virunga - animal conservation
Une partie de la terre qui est le foyer de la dernière gorilles de montagne sauvage et des abris plus d'espèces que l'Afrique , qui va de marécages fumants de lacs de glaciers et des volcans est en danger . Cet endroit a une des plus hautes densités de populations humaines en Afrique et dans les dernières années , les gens se sont installés et le braconnage à l'intérieur de l' écosystème fragile menaçant les résidents . Ce lieu est destiné à être protégé. Récemment, un grand nombre des grands mammifères ont diminué en nombre de manière drastique. La plus grande population d'hippopotames à un moment donné était de 30.000 , mais avait drastiquement chuté à 5000.
overview
http://virunga.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/gorilla-protection-1.jpg
Stirton, Brent / Getty Images. Digital Image. Virunga National Park. n. d. Web. |
A very diverse landscape that ranges from from steamy swamps to glacier lakes and active volcanoes that’s home to the last wild mountain gorillas and shelters more species than any other place in Africa is in danger. The area surrounding Virunga has one of the highest human population densities in Africa and in the recent years people have been settling and poaching inside of the delicate ecosystem threatening the residents. Virunga is meant to be protected. In most recent years, many of the large mammals have declined in numbers drastically. Africa's largest population of hippos used to be about 30,000 but has drastically declined to only 5,000 (Under Construction).
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history + general info
Stirton, Brent / Getty Images. Digital Image. Virunga
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the park was founded in 1925 by King Albert I of Belgium. The park was the first national park on the continent and was originally created to protect the Mountain Gorillas. Within 35 years the shapes and boundaries of the park came together but in 1960 when Belgium granted Congo independence the new state began to slide downhill and the park went with it until president Mobutu took interest in wildlife preservation and revived the park along with its name. The park became known as Virunga National Park and earned 6500 tourist a year with minimum poaching until the late 1980s when Mobutu began to lose control over his country and everything slid into chaos. Poaching was on the rise and almost depleted the mammal population in VIrunga, many rangers were killed trying to protect the animals
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poaching in virunga
Nearly half of the remaining 700 Mountain Gorillas live in Virunga but are next to a constant ongoing civil war thats made virunga home for a battlefield between the congolese army and the active militias that hunt and poach the endangered species in Virunga but the extreme poverty around the national park pushes people to feed into a $30 million trade of killing
oil mining in virunga threat to animals and people
Virunga National Park is protected by the laws of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and any activities that are harmful to the park or its residents is illegal but some European companies are pursuing plans for oil mining in and around the park and with major oil exploitation comes forest clearing, seismic test, deep underground drilling, and a large amount of people going in and out of the park, damaging the delicate ecosystem even more. About 80% of Virungas land is covered in oil concessions including the land that endangered species like gorillas, hippos, and forest elephants live on. It would also harm all the lesser known species like the Okapi which can only be found in Africa and the seven hundred species of birds found in the park.
projects
Virungas elephants have been getting slaughtered because of the ivory trade, diminishing the last of africas elephants rapidly, lowering their numbers from 4,000 to only 400 especially the Mabenga herd whose numbers are lower than 100 and are close to being wiped out completely.
Over the last 20 years over 150 rangers have been killed protecting majestic creatures from poachers and in 2011, eleven rangers died within the first seven months of work. Thats two rangers dead almost every month from protecting the beautiful animals they love
Over the last 20 years over 150 rangers have been killed protecting majestic creatures from poachers and in 2011, eleven rangers died within the first seven months of work. Thats two rangers dead almost every month from protecting the beautiful animals they love
conservation in virunga
Out of all the animals Mountain Gorillas are particularly vulnerable when it comes to poachers, not only because of the weapons and traps they use but also because of the multiple diseases people carry and can give to a gorilla which has little to no defense against human diseases and with the highest human population densities in africa is around the national park it can be hard to stop any human contact. That's why The International Gorilla Conservation Programme has began to work directly with the people in and around the park to help carry out Mountain Gorilla monitoring
(Virunga-Bwindi Landscape)
Gorilla Conservation
The conservation programs even introduces people to anti poaching measures and education programs that help change people's attitudes towards the Mountain Gorilla and poaching. Over the years The International Gorilla Conservation Programme has kept uninterrupted monitoring over the gorillas despite the constant war around them. They have also purchased land around the park to add to Virunga to stop conflict with gorillas and the communities around it caused by the gorillas ranging out of the park
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(animal conservation Virunga vid.)
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works cited
Virunga-Bwindi Landscape. Digital image. WWF UK. n.d. Web.