Virunga Park inhabitants threatened by rebellion
29th July 2012
A rebellion in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, threatens rangers of the Virunga National Park, their families, the gorillas, and surrounding communities
The area around the park headquarters in Rumangabo was shelled earlier this week and the battle is intensifying. Civilians caught in the crossfire are lining up outside the park's small clinic, which is unable to deal with the more serious injuries.
The park took the decision to evacuate ranger families from the area to a makeshift temporary tented camp at Kituku, near Goma. However, it is struggling to supply clean water, sanitation, food and fuel to the temporary camp, and an emergency appeal has been launched by UK charity Gearing up for Gorillas (G4G) to support the rangers and their families.
Virunga National Park is one of a few locations in the world to see the endangered mountain gorilla. The UNESCO World Heritage Site now plays host to warring rebel factions and government troops, completely shutting down tourism to the park and possibly threatening the gorillas and local communities. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has recommended that travellers avoid all but necessary travel to the country.
Tourism is one of the few sustainable industries in the area; Rwanda has an annual income of approximately $450 million in tourism. The sheer variety of wildlife in Virunga (active volcanoes, chimps, the Rwenzori mountains, glaciers etc) means a lot of potential for tourism revenue to the park. It is hoped that tourism will become the main primary source of income for the park, but the tourism industry in the DRC is currently in its infancy.
"It will need time (and peace) to grow," said a spokesperson for the park. "A well running tourism industry in eastern DRC would be capable of supporting the development and growth of the entire region, and this in a sustainable and long term fashion."
The lack of tourism could seriously affect park funding; funds which have also gone into projects in the local community such as schools, health centres and water fountains.
Both rebels and the government have consented for a team of rangers to search for and monitor the gorillas at some point, who have not been seen for over ten weeks.
"We are maintaining presence as close as possible to the gorilla area and at the first opportunity will go back into the forest to remove snares and check on the health of the habituated gorilla families," said the spokesperson.
"One of the main dangers is that poachers use this period to gain uncontrolled access to the forest, which under normal instances would be harder due to the presence of rangers. If the rangers are not active in the area, poachers reign free and snares (even old ones) can endanger the gorillas."
He added that the park would relaunch as soon as possible and is safe, as potential dangers in tourism areas would need to be checked, damaged infrastructure would need to be built, and new attractions and infrastructure are already being invested in, with new tented camps looking to be established in new areas of the park.
"We will relaunch at the earliest safe opportunity," he said.
Want to help? Donate to Gearing up for Gorilla's emergency appeal JustGiving page here or text GEAR04 and the amount you wish to donate to 70070.
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