The Virunga Foundation is a non-governmental organisation working in the field of nature conservation. Registered in London[1] and funded by the European Union,[2] it is focused on protecting the wildlife in Virunga National Park in partnership with the Democratic Republic of Congo's ICNN. Its name between 2005 and 2014 was African Conservation Fund.[1]
| Founded | 20 October 2005[1] |
|---|---|
| Focus | Nature conservation, biodiversity |
| Location |
International Gorilla Conservation Programme
editIn 2017, the Virunga Foundation started a conservation project that targets the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), in which the Volcanoes National Park also participated.[3]
Controversy
editThe Virunga Foundation and Virunga National Park have faced criticism that their conservation efforts in the region have led to the "militarization of conservation" and further violence and dispossession faced by local Indigenous peoples. Communities, such as the Mbuti, which previously relied on the lands included in the park for food and shelter have been forced out, or risk being arrested or killed by armed park rangers.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c All about the Virunga Foundation
- ^ a b Moloo, Zahra (14 September 2014). "Militarised Conservation Threatens DRC's Indigenous People – Part 1". Inter Press Service. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ Virunga: Mountain gorilla sanctuary under threat
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