HELP US SAVE GORILLAS AND STOP OIL DRILLING IN VIRUNGA & SALONGA NATIONAL PARK. LET’S GIVE ASMILE TO THE GORILLAS.

Threats to DRC wildlife to be discussed in Mgahinga International conference

A three day international conservation conference to discuss problems facing the wildlife in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is scheduled on 05 till 11 November in Mgahinga National Park, Uganda.

The conference, organized by the Virunga Community Programs, is going to discuss a wide range of issues that have threatened the wildlife in the country, including bush meat hunting and encroachment of the the country's two national parks; Salonga National Parks and Virunga

National Parks after it was leaked the DRC government has allowed drilling of oil to take place in the parks. Other issues to be discussed will be continuing international timber trade and illegal logging that is threatening to lead to deforestation.

Virunga Community Programs Would like to invite worldwide

v conservationists,

v scientists,

v government institutions,

v park wardens

v and conservation stakeholders

to brainstorm and seek solutions on a host of problems affecting the wildlife not only in DRC in particular but the whole Virunga massif in general.

The DRC government said in June that it had decided to open up parts of Virunga and Salonga National Parks, home to mountain gorillas, bonobos and other rare species to oil drilling.

The other key themes to be tackled during the conference include wildlife crime and law, wildlife trade in the Great Lakes region, wildlife law enforcement, cultural and traditional knowledge of environment conservation skills, wildlife sustainability and wildlife-human conflict.

According to Reuters, earlier proposals to allow oil exploration in the parks met fierce resistance from environmental activists, who say drilling would place wildlife at risk and release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, causing global warming.

Hunting of bushmeat, logging and international timber trade are also among main issues that threaten wildlife existence in the DRC and are going to be discussed during the conference.

Virunga Community Programs invites all conservation stakeholders, experts and individuals from all over the world who would wish to sponsor and/or participate in the conference to contact us via

 email :  virungaprograms@gmail.com.