Acute Danger for the Virunga National Park

The rangers and the administration of the Virunga National Park as a whole need our support now. The situation is serious. As it is easier for Claude Sikubwabo to travel to Uganda than for us to enter the Congo, we met him in Kisoro. During a long conversation, he described the current situation of nature conservation in his country.
"The Virunga National Park can no longer be protected effectively and is therefore severely threatened. The park urgently needs support, especially for the gorillas whose number has already been reduced. The rangers and their superiors don't receive any salary or any other form of support. There are several military posts in the park. As the soldiers don't always receive their salaries either, they take to poaching. They also cut trees to make charcoal which is sold in the villages. The rangers are helpless as their weapons were confiscated when Kabila came to power. All we can do at the moment is to try to inform the military and the political decision-makers about the problems of the national park and increase their awareness.
If nothing is done, the gorillas will certainly vanish. However, it is not only this sensitive species which needs protection: the park's whole ecosystem is under threat. Having declared the Virunga National Park a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the international community has recognized its outstanding value. Now, at a time of severe threat, the involvement of the international community is required to save the park.
Recently, a poacher was caught with 1,050 kg of hippopotamus meat. This illustrates the fact that the threat extends to all the animals in the park. Without salary and other forms of support, some rangers leave their posts; those who stay cannot go on patrols. Therefore we are very grateful for the support of the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe for the Sarambwe and Mt. Tshiaberimu rangers. The DFGF (Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund) has also helped with US$ 25,000 for the whole park. However, this is still not sufficient for a park with an area of 800,000 ha, administered by approximately 750 people, 700 of whom are rangers.
Currently, the government cannot do anything for the park. However, financial support from the international community might encourage the government to contribute something as well. For example, if the rangers had their weapons returned and received their salaries, they could be sufficiently motivated to resume patrols in the park.
I do want to emphasize that many rangers have stayed on duty even though they have no longer received a salary or rations. As soon as they are paid a salary, they can further protect the park by going on patrols. If every European could give just US$ 2, we could perhaps save the park the unique ecosystems in the Virunga National Park, to save its biodiversity and the mountain gorillas. In this situation, we need a lot of support from all sides: the Congolese government, foreign governments, NGOs and private individuals. We want everybody to be involved in the protection of our national park."
In December 1998, all parties responsible for the southern sector of the Virunga National Park met to develop an overview of the situation in view of the crisis. In the Mikeno area, 4 out of 5 posts are still guarded. In the Nyamulagira area, 8 posts out of 13 are still guarded. In both areas, the park boundary is not respected. "Uniformed" persons are involved in poaching; trees are cut, especially in the Nyamulagira sector, to make charcoal and for other purposes. There are 104 rangers responsible for the two areas, but at the moment they are essentially powerless. Financial and material support for the rangers and their superiors in the ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature) would help to protect the biodiversity of the park. It could also demonstrate the park's significance to the current political decisions makers in the region.
In January, I was able to hand over equipment for the rangers of Sarambwe donated by the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe to Claude Sikubwabo. This equipment included sleeping bags, backpacks, tents and other items. He also received a computer for his scientific work (on Mt. Tshiaberimu among other areas) and US$ 400 advance funding for a study on Mt. Tshiaberimu which we want to support. This is a start, but in view of the crisis which Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo has described so clearly, our involvement continues to be required.

Ursula Karlowski

Dr. Ursula Karlowski became involved in rain forest conservation in 1988, especially in southwestern Uganda. Currently she is working at the University of Rostock. Her special interests are vegetation change and nature conservation strategies.

Virunga National Park overview

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