Posted on 07 April 2014
| The three countries home to mountain gorillas
have agreed on new measures to conserve
the critically endangered animals, and to
maximize the economic benefits they bring
to local communities.
National park officials
from Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic
of the Congo (DRC) have renewed their joint
commitment to protect gorilla habitat spanning
their shared borders, and recognized the
importance of attracting tourists for lucrative
gorilla treks.
Mountain gorillas are
the only type of great ape in the world
that are experiencing an increase in number,
yet only about 880 individuals were counted
at the last census. Gorilla family groups
in each of the range countries have been
habituated to the presence of people, and
can be visited on carefully controlled tours.
“A portion of the revenue
from gorilla tourism is shared with the
communities surrounding the animals’ habitats.
This creates a strong incentive to protect
the animals and the natural setting where
they live,” said David Greer, WWF’s African
great ape expert. “Visitors also spend money
elsewhere during their trip, and that helps
the national economy as a whole.”
In Rwanda and Uganda
the tourism industry, largely linked to
mountain gorillas, accounts for about 8-9
percent of total gross domestic products,
World Bank data shows. Gorilla tourism in
DRC’s Virunga National Park recently reopened
after a period of instability wracked the
region. An independent economic analysis
of the park commissioned by WWF found that
tourism in Virunga has the potential to
reach an estimated value of US$235 million
per year.
Alarmingly, 85 per cent
of Virunga National Park has been allocated
as oil concessions. Mountain gorilla habitat
has been spared, but if oil extraction were
to occur, the park’s critical ecosystems
and rare species could be put at risk, research
indicates.
WWF strongly opposes
the exploration plans of UK oil company
Soco International PLC, which intends to
start seismic testing in the park this month.
+ More
Tutu, Branson and Buffett
take on Soco in fight for Virunga
Posted on 28 April 2014
| Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu,
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and
millionaire philanthropist Howard G. Buffett
have cautioned that oil exploration by Soco
International PLC “could be devastating
to Africa’s most iconic national park and
its people.”
Calling Soco’s operations
in Virunga National Park illegal, the men
challenged the UK company’s claims that
oil will bring benefits to local communities
in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC). “The more likely scenario is a handful
of people will get rich from Soco’s activities,”
they wrote in the Huffington Post Sunday.
The FTSE 250-listed
oil company started seismic testing in Virunga
Saturday despite objections from local fishermen,
the UK government, the UNESCO World Heritage
Committee and 675,000 WWF supporters.
Tutu, Branson and Buffett
argue that irresponsible resource extraction
in the instable region could threaten vulnerable
populations and critically endangered wildlife.
“Lasting peace will only come when there
is a better alternative: economic development
that benefits the many, not the few,” they
said.
Independent economic
analysis of Virunga National Park commissioned
by WWF found that the World Heritage Site
has the potential to grow in value to over
US$1.1 billion per year if developed sustainably
through uses like hydropower, fisheries
and ecotourism.
“These are the kinds
of development plans that trigger a virtuous
circle,” the men wrote. “Virunga National
Park is a unique asset that could, if utilized
correctly, be an economic development engine.”
