Rwanda is located in East Africa, to the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the co-ordinates 200S 300E . [8][9], There have been plans to drill for oil in the Congo Basin since the 2000s. Not more than 20,000 years ago Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira emerged at the western end of the chain, both with extensive craters. The world population of mountain gorillas is currently estimated to be at around 1000 individuals. March to mid May and September to November are the main rainy seasons. The park also encompasses savannas, peat bogs, marshes, lava plains, eastern steppe vegetation, and various types of forests, including tropical rainforest and bamboo. [7], There have been several deadly attacks in the park by rebel groups, and several park rangers have been killed. They are situated in the same region at the borders of the three countries. [14][15][16][17] Indigenous people lost their traditional land rights in this process, and were evicted from the protected area. 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". Regional conflict spills over and an estimated 5.6 million Congolese die from the fighting. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). It is an extraordinary park steeped in a history of tragedy and heroism: primordial and viscerally wild. Around one third of the world population of critically endangered mountain gorillas live in the lush volcanic forests of Virunga National Park. [19], In 1934, the Institut des Parcs Nationaux du Congo Belge was founded as the governing body for national parks in the Belgian Congo. 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. Several were observed at the northern shore of Lake Edwards in 1988 for the first time. The Viringa Mountains are composed of up to 8 Volcanic summits including two active volcanoes of Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira located in DRC in Virunga National Park. In 1969, following the countrys independence from Belgium in 1960, the Park was renamed Virunga National Park. The Virunga Mountains also popularly known as the Virunga Volcanoes range are a chain of eight volcanoes created by violent eruptions in the Albertine Rift region. The ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature) is the branch of the Congolese government tasked with the protection and conservation of protected areas in the DRC. Fortunately, stalwart sightseers can rest assured that the volcanos moods are carefully monitored lest it decides to let loose its fury of molten lava. 689 men and women standing fearlessly to protect Virunga, Critical training and support for widows and children of fallen Virunga Rangers, The world's only facility caring for mountain gorilla orphans. [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. 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. Carefully selected conservation projects one-stop, seamless, transparent donations APP subscribers only. Preventing these plans the park gained further protection by an agreement sealed between DRCs president Felix Tshisekedi and Boris Johnson at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. 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 park is periodically closed when they feel that the situation on the ground is such that security cannot be guaranteed. Networking & debating APP subscribers only, TRUSTED CONSERVATION PROJECTS The mountain range is said to be a part of the Albertine Rift located in the Great Rift Valley. The word Virunga is and English word derived from Kinyarwanda word "Ibirunga" to meat "Mountains" The mountain gorilla is taken off the IUCN critically endangered species list, marking a victory for Congolese, Rwandan and Ugandan National Parks. The local community has developed negative feeling towards park personnel and the military. The national park's central sector encompasses about two thirds of Lake Edward up to the international border with Uganda in the east. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. [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. Tourism facilities were developed and improved, and a trickle of intrepid visitors gradually turned into a steady stream of people looking to experience one of Africas most incredible destinations. These savannas and woodlands contain many different types of grasses and trees. Adult African fish eagles have mostly brown bodies with a white head and yellow face and large, powerful, black wings. Some biologists even believe that a fifth subspecies, called the mountain or Virunga buffalo, should be recognised. Learn more about Dodo Bahati, a project supporting anti-poaching efforts in Virunga National Park. [43], Virunga National Park is located in the Congo Nile watershed area. [55] The area is considered a potential lion (Panthera leo) stronghold, if poaching is curbed and prey species recover. Of these, nine gorilla families have been carefully habituated over the last thirty years. 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. The mountain range is a branch of the Albertine Rift Mountains, which border the western branch of the East African Rift. Nyamuragira volcano, situated around 15 miles (25 kilometers) north of Lake Kivu, has been described as one of Africas most active volcanoes. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The local community has no where else to turn for security, and relies on the protection of armed groups, for which fees are levied off the prohibited activities. When Albert National Park was established in April 1925 as the Congo's first national park, it was conceived as a science-oriented nature reserve with the aim of studying and preserving wildlife and so-called "primitive" hunter-gatherer African Pygmies. [54] Lake Rutenzige is fed by several large rivers, the Rutshuru River being one, and drains to the north through the Semliki River into Lake Albert. Shoebills are tall, stork-like birds with wing spans that can reach over 8 feet (2.4 meters). The female, with a wingspan of up to 8 feet (2.4 meters), is larger than the male. On any given day, its shores abound with hippos, elephants, crocodiles, and chimpanzees. From north to south it extends approximately 300km (190mi), largely along the international borders with Uganda and Rwanda in the east. The mountain range consists of eight major volcanoes. The ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature). 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. While sightings of these animal oddities in Virunga are few and far between, they were spotted in the northern sector before the arrival of the militia. To mark Congolese independence from colonialism, Parc Albert is renamed Virunga National Park. Individual volcanoes bear Rwandan descriptive names, such as Sabinio (Sabinyo; Old Man with Large Teeth) and Muhavura (Landmark, or Guide). [14] editors@africageographic.com Two active volcanoes are located in the park, Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira. Throw in nocturnal displays of volcanic ambivalence, and the Virunga experience is far beyond the average escape from the humdrum of city life it is an exhilarating embrace of everything that makes Africa truly wild. Safaris, discussions & donations that make a real difference in Africa. The range runs east-west, perpendicular to the rift valley in which lie Lakes Kivu and Edward. 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. Modern access to the western volcanoes is from Goma and Gisenyi (Rwanda); the remaining mountains are located within the circuit of roads connecting Goma and Rutshuru (Congo), Kisoro (Uganda), and Ruhengeri and Gisenyi (Rwanda). Only one mountain of the 8 is an active volcano that is Mount Nyiragongo found in DRCongo. 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. Naturally, the park authorities are aware of this, and they take the safety of their guests extremely seriously. The most visited section is the southern sector, dominated by dense montane forests home to a vital population of Africas remaining mountain gorillas. The Virunga Mountains, located in the northwest part of Rwanda, contain the country's highest peak, Karisimbi, which reaches nearly 15,000 feet. Virunga has the highest number of amphibian species in the Albertine Rift, an area which encompasses parts of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Here, Virunga reaches Lake Kivu and borders Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. More than 3,000 faunal and floral species have been recorded, of which more than 300 are endemic to the Albertine Rift including eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) and golden monkey (Cercopithecus kandti). At 26,338 square kilometres (10,169 sq mi), Rwanda is the world's 149th-largest country. According to a 2010 report by the United Nations Security Council, 80% of the charcoal consumed by the city of Goma is sourced from the park, representing an annual value of US$2830 million. 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. This variation is determined by a number of factors such as the soil type, soil depth, animals and invertebrates in the area, and minerals within the soil. It includes the Rwindi plains and the Ishasha River valley, and is contiguous with Ugandas Queen Elizabeth National Park to the east. The UK oil company Soco announces that it will not renew its claim to an oil concession in Virunga National Park. Oil exploration threatens the Park, sparking deep concerns from the international community. However, another creature is arguably Virungas (and Africas) most peculiar offering. Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site internationally recognized for its exceptional wildlife and habitats. Virunga is the continents most biologically diverse protected area and a national park embarking on an ambitious development programme known as the Virunga Alliance. The 300km-long park is divided into three primary sectors: northern, central, and southern, which together combine to protect an astonishing array of landscapes from alpine vegetation and montane forests to lava plains and wetlands. Mount Karisimbi is the highest volcano at 4,507 metres (14,787ft). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). This innovative, community focussed approach to conservation is working to reduce the pressures currently faced by the Parks Rangers from armed groups, illegal poaching, and land encroachment. The okapi is the closest known relative to the giraffe and looks very much as though someone crossed a zebra, antelope, and giraffe. They consume mainly fish but have been known to consume carrion, birds, monkeys and even crocodile hatchlings when prey is scarce. Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano that features the worlds largest lava lake at 700 feet (213 meters) across and reaches 11,380 feet (3,470 meters) in height. In the west, Nyamulagira, Nyiragongo, and Mikeno are in Congo; Karisimbiat 14,787 feet the highest of the Virunga volcanoesand Visoke are centrally placed on the Congo-Rwanda frontier; and farther east Sabinio (Sabinyo), Mgahinga (Gahinga), and Muhavura, also known as the Mufumbiro Mountains, are . The Virunga Mountains rise out of densely populated plateaus that are inhabited mostly by Rwandan cultivators and, in certain areas, by cattle herders. The Virunga Mountains : 8 Related Volcanoes. 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. Its initial size of 2,920.98km2 (1,127.80sqmi) was enlarged step by step in subsequent years.