| A. Virunga/Volcanoes Trinational Park | |
A. Virunga/Volcanoes Trinational Park
The Virunga Volcanoes region encompasses three protected areas in three neighboring nations: Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.
The national borders in the region are not demarcated and there are no physical impediments to animal movements within the area and between neighboring countries. The region is important because it harbors the rare and endangered mountain gorilla, Gorilla gorilla beringei, whose total population worldwide is approximately 600 animals. Slightly less than 50 percent of these are within the Virunga/Volcanoes region (Hall et al. 1998; Omari et al. 1999). This area not only is home to the few remaining mountain gorilla but also supports large numbers of montane plant and animal species endemic to the Albertine Rift.
Human population density in the region is high, exceeding 300 persons per square kilometer; pressure on natural resources consequently also is high. Moreover, since 1990 the region has been in gripped in a horrifying genocidal civil war, and continues to be entangled in cross-border military and civil conflicts (Box 5).
|
Box 5. Effect of war on the Virunga/Volcanoes Trinational Park The three national parks of the Virunga/Volcanoes region became embroiled directly in the civil war because the warring parties each suspected their enemies of using the area as a refuge. Artillery emplacements were situated in the parks and antipersonnel mines laid throughout the area. Bombardment of the Sabyinyo, Gahinga, and Muhabura volcanoes destroyed much alpine vegetation, and the indiscriminate use of mines killed many animals. The establishment of refugee camps adjacent to the area resulted in the destruction of more than 150 square kilometers of the forest cover of the Virunga National Park and the deterioration of the aesthetic value of the landscape. More than 50 percent of the bamboo on Mount Mikeno was cut for the manufacture of mats, fans, and baskets and for construction purposes. Refugees, desperate for money, engaged in the trading of charcoal, firewood, and wild game, all of which were extracted illegally from the parks and their surroundings. Other consequences of the war include:
Source: Werikhe et al. (1997). |
B. The Rwenzori/Virunga System
Three Ugandan Parks are included in the Rwenzori/Virunga transboundary system: the Rwenzori National Park, Semliki National Park, and the Queen Elizabeth National Park. These parks are home to about 50 percent of the remaining mountain gorillas. Genetic studies of those gorillas furthermore suggest they may be a different subspecies to those found in the nearby Virunga/Volcanoes area (Plumptre et al. 1999).
The Semliki River is part of the upper drainage of the Albert Nile. For part of its course, it forms the boundary between Semliki National Park and Virunga National Park. In the long term, there is considerable potential for the cooperative joint development of ecotourism, focusing on the Semliki River and the biological wealth of the Congo/Ituri Forest. The number of tourists to the Semliki/Virungas is currently low, mainly because of access difficulties but also because of concerns about the war nearby.