing sands'. They ran away leaving all their equipment and tools behind. We caught an old man who could not escape because he was really old. He told us that they had been in the forest since the rangers had stopped working. We took the machetes, pels, hoes and basins that they were working with.
The situation of Tshiaberimu is similar to what is happening in different places around Virunga National Park. Serious conflicts are arising in the relations between the peripheral rural area and the park. This is a crucial issue for the future management of the park; a conservation approach involving the communities surrounding the park could be recommended. Success is only possible if the government formulate a viable policy of integrated rural development and puts an end to the various forms of land exploitation damaging the park integrity.

Vital Katembo Mushengezi

Vital Katembo Mushengezi at first worked in the Ituri Forest for WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and has been active in the Virunga National Park since 1994 and also as project leader for Mt. Tshiaberimu and field assistant for DFGFEurope in North Kivu.

Additional information: Nobody knows how the human encroachment has affected the gorillas. Two rangers observed a group with four members; it was not possible to find other gorillas.
In mid-January, new conservators were appointed for the northern sector of the Virunga National Park, but none of them has been on Mt. Tshiaberimu so far. The rangers are still waiting for instructions as to how they should continue their work. As soon as their ethical-moral retraining is completed, 20 rangers will be installed in the posts at Mt. Tshiaberimu.

Mt. Tshiaberimu overview

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