One hundred years of the ‘Virunga’ park in the midst of a bloody war conflict: this place of 790,000 hectares It has an incomparable diversity of habitats: Marshes, stepping, lava stans, savanas on slopes of snow walkers and peaks From the Rwenzori massif, which rises to more than 5,000 meters high.
Some 20,000 hippos They live in the rivers of this park, which also serves as a refuge Mountain gorilla and offers a wintering place for numerous Birds from Siberia.
Founded in 1925 with the name Albert National Park” Virunga in Congo RDHas the honor to First park in the history of Africa. A wealth of unpredictable natural value surrounded by the protected spaces of Semuliki, Rwenzori, Queen Elizabeth and Rwanda Volcanoes, in which More than 200 species of mammals, 700 birds, 100 reptiles, 65 amphibians and 2000 plants inhabited.
With mountain gorillas like a star speciesThis wild ecosystem consisting of volcanoes, forests, jungles, savannas, lakes and alpine peaks is one of the most endangered African jewels. Since 1994, as a result of the genocide of Ruandés, the UNESCO He decided to explain it World heritage.
In the midst of a bloody war, illegal ivory traffic, the random hoods of forests to obtain vegetable coal and illegal mining have fallen this park in a critical situation in a critical situation.
Oil companies have traveled on all means to exploit the substrate of the parkmore and more people are They support the protection of mountain gorillas In one of the most beautiful parks in the world.
100 years of the ‘Virunga National Park’
He Virunga National ParkThe oldest in Africa and UNESCO World Heritagehe fulfilled century In the east of the Congo Democratic Republic (RDC)Despite challenges such as Conflict of armed groups who work in that space, Deforestation or poaching.
Originally called Alberto National Park, Virunga was founded on April 21, 1925 in the current RDC by Real Decree of BelgiumThen colonizing power.
«The idea was at that time to keep nature under control and to avoid any form of human intervention“, Said Jean-Pierre d’Huart, scientific clog of Virunga and Co -editor of a book dedicated to the centenary of the park, in statements collected this week by the specialized Mongabay Media.
With some of some 7,800 square kilometers In the Albertino and Border Rift Valle 3,000 types of fauna and flora.
Considered One of the natural spaces with the most biodiversity of the planet” Virunga is also home base A quarter of the world’s population of mountain gorillasAn endangered species.
This natural treasure has lived the threat of armed groups for twenty yearsIncluding the powerful movement March 23 (M23), supported by neighboring Rwand Scales of the armed conflict with the Congolese army That caused the risk of a regional war.
These rebel groups control a large part of the parkstruggle for their rich natural resources (minerals, coal, wood, fishing, poaching), which generate millions of dollars, and His violence has accelerated the loss of forest mass.
Despite insecurity, Virunga has retained the majority of biodiversity, except Crokuta, a kind of wild dog that has not been seen since 1940, “said the communication director of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), Diebe Sidia.
Armed conflict and 300 dead rangers
«Experienced staff is also trained, who are resistant to armed attacks on the park, despite the fact that 300 Rangers died in it»Sidia emphasized through the hands of armed groups and poachers.
The park director himself, the Belgian nature conservationist and anthropologist Emmanuel de Merod, survived an attempted murder in 2014When he rode a road close to the park, an ambush suffered and received different shots in the chest and belly.
Uncertainty makes the park an almost inaccessible place for tourists, which translates into a huge loss of income. «We close tourism in the Virunga National Park a few years ago due to the presence of armed groups«, Sinál Sidia.
Violence also has a negative influence on the species and ecosystems of the parkAlthough “it has not yet lost species in large quantities,” said the communication director.
In Lake Eduardo he emphasized, «Armed groups, to feed and act, practice clandestine fish That does not respect the standards and that is often the basis of the destruction of the aquatic ecosystem ».
Despite the challenges, the park, that Receive help from donors such as the European Union (EU)has become a development lever for neighboring communities in recent decades.
The Virunga FoundationResponsible for the management of the park, three Hydro -Electric factories have built, created thousands of jobs and promoted the rise of more companies in his environment.
In fact, the park supplies 70 % of the electricity that Rubber consumes, strategic capital of Noord -Kivu that is taken by the M23 rebels last January.
«We must see Virunga as a symbol of resilience, reconstruction and vision of the future. This park is not just about animals. His ecosystems contribute directly to the wells of the Congolese population«, This week of Merod said in reactions published by the News Portal Africa News.
Around the centenarythe park He has made thousands of traditional chocolate gorillas with 63 % of black chocolate from high -quality cocoa grown by small farmers in the adjacent region with the park.
Those chocolates, which will be sold in Europe According to those who are responsible for the park, they offerA wonderful way to support the oldest and most protected biodiversity area of Africa and the dedicated rangers that protect it, while the emblematic mountain gorilla is honored to inhabit his tropical jungle«. EFE / ECOTICIA.COM