About 30,000 people benefit economically from fishing within the park, and another 20,000 benefit from commercial activities related to the fishing industry. The organization welcomes Total SA's pledge to respect park boundaries, but remains concerned about operations directly outside park borders. Virunga National Park activities are safe for anyone interested in them because of the security personnel that accompany you in order for you to have a safe activity, the park rangers and military accompany the tourists so that they are protected and also their property during the numerous activities that are carried. The oil is buried under a landscape where approx… Virunga National Park. Travel in many sections of Kinshasa, Kisangani, Lubumbashi and most other major cities is generally safe during daylight hours, but travellers are urged to be vigilant against criminal activity that targets non-Congolese, particularly in traffic jams and areas surrounding hotels and stores. © AskingLot.com LTD 2021 All Rights Reserved. Share. Though it sounds odd – for me, the main reason to go is to meet the brave rangers of the Virunga National Park and as a way of contributing to Park. Virunga National Park is now surrounded by a brutal civil war, and the park has become a battleground for the military. Is Virunga Open 2020. Okapi, known as forest giraffes, are only found in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The most famous residents of Virunga National Park are critically endangered mountain gorillas, of which only 880 individuals remain in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Virunga National Park was founded in 1925 as Parc Albert. Is Virunga National Park Open? The First and Second Congo Wars destabilised the region and wounded Virunga further, as anti-poaching efforts were obstructed and many of the park’s rangers and wildlife were killed. Moreover, why is Virunga National Park in danger? Criterion (viii): Virunga National Park is located in the centre of the Albertine Rift, of the Great Rift Valley. In elevation, it ranges from 680 m in the Semliki River valley to 5,109 m in the Rwenzori Mountains. Park rangers risk their lives on a daily basis while protecting the park. Because of its extraordinary landscapes and high level of biodiversity, Virunga National Park was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1979. How many gorillas are there in the Congo. A month before Baraka’s death, four armed men gunned down five rangers and a driver—the bloodiest attack in the recent history of the park, Africa’s oldest. (CNN) -- An estimated 125,000 Western lowland gorillas are living in a swamp in equatorial Africa, researchers reported Tuesday, double the number of the endangered primates thought to survive worldwide. Illegal Fishing. Can I write off repairs to my rental property? The additional human presence required for these activities could also be damaging to the. Virunga National Park is in the Albertine Rift valley in the eastern part of Democratic Republican of the Congo. Virunga National Park is the popular Congo safaris destination because of its proximity to the border with neighboring Rwanda and Uganda. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, but was labelled a site in danger … With all of this conflict it will put stress on the gorillas, and the consequences for what will happen if it is difficult to protect gorillas will be severe. Virunga national park in Congo closes to tourists until 2019. Virunga National Park, formerly Albert National Park, park in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). Given that there are still serious security threats in the DRC for tourists, it's best to visit with a tour company who will know how best to keep you safe. The UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage has been designed to protect among others the natural objects with the “significant importance”. Political instability and pressure from rebel groups throughout the area has made Virunga a very dangerous place for decades. The Virunga Mountains (also known as Mufumbiro) are a chain of volcanoes in East Africa, along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Uganda. The name "Virunga" is an English version of the Kinyarwanda word ibirunga, which means "volcanoes". By the time the Second Congo War ended, lawlessness in the park had reached an all-time high. Quite a number of clients have opted to visit Virunga National Park since it was reopened February 2019 because very many security measures were put in place to ensure safety. How do you make tomato sauce from fresh food mill tomatoes? The discovery of oil in nearby Lake Edward and Queen Elizabeth National Parks has raised the specter of oil exploration in Virungaand this also threatens the park. Save Virunga National Park: an exceptional World Heritage Site in Danger. Political instability and pressure from rebel groups throughout the area has made Virunga a very dangerous place for decades. The safest and most touristed areas of the country are Goma, Virunga National Park and Bukavu in in the east, and the capital Kinshasa in the west. Virunga National Park. How long does it take for a persimmon tree to produce? World Heritage. Virunga national park is one of Africa’s most biodiverse protected areas and is home to one third of the world’s wild mountain gorillas. © 1986 Panda Symbol WWF – World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), Ramsar wetland of international importance, UNESCO’s Director General has called for the Congolese government to “abandon all plans for oil extraction.”, the World Heritage Committee has urged that all oil permits be canceled, Interactive virtual voyage of discovery to visit gorillas in Africa, Learn more about endangered mountain gorillas, all oil activities within the park be suspended, More news about oil exploration in Virunga. How do I connect my night owl security system to the Internet? Yes it is true that some parts of the DRC are not safe but most of the safe tourist attractions in the country more so in the areas of Goma which is on the border of Rwanda plus the capital city which all are safe areas. How many gorillas are there in Virunga National Park? Oil concessions cover 85% of Virunga National Park, Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and nature. The additional human presence required for these activities could also be damaging to the park’s ecosystems. Please note: This page has been archived and its content may no longer be up-to-date. image copyright Getty Images. – Virunga national park one of the first gazetted area in 1925 in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the great world heritage site that attract a lot of travelers that come to Africa. Although the park’s pristine wilderness has been protected since 1979, European oil companies continue to push their plans for oil extraction in and around the park. Oil exploration in Virunga is illegal Major oil exploitation could involve disruptive seismic tests, forest clearing, deep underground drilling, … What are the names of Santa's 12 reindeers? Virunga National Park temporarily closes Mountain Gorilla Safaris Due to COVID-19. It was created in 1925 and is among the first protected areas in Africa. Leopold II remains a controversial figure in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Democratic Republic of Congo is widely considered to be the richest country in the world regarding natural resources; its untapped deposits of raw minerals are estimated to be worth in excess of U.S. $24 trillion. More than 3,000 faunal and floral species were recorded, of which more than 300 are endemic to the Albertine Rift including eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) and golden monkey (Cercopithecus kandti). Found along the equator on the western edge of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Virunga National Park is one of the world’s most extraordinary natural places. Created in 1925, it has an area of some 3,050 square miles (7,900 square km) and contains a vast diversity of habitats. Many tourists ask whether this park is safe or dangerous for tourism. It is Africa’s oldest national park, a. Virunga, which is spread over 7,800 square kilometres (3,000 square miles) over the borders of DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, is home to a world-famous population of mountain gorillas but has been hit by rising instability and violence. This has now been resolved with army assistance. Is Congo the richest country in the world? Is it safe for Americans to travel to Congo? The areas of Virunga National Park allocated as oil concessions cover around 85 per cent of its land, and the habitats of endangered chimpanzees, hippos, and forest elephants. The Virunga Mountains (Virunga massif/Virunga ranges) is a block of Chain Mountains found in East â central Africa. This version of the page will remain live for reference purposes as we work to update the content across our website. Major oil exploitation could involve disruptive seismic tests, forest clearing, deep underground drilling, or the laying of vulnerable oil pipelines. 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