Description

Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was established in 1925 as Albert National Park, and in 1969 renamed as Virunga National Park. It is the oldest national park on the African continent and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1979. It was established for its spectacular landscapes, including active volcanoes and the Ruwenzori mountains as well as its amazing richness in biodiversity, including one of the remaining populations of the rare mountain gorilla.

The park stretches along the border with Rwanda and Uganda, and presently covers an area of 790 000 ha. The Virunga National Park offers an incomparable diversity of habitats: swamps and grasslands to the snowfields of Ruwenzori at an altitude of over 5000m, and from savannas to the lava plains on the slopes of the volcanoes.

Gorillas

Western scientists discovered the gorilla species in 1847. There are three subspecies: the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), the eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla graueri) and the mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei). The western lowland gorilla is the most numerous and widespread - with a population of around 70 000. Half of these probably live in Gabon. Rough estimations of the number of eastern lowland gorillas, endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo suggest a population between 3 000 and 5 000. The mountain gorilla is the most rare. There are fewer than 650 mountain gorillas left in the world. Two isolated populations remain, one in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, south-west Uganda, and the other on the forested slopes of the Virunga volcanoes, straddling the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

Identity of the Mountain Gorilla

Nose print

The fingerprint is a unique identifier for human beings, for gorillas the nose print is the equivalent. On the basis of the nose print scientists and park guards can identify the gorillas and so keep up with each individual.

Picture of Mugaruka	nose print of Mugaruka

Picture of Mulisa	nose print of Mulisa

Picture of Ngoma	nose print of Ngoma

Picture of Mwinja	nose print of Mwinja

International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)

IGCP is a joint initiative of three international conservation bodies -AWF (African Wildlife Foundation), FFI (Fauna and Flora International) and the WWF (World Wildlife Fund)- and the protected area authorities of the three respective countries (Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo).
The purpose of IGCP is to promote the sustainable conservation of the world's approximately 650 remaining mountain gorillas and their habitats in the three neighbouring countries. IGCP is the only programme covering the mountain gorillas’ entire range and integrating all aspects of conservation. Regional co-ordination is focusing on improving communication and standardizing park management and eco-tourism practices. IGCP helps to protect and monitor the gorillas, provides training and support for park staff and advises the governments on environmental policy and legislation enforcement. In the Virunga National Park, the Programme is working closely with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Gorilla-based tourism provides a valuable source of revenue and is carefully monitored to ensure that it also benefits the local communities.

Data from IGCP's monitoring centres show that the gorilla numbers have actually increased, in the past 10 years. The numbers have increased from 320 to over 355 individuals in the Virunga volcanoes. This is remarkable, considering the intense pressure on the park and the difficulties of protecting them. This increase is also due to the combined effort, and continued hard work by the park staff of ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature), ORTPN (the Office Rwandais de Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux), and the Uganda Wildlife Authority.