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on the 24th of april 2020
a violent ambush in barunga national
park in the eastern democratic republic
of congo
killed 17 people including 12 rangers
the attack was claimed by the fdlr a
group of hudu
who regularly target the ethnic tutsi
population
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tragically this isn't the only militia
group the region has to deal with
local armed conflict is an ongoing issue
in the area
dragging in varunga like many other
national parks
but just how widespread is this problem
and what can human conflict mean for
conservation
while varunga has been in the headlines
recently armed conflict affects
conservation
all over the world in fact 80
of modern armed conflicts have occurred
in biodiversity hotspots
violence in and around conservation
areas creates a negative
downward spiral with wildlife being
killed by crossfire
tourism almost always decreases due to
security concerns
meaning less income for local
communities and conservation projects
and a decrease in law enforcement due to
the lack of safety and visitors
this in turn makes illegal activities
easier
and causes wildlife to suffer even more
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several of the world's already
endangered large mammals have been
drastically affected by human conflict
including mountain gorillas in central
africa
the jaguar in central america or snow
leopards in afghanistan and kashmir
but although it's a global problem
africa is the worst affected region by
far
an estimated 70 of the continents
national parks
have experienced armed conflict since
the early 1900s
with the ongoing conflict that has
killed an estimated 5.6 million people
since 1994 the drc is one of the most
badly afflicted countries of all
stretching from the ruins ori mountains
to the volcanic burunga mountain range
varunga national park is in the eastern
drc
right on the border with uganda and
rwanda
the park was first designated in 1925
making it the oldest protected area on
the continent as well as the most
biologically diverse
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among its many important species garunga
is home to elephants
hippos and even lions
but most notably critically endangered
great apes
mountain gorillas
and eastern chimpanzees
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virunga is hugely important to global
conservation efforts
and tourism plays a vital role in
sustaining the park's income
almost a quarter of the nine million
dollars that are needed every year to
keep the park going
comes from tourism
but recently verunga has been making
headlines for the wrong reasons
in 2018 two british tourists were
kidnapped in the park
and even though they were released
unharmed marunga was forced to close for
eight months due to security concerns
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the fatal ambush in april this year was
the worst in a long line of violent
attacks
that have killed more than 180 rangers
since 1998
700 armed rangers patrol the park on a
daily basis
but militia groups operating in the
region often see them as a threat
and their lives are constantly in danger
the park is also rich in natural
resources
which the government militia groups and
external actors
all compete for
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the land itself and the wildlife that
lives here become victims of these human
conflicts
with animals like gorillas forced to
flee deep into the forest
as their habitat becomes under stress
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it's a similar story in garamba national
park about 700 kilometers to the north
of furunga
located on the border with south sudan
garamba is famous for being home to the
world's last remaining population of
cordovan giraffes
which currently numbers just 55
individuals
the giraffes and other large mammals
like elephants
ugandan cobb and the now extinct
northern white rhinos
used to be able to roam this area
without fear but the conflict and the
poorest border with south sudan
created severe problems for the park
armed rebel groups including the lra led
by notorious joseph kony
have decimated wildlife populations
through poaching
as a legal wildlife trade is an
important source of income
used to finance local conflict
militia groups cross in and out of the
park
where they end up disturbing the
habitats of endangered wildlife
in both national parks the worry is that
this is the start of the negative
downward spiral we saw at the beginning
if security worsens animals might lose
their habitats and tourism could
decrease
leading to a decline in conservation
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virunga is even being referred to as the
most dangerous conservation project in
the world
these days and with local conflicts
showing no signs of stopping
can the parks expect a positive future
one answer may lie elsewhere in africa
where the positive story of queen
elizabeth national park
could give protected areas like varunga
and garamba more reason to hope
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in neighboring uganda queen elizabeth
national park is now part of a
conservation unit
shared with burunga the park was
established back in the 1950s
and soon became one of africa's top
safari destinations
but the uganda tanzania war of the late
1970s was a disaster for its wildlife
amidst the turmoil of war elephants
buffaloes
water bucks and hippos were being
poached or hunted across the country
and the park was all but destroyed
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amazingly only a couple of decades after
its end
queen elizabeth national park has been
restored to its former glory
major investment in conservation and a
flourishing wildlife tourism industry
have helped wildlife numbers to recover
and created widespread stability around
the park
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besides providing a safe haven for
endangered chimpanzees
the park is famous for its huge flocks
of birds and iconic tree climbing lions
now thanks to conservation efforts the
park can be regarded as a central
african lion stronghold
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parks like the queen elizabeth show what
is possible with a combination of
government level assistance
and sustainable wildlife tourism but
first of all
a lot of work needs to be done to tackle
the root causes of local armed conflict
and this is where conservation itself
can actually help
with around 77 of drc's population
living in extreme poverty some of the
local conflict around varunga and
garamba
stems from economic instability but with
tourism from the parks providing jobs
improving infrastructure and driving the
local economy
there's been a gradual increase of
stability and more support for
conservation from neighboring
communities
escaping the effects of armed conflict
isn't easy
and both varunga and garamba have a long
road ahead
but these parks are demonstrating how
dedicated conservation can be used
to tackle underlying causes and help
bring long-term stability to a region
no one can predict what the future will
bring
but examples like this show that there
is still hope
that national parks across the world can
be used
as a positive force for change
hey there i hope this video could give
you a better insight into the vital role
of conservation projects and national
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