Virunga landscape agreement in offing

By Gerald Tenywa

UGANDA, Rwanda and DR Congo are in advanced stages of working on ratifying a treaty that will promote the conservation of the Virunga landscape.

This will among other things promote the protection of migratory species such as Mountain gorillas against poaching, according to James Byamukama, a programme Officer of the Greater Virunga Transboundary Conservation (GVTC).

“The three countries agreed to the agreement in which the Virunga will be managed as one landscape,” said Byamukama, adding that interventions also focus on the livelihoods of the local communities living in the neighbourhood of the park.

He was speaking recently media training in Kampala in which he pointed out that a strategy would be rolled out to engage stakeholders from grassroot communities, local Governments, partner states in creation of awareness.

The Virunga landscape on Uganda’s part covers parks, Mgahinga, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen’s Elizabeth National Park and Semuliki National Park.

In Rwanda, the Virunga’s cover Park Volcanoes and Virunga in DR Congo covering vast part of eastern DR Congo, which touches Uganda’s parks, Bwindi, Queen, Rwenzori as well as Semuliki. The Virunga is Africa’s oldest park.

The ecologically richest part of the three countries, according to Byamukama is part of the catchment area for River Nile as well as the Congo basin.

The Virunga landscape is managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in Uganda, Rwanda Development Board in Rwanda and the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN-RDC).

The agreement has been backed by the strategic support from other experts’ delegations of the ministry of justice, ministry of foreign affairs, ministry of tourism and antiquities, as well as experts from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Regions and the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries.

According to Jossy Muhangi, the Public Relations Manager of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the three countries have been coordinating in regard to poaching, gorilla census as well as research in the Virunga landscape.

This, he said has been taking place for the last decade and half during which the population of gorillas has been increasing. The population of Mountain gorillas is currently estimated at 880 individuals and half of them occupy Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Other experts pointed out that the park is under threat from increasing human population pressure, mining and the discovery of oil in the region is also a source of concern with prospecting companies stalking the Virunga in DR Congo.