Protecting Africa's Park Rangers and Wildlife for Earth Day
Photo Caption and Credit: LuAnn Cadd, “Mountain Gorilla, Virunga NP. One of the approximately 200 Mountain gorillas remaining in Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
April 22 is Earth Day and Girl Friday will focus on the connection between conflict and environmental degradation. Around the world there is evidence that violent conflicts destroy wildlife. Land mines, deforestation, and poaching for profits are just a few root causes. In Virunga National Park, Africa's oldest protected park, decades of conflicts and environmental concerns continue unabated. What can we do to help the Rangers of Virunga National Park?
Why Virunga matters.
Virunga National Park, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is a biologically diverse UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is currently guarded by 689 Rangers who went through extensive defense training on how to protect themselves, guests, and wildlife, including the world's remaining endangered mountain gorillas, from militias and poachers. Rangers are constantly under threat as armed rebel groups try to exploit natural resources because the DRC has an abundance of mineral wealth.
From illegal fishing to kidnapping.
When sources of income in Virunga National Park are restricted, such as illegal fishing or charcoal production, militias seek out more dangerous revenue streams, such as kidnapping tourists for ransom. In the past year, more than 20 Virunga staffers have been killed trying to protect visitors and wildlife. Approximately 160 rebel groups, totaling around 20,000 armed fighters, are active in the eastern portion of the DRC. One of the most lethal foreign militias operating in the DRC comes from neighboring Rwanda.
"Cut down the tall trees."
April 7 marked the anniversary of the start of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Encouraged by popular radio broadcasters to "cut down the tall trees," the military and the Hutu civilian militia, known as the Interahamwe, killed 800,000 people. When Tutsi rebel forces drove Hutu extremists over the border, the world cheered. But, Hutu militias regrouped in the DRC, recruited new members, and became the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR). They are connected to numerous attacks, including the recent murder of the Italian ambassador and the 2020 murders of 13 Virunga National Park Rangers.
Protect Virunga's Protectors: Virunga National Park is led by Emmanuel de Merode, a member of the Belgian royal family. He understands the Rangers' fears as he was shot by an assailant in 2014. In 2018, he talked to National Geographic about investments that increased the number of Rangers and enhanced their trainings. The plan is working. In 2015, there were 124 reported killings, serious injuries, or abductions. By 2016 that number decreased to 79, and in 2017 it dropped further to 24.
Watch Netflix's documentary: In addition to equipping Rangers with necessary skills, Virunga's leaders want to make the park an asset for local businesses and the community. Mr. de Merode told the BBC, "It's not a simple problem of protecting gorillas and elephants; it is overcoming an economic problem at the heart of one of the most horrific civil wars in history." Learn more by watching Netflix's Oscar-nominated documentary, "Virunga."