However, taking one taxing step at a time has paid off. 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. On several occasions a lava stream reached the shores of Lake Kivu. Virunga has a vision for responsibly harnessing the Parks natural resources to create new opportunities for the four million people that live within a days walk of its borders. [10][11] To improve the country's economic situation the government undermined that very protection by auctioning oil exploration blocks inside the park by the end of July 2022. 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. This savannah-like section offers the best chance to spot the more traditional safari animals, including elephant, lion, and buffalo. The plains of Virunga National Park are dominated by wetlands and grasslands with papyrus sedge (Cyperus papyrus), jointed flatsedge (C. articulatus), common reed (Phragmites mauritanica), sacaton grasses (Sporobolus consimilis), ambatch (Aeschynomene elaphroxylon), conkerberry (Carissa spinarum), paperbark thorn (Vachellia sieberiana) and kowai fruit (Coccinia grandis). In the wake of serious security issues, including the murder of park rangers and the kidnapping of tourists, park management announced in June 2018 that the park would be closed to tourists until at least the end of the year. The mountain gorillas have increased from fewer than 70 to over 300 in ten years and hippos from 300 to over 2,000, while elephant and lion sightings are now a fairly regular occurrence. These, in turn, keep the lions of the park suitably satiated. Mount Karisimbi is the highest volcano at 4,507 metres (14,787ft). The park is a crucial habitat for giant and tree pangolin, crested porcupine and even Lord Derbys scaly-tailed squirrel (a rodent with a very similar design to flying squirrels). Learn more about Dodo Bahati, a project supporting anti-poaching efforts in Virunga National Park. 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. The endangered eastern lowland gorilla, also known as the Grauers gorilla, is a sub-species of the eastern gorilla that resides in the lowland tropical rainforests of eastern Congo. Every family comes with its dynamics, characters and stories, and the rangers have kept track of it all you can read more about their histories and present breakdown here. The rapid population surge causes environmental damage, and Virungas Rangers struggle to protect the forests. It conserves a diversity of habitats that surpasses any other park on the continent and is tucked along the eastern boundary of the Democratic Republic of Congo, protecting the eastward extremity of the Congo Basin. Where Are The Virunga Mountains Located - 2022 Two major African rivers, the Nile and the. Here dedicated keepers have raised the young survivors of anthropogenic cruelty (poaching and snaring), as well as rehabilitating eastern lowland gorillas. Chattering troops of flamboyant eastern black-and-white colobus monkeys frequent the lodges while the booming calls of De Brazzas monkeys echo through the valleys. Okapis are endangered, and there are probably only a few thousand remaining. The female, with a wingspan of up to 8 feet (2.4 meters), is larger than the male. The park is periodically closed when they feel that the situation on the ground is such that security cannot be guaranteed. Virunga Mountains | Location, Description, & Facts 2003). The connection between man and gorilla can be further explored at the Senkwekwe Centre, the only mountain gorilla orphanage in the world. [34], Five rangers were killed in August 2017 near Lake Edward in a militia attack. Corrections? The Virunga Mountains lie between Lakes Kivu and Edward and extend into Rwanda and Uganda. [2] It is comparable in size to Haiti or the state of . Though there are innumerable reasons to want to visit Virunga National Park, the potential insecurity in the region is of concern to many prospective visitors. Facts About Virunga Mountains | Mount Nyiragongo | Volcanoes Park Habituation is a critical component of gorilla conservation, as it allows for detailed research to be undertaken on the species. [45][54], Virunga National Park together with the adjacent Queen Elizabeth National Park forms a "Lion Conservation Unit". [14] They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Discounts at Africas best lodges and on our hand-made packages subscribers only, STORIES & DISCUSSIONS This sight is at its most impressive at night, so most opt to camp on the rim of the crater. The 8 Virunga Volcano Mountains Chattering troops of flamboyant eastern b, There are four recognised subspecies of the African buffalo in Africa and two of these the Cape and forest are found in Virunga. Fuelled by subsistence and profit-driven poaching, rebel groups launch attacks on patrol posts in the Northern Sector of the Park. Key Information. The, However, this is no idle volcano. Campaigners trying to create public awareness are threatened and intimidated on social media. Virunga Mountains in Congo - Virunga National Park Congo The great volcanoes of this range, clothed in cloud forests, include the dormant Mikeno, Karisimbi, Visoke, and Sabinio (Sabinyo), as well as the active Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira. Every morning, rangers set out at the crack of dawn to track down and monitor their charges, and by the time guests have stirred and downed their first coffee, many families have already been located. In elevation, it ranges from 680m (2,230ft) in the Semliki River valley to 5,109m (16,762ft) in the Rwenzori Mountains. Virunga Mountains: A gem of biodiversity in the heart of Africa The Park is founded as Parc Albert, the first national park to be established on the African continent. [56], Of the Albertine Rift's endemic birds, Rwenzori turaco, Rwenzori batis, Archer's ground robin, red-throated alethe, Kivu ground thrush, collared apalis, mountain masked apalis, dusky crimson-wing, Shelley's crimsonwing, red-faced woodland warbler, stripe-breasted tit, blue-headed sunbird, regal sunbird, Rwenzori double-collared sunbird, handsome spurfowl and strange weaver were recorded in Virunga National Park's southern sector during surveys in 2004. [8] They were subsequently released unharmed. The crater of Muhavura contains a small lake. [50] Farther north are the Rutshuru Falls and the Mai ya Moto sulfur springs. They studied and collected zoological specimens of wildlife for the Muse Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique;[20][21] explored the ethnic groups in this area;[22] studied volcanic activity,[23] and fossils. It erupts on average every two years. Flora/Vegatation in Virunga national park; Virunga's strategic location at the frontier between various biogeographic zones offers it an upper hand to protect both tropical rainforest and eastern steppe species and its range of altitudes adds to the habitat variety.The diversity in flora includes: bamboo and Hagenia forest on the mountains; equatorial forest along the Semiliki; wooded . Virunga National Park is home to around a third of those gorillas, which reside in the dense forests on the lush slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. 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). Virunga Mountains | National Park | Gorillas | Rwanda | Uganda As is inevitable, this tableau of human suffering has spilt over into the conservation of the countrys natural resources, and Virunga has found itself in the middle of countless conflicts. The range runs east-west, perpendicular to the rift valley in which lie Lakes Kivu and Edward. Some biologists even believe that a fifth subspecies, called the mountain or Virunga buffalo, should be recognised. The past 14 years have been far from plain sailing, and the park has suffered its fair share of losses, particularly of the brave rangers dedicated to protecting the park. 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. 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. [4] Virunga Mountains is located in the East Africa with a chain of volcanoes that are within the borders of the countries Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. [44] UNESCO designated the park a World Heritage site in 1979, and it was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1994, because of the growth of permanent settlements within the park and the influx of a great number of refugees fleeing war in neighbouring Rwanda. [45], The climate in the Albertine Rift is influenced by the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the El NioSouthern Oscillation. Mountain gorillas aside, Virungas great ape collection also includes eastern lowland gorillas (Grauers gorillas Gorilla beringei graueri) and chimpanzees. The camps of various armed factions are dismantled in the Central Sector of the Park. [7], There have been several deadly attacks in the park by rebel groups, and several park rangers have been killed. The orphanage is named for a silverback killed in a devastating poaching incident in 2007 that claimed the lives of seven members of the Rugendo family. A conflict between rebel and army forces results in the untimely death of the silverback of the Rugendo family. Only 629 hippos remain in the Park, a 98% decrease from the 30,000 of the 1960s and 1970s.
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