https://popups.lib.uliege.be/2984-0317/index.php?id=1522 Entrées d’index fr 0 https://popups.lib.uliege.be/2984-0317/index.php?id=1519 The area referred to as Virunga Volcanoes Region (VVR) is that part in Central Africa covered by three protected areas in three countries. These protected areas, currently managed as national parks are : Parc National des Volcans (PNV, 160 km2) in Rwanda, Parc National des Virungas (PNVi, 240 km2) in Democratic Republic of Congo) and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (MGNP, 33.7 km2) in Uganda. Parc National des Virunga was Africa's first national park gazetted in 1925 and it was later reclassified as a World Heritage Site because of its internationally recognized unique natural and cultural sites. Straddling the international boundaries of the three countries, the Virunga Volcanoes Region has no physical demarcation along the borders and free ranging animals within the area are transient between the different neighboring countries. Of notable significance, the region harbors the rare and endangered mountain gorilla, Gorilla gorilla beringei whose total population worldwide is approximately 600 animals. Slightly less than 50 % of these are within the Virunga Volcanoes Region (Butynski, T.M., S.E. Werikhe and J. Kalina, 1990). The other population is found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. For a long time, only the Virunga Volcanoes portions of Rwanda and Congo were managed as national parks. Until 1991, the Ugandan portion was managed as a Forest and Game Reserve (Werikhe, 1991). The creation of MGNP six years ago elevated its level of protection and matched it with the other two national parks in the region. This was a significant breakthrough in support of conservation and it now seems certain that the three countries recognize the importance and urgent need to safeguard the mountain gorilla and its habitat. The Virunga Volcanoes Region protects a large number of plant and animal species endemic to the Albertine Rift. This valuable biological diversity with a high level of endemism is related to the long natural evolution and tormented geological and volcanic history during the Plio-Pleistocene era (D'Huart, 1989). Human population density in the region is considerably high. At a population density averaging 300 people/km2, there is enormous pressure onto these protected areas for livelihood needs especially fertile land for agriculture, fuel wood , construction wood, coffee plantations, food and lots of other forest products. The conservation policies in place have therefore been designed to address the above pressures but also to ensure a balanced situation with the adjacent people for enhanced protection and continued existence of the resource. The region is well known for its very high tourism potential exhibited by presence of mountain gorillas, other taxa and impressive scenery. Sorne groups of gorillas have been habituated to human presence and are currently viewed by tourists, fetching a fair amount of revenue to the three countries. The substantial amounts of money generated by tourism are used by the Rwanda, Congo and Uganda's Wildlife institutions of Office Rwandais du Tourisme et Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN), Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), and Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), respectively, to manage conservation activities in the Virunga Volcanoes. During the late 1990s, a civil war was waged onto the Rwanda Government and this is reported to have started from the Mutara Region, Rwanda. Launching war from the Mutara was detrimental to conservation because of its location in the Virunga Volcanoes Region. Over the years, the war advanced slowly into deeper regions of Rwanda until 1994 when the Rwandese Patriotic Front took over power. This saw over 700,000 refugees fleeing Rwanda to North Kivu District, Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, for sanctuary. The effects of this war on conservation in the region we re directly felt for about seven years since the war broke. They were most seriously felt when refugees camped in or near protected areas and utilized resources there in with impunity. Other negative effects included loss of lives among protected area staff, destruction of wildlife species and of their habitat, breakdown in communication, destruction of infrastructure, halt on tourism activities, and above all, complete degeneration in staff work effectiveness due to insecurity. Thu, 01 Feb 2024 16:28:31 +0100 Tue, 19 Mar 2024 15:50:05 +0100 https://popups.lib.uliege.be/2984-0317/index.php?id=1519 https://popups.lib.uliege.be/2984-0317/index.php?id=1532 Les volcans Virunga abritent l'une des deux seules populations de gorilles de montagne, Gorilla gorilla beringei, ainsi qu'une biodiversité remarquablement riche, typique des écosystèmes de forêts afro-montagnardes. Cette zone de conservation, d'une surface approximative de 400 km2, est partagée par trois pays : le Rwanda, l'Ouganda et la République Démocratique du Congo. L'ensemble de la région a été secoué par plusieurs années de troubles, lesquels ont eu des répercussions négatives sur l'environnement et les aires protégées. Le moment est sans doute venu de proposer des solutions contribuant au maintien à long terme de la biodiversité. Cet article analyse les potentialités de création d'un Parc pour la Paix qui comprendrait le Parc National des Volcans au Rwanda, le secteur Mikeno du Parc National des Virunga en République Démocratique du Congo, ainsi que Mgahinga Gorilla National Park en Ouganda. L'article commence par passer en revue les initiatives de collaboration des autorités officielles en charge des aires protégées des trois pays. Plus spécifiquement, l'expérience du Programme International de Conservation des Gorilles (PTCG) est décrite et proposée comme fondation sur laquelle des mécanismes officiels de coopération entre les trois pays peuvent être construits. La création d'un Parc pour la Paix dans les Virunga permettrait d'atteindre un double objectif, l'un en termes de conservation de la biodiversité et l'autre sur le plan politico-diplomatique. L' article ensuite décrit et analyse les contraintes et les obstacles qui doivent être contournés. Ces obstacles comprennent: la communication, les différences de systèmes de gestion et d'administration, les formalités d'immigration, ainsi que la situation de la sécurité dans la région en général et dans les Virunga en particulier. On décrit ensuite le cadre institutionnel de chaque pays, ainsi que le rôle potentiel des traités internationaux dans le développement d'un parc pour la paix, te s que la Convention sur le Patrimoine Mondial (UNESCO) ou encore la Convention sur la Diversité Biologique. On propose un plan stratégique chronologique, au terme duquel le Parc pour la Paix des Virunga serait mis en place. Enfin, l'article considère les aspects liés au financement des structures du parc pour la paix, et propose une série de possibilités, comprenant des sources traditionnelles de financement ou le développement d'un ou de plusieurs « trust funds ». The Virunga Volcanos are home to one of the two only populations of mountain gorillas, Gorilla gorilla beringei, as well as to a remarkably rich biological diversity typical of afromontane forest habitats. This conservation area, covering approx imately 400 km2, is shared by three countries : Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (formely Zaïre, DRC). The region has undergone a number of years of civil strife with the associated negative repercussions on the environment and protected areas. The moment has come to propose solutions contributing to the long-term maintenance of this rich biodiversity. This article analyses the potential for the creation of a Peace Park encompassing the Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda, the Mikeno sector of the Parc National des Virunga in DRC and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. At first, this article reviews of past initiatives aiming to bring together the official protected area authorities in the three countries. In particular, the experiences of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) are described and proposed as the groundwork on which more official mechanisms for collaboration between the three countries can be founded. The creation of a Peace Park in the Virungas would fulfill a double series of objectives, both in terms of biodiversity conservation and at the political and diplomatic level. The constraints and obstacles that necessarily must be faced are described and analyzed. These include problems linked to communication, different management and administration systems, immigration formalities, the security situation in the region in general and in the Virunga massif in particular, etc. The institutional framework is described for each country, as well as the potential for the intervention of international treaties, such as the World Heritage Convention (UNESCO) or the Biodiversity Convention in the development of a Peace Park. A phased strategic plan is proposed, the outcome of which would be the constitution of a Peace Park for the Virungas. Finally, aspects related to financing of the proposed structures are considered, and a series of funding possibilities, including traditional funding sources, as well as the potential development of one or more « trust funds ». Thu, 01 Feb 2024 16:40:01 +0100 Wed, 13 Mar 2024 12:15:50 +0100 https://popups.lib.uliege.be/2984-0317/index.php?id=1532