Conservation warfare
In April, I had the pleasure of visiting Virunga national park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The DRC is listed by many government organisations as “do not travel” zones. The recent death of 5 rangers and one driver in the north of the park, as well the more recent death of a ranger escorting tourists in transit from the park - who were subsequently kidnapped and only just released - is a sad reminder of the dangers those working in these war stricken countries face on a daily basis.
It has been referenced many a time – from anti-poaching units to syndicate crime groups at the trail end of wildlife trafficking – “this (conservation) is war”. To date, 175 rangers have been killed in Virunga. Sean Willmore, of the Thin Green Line, said “Surely if a country lost 100 of their soldiers, each and every year, we would call it a war,” in an article published in the Guardian. In 2012, 6 people and 14 critically endangered Okapi were slaughtered at the Okapi Wildlife reserve in the DRC, by Mai Mai rebels. Who are the Mai Mai? “The Mai-Mai comprise a number of armed bands that originally formed to resist Rwandan invasions in the 1990s. They have since morphed into a wide variety of ethnic-based militia, smuggling networks" Reuters.
The park and its promise of tourism offered stability in a place of unrest.
Driving through Goma, and the park, it is easy to see many are struggling to find work. When I spoke with the various rangers and staff at or around the park, the biggest issue, they said, was the lack of work and opportunities. Not all of the rangers were there because they had a dream to work in conservation and for that reason “happy” with the risk involved (albeit there are some incredible conservation hero’s who are there solely to advocate and protect their “heritage”- many later develop this love too). Many are simply happy they were able to find work and noted how the park had created many opportunities – even if they were dangerous. The park and its promise of tourism offered stability in a place of unrest. Jobs are rare and most people are struggling to find work; one of the ways rebel soldier groups infiltrate and recruit young people (see the HRW article for more information on the Mai Mai recruitment).
Conservation Success - The magic of the mountain Gorillas
The International Gorilla Conservation Program stated that there are now 480 in the Virunga Massif area (based on 2010 census). I had the privilege of seeing 3 babies in the “Humba” family we visited in Virunga; proof that their numbers are on the rise. They are monitored and protected by rangers and the park.
After hiking for 2 hours, our ranger guide stopped and asked us to put our facemasks on (to protect the gorillas from human diseases) and one of the people in our group asked how far we still had to walk. The ranger turned to him and said “you are with them”. Those words sank right into my heart – we are with them. We walked over a small hill and right in front of me sat a huge 300kg silver back mountain gorilla. I have no words that can describe when we first made eye contact. I dropped to my knees and felt tears forming. Absolutely magnificent. He sat in front of me – looked me in the eye and grunted – the ranger returned the grunt to say it was safe and that everything was ok. He continued eating. And I thought, how blessed I am, that I am with them.
The ranger turned to him and said “you are with them”!
The largest lava lake in the world - Nyiragongo
The Congo basin has an incredible amount of endemic wildlife; chimps, gorilla, okapi (to name a few), but that’s not all that Congo has too offer. Nyiragongo is the worlds largest lava lake and after hiking for 6 hours up a 3500m elevation, we reached the top of the volcanic crater easily one of the most breath taking landscapes I have seen. I spoke to one of the rangers who escorted us up the mountain and asked him, how tourism had impacted and helped develop jobs and if he felt his work was dangerous. He told me the hikers provided many local people with work, that his job was hard, strenuous and after he hiked this route back-to-back, but that this area was safe. He mentioned the work the rangers in the north of the park were involved in and how much more dangerous those patrols were. At the end of the hike, our ranger thanked us all for coming to his country. He stressed how he knew the dangers of the DRC were most likely deterrents for us, but that he was so grateful for us coming there to support them and that he hoped others world come.
He stressed how he knew the dangers of the DRC were most likely deterrents for us, but that he was so grateful for us coming there to support them and that he hoped others world come.
Congo is an incredible country. I hope to travel back there again very soon – I can only hope that the civil unrest will improve so that more people can support the amazing conservation work being done in this incredible country.
