Amid political instability and armed conflicts between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the world’s smallest population of gorillas is being decimated in the crossfire. A subspecies of the Eastern gorilla, only 700 mountain gorillas are left, with over 150 of them located in the Virunga National Park. As dangerous geopolitics continue to endanger the security of the Virunga mountains, what could save the treasured gorillas now?

The Legacy of War

Virunga hasn’t been the safest for decades, and this is also not the first problem the mountain gorillas have faced. The conflicts in Rwanda have been sustained since the 1990s, and became particularly threatening during and after the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Combining that with civil unrest in the DRC led to thousands of armed militiamen roaming the Virunga mountains. Over the past 20 years, 160 Virunga rangers have lost their lives to rebel groups when trying to protect the Virunga National Park. Additionally, the discovery of oil in nearby Queen Elizabeth and Lake Edward National Parks has increased oil exploration in Virunga, threatening the habitat of around a third of the endangered gorillas. 

The gorillas have also had to deal with anthropogenic habitat loss and disease transmission. In 2004, illegal settlers cleared 3,700 acres of gorilla forest in Virunga National Park. This inhibits the endangered species’ ability to spread out and reproduce. The mountain gorillas are also susceptible to human diseases, and have died from as little as the common cold.

The Virunga Mountains & Other Habitats

The Virunga Mountains are a chain of volcanoes located across the borders of Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC. The Virunga National Park is located in the eastern part of the DRC. Besides the mountain gorillas, many other endangered and vulnerable species live within the park’s borders, like the elephant, numerous threatened ungulate species, and important hippo populations. The tourism industry, supported by the national park, provides essential funding for the socio-economic development of Central Africa. 

A fire breaks out at an oil exploration site at Virunga National Park.

In addition to the Congo, Rwanda has also put effort into wildlife conservation, focusing on gorillas. Rwanda has around 50% of the mountain gorilla population in its territory, and holds responsibility alongside the Congo for their well-being. They established the Volcanoes National Park in 1925, one of Africa’s earliest national parks. They also put together anti-poaching measures and closely monitored the gorilla population. 

International Conservation

Though the gorillas were on track to be extinct by the early twentieth century, decades of collaboration between non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) have been able to sustain and increase the population. The IGCP is a coalition of three international conservation organizations, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Conservation International (CI), and Fauna & Flora International (FFI). This cooperation helps provide financial support, specialist guidance, and publicity that boost the effectiveness of existing conservation projects. 

The Present Day

This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the Virunga National Park. It has endured the Belgian colonization, the Rwandan Genocide, both the First and the Second Congo Wars, and numerous rebel conflicts. Throughout every security threat, it has continued to provide resources to local communities and contribute to the overall well-being of Central Africa. As tensions keep building, we can only pray that Rwanda and the DRC will be able to put aside their differences for the conservation of endangered species like the mountain gorilla.