Virunga National Park was founded in 1925 as Albert National Park. The great volcanoes of this range, clothed in cloud forests, include the dormant Mikeno, Karisimbi, Visoke, and Sabinio (Sabinyo), as well as the active Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira. The 2008 partnership between the Congolese National Parks Authority (ICCN) and the Virunga Foundation marked a turning point in the parks history. Approximately one-third of the worlds population is found in Virunga National Park (the remainder is divided between Volcanoes, Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable national parks in neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda). Oil exploration by an English company only added to threats facing the already beleaguered park. [14] They have significantly shaped the national park's diverse habitats and wildlife. The largest herd of elephants over 500 - since the 1980's are observed in the Ishasha corridor of Virunga. The mountain range is a branch of the Albertine Rift Mountains, which border the western branch of the East African Rift. [51][52][53] Other ungulates present include Ugandan kob (Kobus kob thomasi), waterbuck (K. ellipsiprymnus), andcommon warthog (Phacochoerus africanus). [50] This helps to increase understanding of mountain gorilla behaviour, as well as allowing veterinary teams to intervene if gorillas are injured or showing signs of ill health. Okapis are shy and solitary animals that resemble zebras but are more closely related to the giraffe and are endemic to the DRC. [14][15][16][17] Indigenous people lost their traditional land rights in this process, and were evicted from the protected area. The past 14 years have been far from plain sailing, and the park has suffered its fair share of losses, particularly of the brave rangers dedicated to protecting the park. [15], Virunga National Park's faunal species include 196 mammals, 706 bird species, 109 reptiles and 65 amphibians as of 2012. Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Virunga owes its existence, at least in part, to the presence of the endangered (once critically endangered) mountain gorillas. The worlds entire population of critically endangered mountain gorillas live only in the Virunga Massif and Bwindi National Park, which spans parts of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Rwanda. Alongside this essential conservation work, the Park is committed to supporting local communities. Harnessed bushbuck (T. scriptus) and giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni) are present in the southern sector. Tourism remains a cornerstone of the parks conservation efforts, and to that end, all of the lodges within the park are non-profit, with all proceeds fed back into keeping the park protected. Important Facts About the Virunga Mountains in East Africa Communities, such as the Mbuti, which previously relied on the lands included in the park for food and shelter have been forced out, or risk being arrested or killed by armed park rangers. [49] All of the topi (Damaliscus lunatus jimela) cluster to the south of Lake Edward in the Ishasha Flats region, and regularly cross the border into Uganda. Situated in the center of the Albertine Rift, between Uganda and Rwanda, Virungas 7,800 square kilometers (3,000 square miles) stretches from the Virunga Massif in the south, to the Rwenzori Mountains in the north. In the course of increasing tensions, the park's chief warden, Emmanuel de Mrode, was assailed in April 2014. The latter organisation is responsible for park management since 2010; about 80% of management costs are subsidised by the EC. Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Virunga owes its existence, at least in part, to the presence of the endangered (, . And last, but not least, the heart-stopping, utterly gorgeous and mysterious Shelleys Crimsonwing, which has never been photographed other than when netted during biodiversity surveys. They studied and collected zoological specimens of wildlife for the Muse Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique;[20][21] explored the ethnic groups in this area;[22] studied volcanic activity,[23] and fossils. However, another creature is arguably Virungas (and Africas) most peculiar offering. January 17, Nyiragongo volcano erupts spreading lava through the city of Goma. [36] Since beginning of the armed conflict, armed groups killed 175 park rangers until April 2018. Still, military and rebel forces remain in eastern Congo and continue fighting as well as poaching and cutting down trees. It was created in 1925. Located in East Africa, the Virunga Mountains are a series of volcanoes that extends along northern part of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Uganda. Established 1991, BEST SAFARI PRICES [12] Local and global groups, such as Greenpeace, are warning about the social and ecological impact of devastating the forest for oil production. To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team, scroll down to after this story. [10][11] To improve the country's economic situation the government undermined that very protection by auctioning oil exploration blocks inside the park by the end of July 2022. The M23 Rebellion erupts in and around the Park. It reopened in February 2019. national park, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Only 629 hippos remain in the Park, a 98% decrease from the 30,000 of the 1960s and 1970s. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Virunga Mountains (Virunga massif/Virunga ranges) is a block of Chain Mountains found in East - central Africa. Fuelled by subsistence and profit-driven poaching, rebel groups launch attacks on patrol posts in the Northern Sector of the Park. Hippo numbers increase to over 2000 for the first time in 20 years. Naturally, the park authorities are aware of this, and they take the safety of their guests extremely seriously. There are four recognised subspecies of the African buffalo in Africa and two of these the Cape and forest are found in Virunga. The 8 Virunga Volcano Mountains/Virunga Massif in Africa These local men and women go through intensive training, risking their lives on a daily basis to safeguard the Parks exceptional wildlife, including the last of the worlds endangered mountain gorillas. The 2002 Nyiragongo eruption destroyed much of the nearby city of Goma, Congo, leaving thousands homeless. 400,000 people are evacuated and 147 are killed in the eruption. [48], The montane forest between 1,800 and 2,800m (5,900 and 9,200ft) in the southern sector is dominated by Ficalhoa laurifolia and Podocarpus milanjianus with up to 25m (82ft) high trees. In 1861 the British explorer John Hanning Speke saw the Virunga Mountains from a distance; in 1876 the British explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley obtained a clear though distant view of the three eastern volcanoes; and Count Adolf von Gtzen, a German, explored the two western volcanoes in 1894. The mountain range is a branch of the Albertine Rift Mountains, which border the western branch of the East African Rift. The past 14 years have been far from plain sailing, and the park has suffered its fair share of losses, particularly of the brave rangers dedicated to protecting the park. Between the early 1930s and 1961, several expeditions to Albert National Park were carried out by Belgian scientists, the second headed by Gaston-Franois de Witte. Anti-poaching patrols inside the park were obstructed, and park personnel and wildlife were killed. In Virungas southern sector around Bukima, there are currently ten habituated gorilla families and four solitary males which are also habituated, meaning that they are unafraid of human presence. Lions are carnivores that consume a wide variety of prey, from wildebeest, impala, zebra, giraffe, buffalo and wild hogs to the occasional rhino, hippo, or elephant when food is scarce. They are located between Lake Edward and Lake Kivu. [37] In May 2018, a ranger was killed when defending two tourists who were kidnapped. The park is home to abundant wildlife, including elephants, whose numbers began decreasing in the late 20th century, and lions, which also face various threats. This powerful image of the silverback Senkwekwe brought global attention to this horrific event. Each offers a different view of the lush vegetation and exquisite vistas. In addition to buffalo, the plains support several ungulates, including topi, Ugandan kob, waterbuck, warthog, and red river and giant forest hog. Getting to the summit of these mountains takes an average of 5 . Ultra-luxury is not the order of the day in Virunga, but there are high-end accommodation options, and all the camps are comfortable. [40] Again in January 2021, armed men killed at least six rangers and wounded several others in an ambush in the national park. Geography of Rwanda - Wikipedia Lake Edward is a vital resource for local fishermen. Explore Virunga national park, the gem of biodiversity in Congo The Virunga chained Mountains cover three African countries, including the southwestern of Uganda, which covers Mgahinga Gorilla National Park; the Democratic Republic of Congo in the east, covering the Virunga national park, and Rwanda covering the Volcanoes National park. The Virunga Mountains are all volcanic mountains but most of them are dormant. A conflict between rebel and army forces results in the untimely death of the silverback of the Rugendo family. It is headed by Andr Bauma, a man who has become almost as famous as his gorilla charges. [55] The area is considered a potential lion (Panthera leo) stronghold, if poaching is curbed and prey species recover. [41][42], On 22 February 2021, Italy's ambassador to the DRC who was travelling with the World Food Programme about 15km north of Goma, Luca Attanasio, as well as Italian military police officer Vittorio Iacovacci and Congolese driver Moustapha Milambo, were killed in the gunfire when a militia that had kidnapped their convoy, and had brought them into the park, was met by park rangers who managed to free four people. Surrounded by the mountains and home to Lake Edward, this large expanse of grassland and wooded savanna plays host to the Parks highest concentrations of elephants, buffalos and warthogs. Oil exploration by an English company only added to threats facing the already beleaguered park. The word Virunga is got from a local word "Ibirunga* the Kinyarwanda word for "mountains". Notable species include the prehistoric-looking shoebills, dashing Rwenzori turacos, mind-blowingly cryptic African green broadbills, and bizarre red-collared mountain babblers whose closest relative forages the slopes of Mt Jupe in Cameroon. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The mountain range is said to be a part of the Albertine Rift located in the Great Rift Valley. editors@africageographic.com Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Virunga Mountains: A gem of biodiversity in the heart of Africa Virunga staff are caught in the fighting, but maintain their presence and eventually negotiate Park access to protect the mountain gorillas. Updates? Which mountain in Uganda has snow? - 2023 Virunga National Park is placed on the list of endangered World Heritage sites. Here dedicated keepers have raised the young survivors of anthropogenic cruelty (poaching and snaring), as well as rehabilitating eastern lowland gorillas. The word Virunga is and English word derived from Kinyarwanda word "Ibirunga" to meat "Mountains" Every family comes with its dynamics, characters and stories, and the rangers have kept track of it all you can, read more about their histories and present breakdown here. Together with Queen Elizabeth National Park, Virunga is considered by the IUCN to be a Lion Conservation Unit. These, in turn, keep the lions of the park suitably satiated. [34], Five rangers were killed in August 2017 near Lake Edward in a militia attack. It conserves a diversity of habitats that surpasses any other park on the continent and is tucked along the eastern boundary of the Democratic Republic of Congo, protecting the eastward extremity of the Congo Basin.