'Gorillas in the Mist' National Park victim of severe illegal forest clearing
source: http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2004/WWFPresitem718.html
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- julesrs007
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"Over the last two months, nearly 4,000 acres of prime mountain gorilla habitat has been cleared by illegal settlers in Africa's Virunga National Park, a World Heritage Site and site of Dian Fossey's groundbreaking gorilla research. World Wildlife Fund is calling on government officials there to take immediate action to protect the park.
Located in DRC on the border with Rwanda and Uganda, Virunga National Park is home to more than half the world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas - one of the most critically endangered species on the planet.
According to information received by WWF, the Wildlife Conservation Society and their conservation partners, most of the destruction took place from early May to June. Several thousand people moved in to the area to farm illegally in Virunga, with support from influential local individuals who sold plots of land within the national park. The forest was clearcut and turned into timber or charcoal before crops were planted.
WWF and its partners are working to improve the livelihoods of local people around Virunga through community projects - destroying the park is not a solution and in the long- term will cause even more suffering to people as well as gorillas
WWF is urging the Congolese and Rwandan governments to take measures to enforce the UN World Heritage Convention that protects this unique site. WWF is also calling on the international community to fund park patrols, the peaceful evacuation of illegal settlers, and the restoration of destroyed areas.
"What is happening in Virunga is a disaster," says Marc Languy, coordinator of WWF's program in the Albertine Rift. "Thanks to conservation efforts during the past decades, the mountain gorillas have survived civil unrest and war in the region. Loss of habitat is however the worse threat to this species. It is also a loss for the local communities as the forest provides many ecological and economical services to the neighboring population, and many local people benefit from gorilla tourism revenues"."
By Jan Vertefeuille
Read more about issues affecting gorillas:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/gorillas/
http://www.worldwildlife.org/gorillas/
www.iccnrdc.cd/
www.wildlifedirect.org/blogAdmin/gorilladoctors
http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/2008/05/16/video-tshiaberimu-gorillas/
http://getinvolved.conservation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=gorillavideo
http://www.wcs.org/international/Africa/gorilla
http://www.igcp.org/gorillas/gorillas.htm
http://mgvp.32ad.com/default.aspx
http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/2008/05/16/video-tshiaberimu-gorillas/
http://www.gorillas.org/
http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/2008/05/16/video-tshiaberimu-gorillas/
http://www.conservation.org/fmg/pages/videoplayer.aspx?videoid=17
www.uwa.or.ug/
Located in DRC on the border with Rwanda and Uganda, Virunga National Park is home to more than half the world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas - one of the most critically endangered species on the planet.
According to information received by WWF, the Wildlife Conservation Society and their conservation partners, most of the destruction took place from early May to June. Several thousand people moved in to the area to farm illegally in Virunga, with support from influential local individuals who sold plots of land within the national park. The forest was clearcut and turned into timber or charcoal before crops were planted.
WWF and its partners are working to improve the livelihoods of local people around Virunga through community projects - destroying the park is not a solution and in the long- term will cause even more suffering to people as well as gorillas
WWF is urging the Congolese and Rwandan governments to take measures to enforce the UN World Heritage Convention that protects this unique site. WWF is also calling on the international community to fund park patrols, the peaceful evacuation of illegal settlers, and the restoration of destroyed areas.
"What is happening in Virunga is a disaster," says Marc Languy, coordinator of WWF's program in the Albertine Rift. "Thanks to conservation efforts during the past decades, the mountain gorillas have survived civil unrest and war in the region. Loss of habitat is however the worse threat to this species. It is also a loss for the local communities as the forest provides many ecological and economical services to the neighboring population, and many local people benefit from gorilla tourism revenues"."
By Jan Vertefeuille
Read more about issues affecting gorillas:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/gorillas/
http://www.worldwildlife.org/gorillas/
www.iccnrdc.cd/
www.wildlifedirect.org/blogAdmin/gorilladoctors
http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/2008/05/16/video-tshiaberimu-gorillas/
http://getinvolved.conservation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=gorillavideo
http://www.wcs.org/international/Africa/gorilla
http://www.igcp.org/gorillas/gorillas.htm
http://mgvp.32ad.com/default.aspx
http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/2008/05/16/video-tshiaberimu-gorillas/
http://www.gorillas.org/
http://gorilla.wildlifedirect.org/2008/05/16/video-tshiaberimu-gorillas/
http://www.conservation.org/fmg/pages/videoplayer.aspx?videoid=17
www.uwa.or.ug/
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dcrc9596
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The world needs to stop these illegal settlers from destroying the habitat. there must be someone who has the power to do something and we need to force action now. these settlers know better and don't care that they are on protected grounds. They need to be relocated to an area where they have an economic chance without hurting the animals.
- 4 years ago
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dcrc9596
