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It erupts on average every two years. Most visitors opt to rotate through the different options. These, in turn, keep the lions of the park suitably satiated. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site internationally recognized for its exceptional wildlife and habitats. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The park is also home to a diverse array of fauna and flora, including over 200 mammal species and a third of the worlds remaining mountain gorillas. The word Virunga is got from a local word "Ibirunga* the Kinyarwanda word for "mountains". The southern sector stretches to the shores of Lake Kivu and encompasses Nyamulagira, Nyiragongo and Mikeno volcanoes with montane forests on their slopes. Several were observed at the northern shore of Lake Edwards in 1988 for the first time. The mountain gorillas have increased from fewer than 70 to over 300 in ten years and hippos from 300 to over 2,000, while elephant and lion sightings are now a fairly regular occurrence. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. They are located between Lake Edward and Lake Kivu. Safaris, discussions & donations that make a real difference in Africa. Corrections? There is something about the familiarity of their facial expressions, their familial bonds and the calm, contained power that makes gorilla trekking unlike any conventional animal encounter. [2] Latter controlled the Mikeno sector of Virunga National Park between December 2006 and January 2009. is the branch of the Congolese government tasked with the protection and conservation of protected areas in the DRC. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Virunga-National-Park, UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}012545S 293254E / 1.42917S 29.54833E / -1.42917; 29.54833. editors@africageographic.com The park also encompasses savannas, peat bogs, marshes, lava plains, eastern steppe vegetation, and various types of forests, including tropical rainforest and bamboo. In the wake of serious security issues, including the murder of park rangers and the kidnapping of tourists, park management announced in June 2018 that the park would be closed to tourists until at least the end of the year. Corrections? Oil exploration by an English company only added to threats facing the already beleaguered park. The orphanage is named for a silverback killed in a devastating poaching incident in 2007 that claimed the lives of seven members of the Rugendo family. Illegal hunting inside protected areas increased. The oldest national park in Africa, Virunga National Park covers nearly 8,000km2 (800,000 hectares) an area roughly three times the size of Luxembourg. Virunga Mountain ranges consists of Unique and finest wildlife attractions of Africa which ranges from the; north Western Rwanda covering Volcanoes National park, Eastern side is Congo covering a fraction of Virunga National Park, and South Western Uganda covering Mgahinga National park. Park protection efforts were militarised in the following years to deter armed rebel groups and poachers from operating inside the park. Geography of Rwanda. Government officials supported exploration activities by Soco International mission members, whereas park management opposed. [2], In 1996, the national park was listed as a Ramsar site of international importance. Hiking the Sabyinyo volcano takes approximately 7 to 9 hours. On any given day, its shores abound with hippos, elephants, crocodiles, and chimpanzees. [31], Since the early 1990s, the protected area was impacted by political turmoil in the African Great Lakes region. Though there are innumerable reasons to want to visit Virunga National Park, the potential insecurity in the region is of concern to many prospective visitors. Virunga National Park is located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, within the Albertine Rift Valley. However, extraordinary doesnt even begin to cover it. Virunga staff are caught in the fighting, but maintain their presence and eventually negotiate Park access to protect the mountain gorillas. In 2008, the Congolese National Parks Authority, (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, ICCN), and the Virunga Foundation (then known as the Africa Conservation Foundation), entered into a partnership to manage the Park. Seven mountain gorillas from the Rugendo family are murdered. 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. With a checklist of 706 different species, there are more birds in Virunga than in the entire United States of America. Carefully selected conservation projects one-stop, seamless, transparent donations APP subscribers only. 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). After stringent health protocols (to avoid passing human pathogens to the immunologically nave gorillas) and a trek through thick vegetation, small groups of visitors are afforded the life-changing opportunity to spend an hour in the company of these gentle giants. Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. During the 2002 eruption, some of Nyiragongos lava flows were clocked at 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) and reached all the way to Lake Kivu. Park officials are in the process of habituating the chimpanzees, and accompanying the habituation teams is another of the activities on offer in the park. Both state security services and such groups also resort to armed robberies and kidnapping for income. A narrow corridor of 35km (1.93.1mi) width along the lake's western bank connects the northern and southern sectors of the national park. Virunga National Park is one such park, still tumbling in the currents of war, political instability, poverty, and disease. 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. Even the air is redolent with the scent of rich soil, and intrepid visitors find themselves besieged by butterflies and ebrious with delight at the natural life on show. The Mountain Gorillas of Virunga National Park. Lake Edward is a vital resource for local fishermen. [8][9], There have been plans to drill for oil in the Congo Basin since the 2000s. The mountain range is said to be a part of the Albertine Rift located in the Great Rift Valley. [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. Elevations, climates, and habitats vary notably in Virunga National Park. Adult African fish eagles have mostly brown bodies with a white head and yellow face and large, powerful, black wings. The latter organisation is responsible for park management since 2010; about 80% of management costs are subsidised by the EC. Mountain gorillas aside, Virungas great ape collection also includes eastern lowland gorillas (Grauers gorillas Gorilla beringei graueri) and chimpanzees. They have significantly shaped the national park's diverse habitats and wildlife. From north to south it extends approximately 300km (190mi), largely along the international borders with Uganda and Rwanda in the east. The lake lies over 3000 feet (916 meters) above sea level and covers a surface area of 224,083 hectares, making it the 15th largest lake in Africa. Each offers a different view of the lush vegetation and exquisite vistas. Together with Queen Elizabeth National Park, Virunga is considered by the IUCN to be a Lion Conservation Unit. The slopes of Mount Mikeno play host to a number of Virungas critically endangered mountain gorilla families. HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC: We're the Africa Geographic editorial team a diverse set of writers, editors, designers and social media natives, all united by our passion for this addictive continent. Though valiant efforts were made to protect the park, the end of the 20. century saw much of the parks wildlife massacred almost to the point of extinction. Described by the Virunga park authorities as the Congos real treasure (rather than oil or metals), there are believed to be over 300 of these precious primates within the park. Virunga is the continent's most biologically diverse protected area and a national park embarking on an ambitious development programme known as the "Virunga Alliance". Learn more about the Okapi Conservation Project, a project working to protect these unique mammals in the DRC, as well as the forests and creatures of Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The Virunga chained mountains, also known as the Virunga Massif, offer unique experiences to tourists in Africa. [13], In the early 1920s, several proponents of the European conservation movement championed the idea of creating a protected area in northeastern Belgian Congo, among them Victor van Straelen, Jean Massart and Jean-Marie Derscheid. Virunga Mountains, Virunga also spelled Birunga, also called Mufumbiro Mountains, volcanic range north of Lake Kivu in east-central Africa, extending about 50 miles (80 km) along the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. Regional conflict spills over and an estimated 5.6 million Congolese die from the fighting. [45], The climate in the Albertine Rift is influenced by the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the El NioSouthern Oscillation. Following international protests, the company stopped exploring activities and consented to refrain from starting similar operations in the vicinity of World Heritage sites. Though valiant efforts were made to protect the park, the end of the 20th century saw much of the parks wildlife massacred almost to the point of extinction. The name Virunga comes from the Kinyarwanda word ibirunga, which means volcanoes. [47] Virunga is a biodiversity spectacle but is also a testament to the courage of those that have fought and often given their lives in its defence. La Fondation Virunga Belgique was incorporated in 2015 to support Virunga National Park through fundraising and public outreach. The Parks visitor accommodation at Mikeno Lodge welcomes new guests seeking to visit Virunga. [12] Local and global groups, such as Greenpeace, are warning about the social and ecological impact of devastating the forest for oil production. Like humans, chimps communicate with facial expressions, gestures, and sounds. Described by the Virunga park authorities as the Congos real treasure (rather than oil or metals), there are believed to be over 300 of these precious primates within the park. Though the full history of the park (and the DRC) is beyond the scope of this celebration of Virunga, no coverage would be complete without mention of both the challenges and efforts involved in keeping it safe. The vegetation above 2,600m (8,500ft) is subalpine with foremost African redwood (Hagenia abyssinica) growing up to 3,000m (9,800ft). [44] [34], These tactics, criticised as "militarization of conservation", has been blamed for further violence and dispossession faced by local indigenous people. [54] It is founded primarily to protect the mountain gorillas living in the forests of the Virunga Massif. Five rangers and a driver were killed in April 2018. Poachers murder four mountain gorillas, making this the first time in 10 years that a mountain gorilla had been poached within Park borders. In this near-forgotten corner of Africa, adventurers, soul-seekers, and naturalists will find an electrifying celebration of life at its most raw a kaleidoscope of natures wonders and a living history of human and wild resilience. Fuelled by subsistence and profit-driven poaching, rebel groups launch attacks on patrol posts in the Northern Sector of the Park. It is an extraordinary park steeped in a history of tragedy and heroism: primordial and viscerally wild. The Rwenzori Mountains National Park covers nearly 100,000 ha in western Uganda and comprises the main part of the Rwenzori mountain chain, which includes Africa's third highest peak (Mount Margherita: 5,109 m). The park is a crucial habitat for giant and tree pangolin, crested porcupine and even Lord Derbys scaly-tailed squirrel (a rodent with a very similar design to flying squirrels). The okapi is the closest known relative to the giraffe and looks very much as though someone crossed a zebra, antelope, and giraffe. [55] The area is considered a potential lion (Panthera leo) stronghold, if poaching is curbed and prey species recover. Visitors who brave the climb to the summit of Mt. Chattering troops of flamboyant eastern black-and-white colobus monkeys frequent the lodges while the booming calls of De Brazzas monkeys echo through the valleys. Hippo numbers increase to over 2000 for the first time in 20 years. The, However, this is no idle volcano. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Rwanda is located in East Africa, to the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the co-ordinates 200S 300E . The increased human population contributed to deforestation and poaching, and some natural animal migration patterns have been seriously disrupted. Located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Rwenzoris, or Mountains of the Moon, are the third highest mountain chain in Africa. Learn more about Dodo Bahati, a project supporting anti-poaching efforts in Virunga National Park. The endangered Rwenzori duiker or Rwenzori red duiker is a stocky, small antelope endemic to the alpine zones of the Rwenzori mountains. Two active volcanoes are located in the park, Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira. The Parks 3,000 square miles (7,800 square kilometers) is comprised of four sectors northern, central, southern and lake sector each with an unrivaled diversity of landscapes and ecosystems. Here dedicated keepers have raised the young survivors of anthropogenic cruelty (poaching and snaring), as well as rehabilitating eastern lowland gorillas. [45] The okapi is the closest known relative to the giraffe and looks very much as though someone crossed a zebra, antelope, and giraffe. (US) +1 (786) 655-4040, *Call costs: Local rates apply from South Africa, UK and US otherwise international rates apply, newsletter@africageographic.com 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. Virunga owes its existence, at least in part, to the presence of the endangered (, . Mikeno and Sabinio are the oldest of these, dating from the early part of the Pleistocene Epoch (the Pleistocene began about 2,600,000 years ago and lasted until about 11,700 years ago); their craters have disappeared, and erosion has imposed a jagged relief. They eat mostly fruit, but also feed on buds, shoots, leaves, flowers, and insects. Most visitors access the park via Rwanda and pass through the border at Goma. This may also be done to protect the highly susceptible apes from human diseases like Covid-19. Only 629 hippos remain in the Park, a 98% decrease from the 30,000 of the 1960s and 1970s. [14][15][16][17] Indigenous people lost their traditional land rights in this process, and were evicted from the protected area. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). This picturesque part of the park adjoins the Rwenzori Mountains and Semuliki National Parks in neighbouring Uganda. [19], In 1934, the Institut des Parcs Nationaux du Congo Belge was founded as the governing body for national parks in the Belgian Congo. The grey crowned crane can be found in the wetlands, open grasslands, savannas, and cultivated areas and tropical lowland forests near the Ishasha River and Rwindi River. The southern sector borders Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park. [27][28][29][30], By 2016, four hydropower dams were constructed that provide electricity to small businesses and benefit more than 200,000 rural people. March to mid May and September to November are the main rainy seasons. Photo credit: Greg Homel/Natural Encounters Birding, Photo credit: Brad Clement/Spindrift Adventures, Virungas Rangers are awarded National Geographic Explorer of the Year, The mountain gorilla population is no longer critically endangered, All militia groups removed from Central Sector. The Virunga mountains are the most hike in DR Congo and they include Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira which are active volcanoes, and lastly Mount Mikeno which is a dormant volcano. The Virunga Mountains, located in the northwest part of Rwanda, contain the country's highest peak, Karisimbi, which reaches nearly 15,000 feet. Mean monthly rainfall in the savanna around Lake Edward is 3040mm (1.21.6in); this is the driest part of the landscape. Remains of dicots such as African caper (Capparis tomentosa), Maerua species, wild cucurbits, and nightshades were found in dung balls of African elephants (Loxodonta) that play a significant role for seed dispersal in the grasslands. Though Virunga is accessible year-round (if open to visitors), the best time to visit is during the drier months, from June until September or December until February. Click here to learn more about the work of the Virunga Alliance. Virunga National Park is a national park in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It was created in 1925. In 2007, the mass killing of the Rugendo family of gorillas catapulted the parks plight onto the world stage, and the global attention spurned increased funding and conservation measures. On several occasions a lava stream reached the shores of Lake Kivu. Communities around Lake Edward are fearful of the impact of potential oil activity on their livelihoods. In April, in an effort to end the war, a peace agreement is signed by government and rebel forces. Y rt nhiu cu v d dch cha "VN QUC GIA CONGO" - ting vit-ting anh bn dch v ng c cho bn dch ting vit tm kim. The Virungas form a barrier between the Nile Basin to the north and east and the Congo Basin to the west and south. Ultra-luxury is not the order of the day in Virunga, but there are high-end accommodation options, and all the camps are comfortable. Its northern sector encompasses part of the Semliki River basin, as well as savanna and montane forest of the Albertine Rift. Nyamuragira is a high-potassium basaltic shield volcano with an elevation of 10,033 feet (3,058 meters). The Virunga Mountains (also known as Mufumbiro[1]) are a chain of volcanoes in East Africa, along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Uganda. (RSA) +27 (87) 551-8105 Virunga is the continents most biologically diverse protected area and a national park embarking on an ambitious development programme known as the Virunga Alliance.