Essay

Current conservation issues On 24 March 2011, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation with information on progress in implementing corrective measures. From 11 to 21 December 2010, a joint World Heritage Centre /IUCN mission visited the property, as requested by the World Heritage Committee at its 34 th session (Brasilia, 2010). The mission report is available online at the following Internet address: http:/whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/35COM. The mission noted that since the reactive monitoring missions of 2006 and 2007, security problems continue to hamper the implementation of corrective measures. Especially since 2008 when the Virunga National Park (ViNP) was faced with a sharp rise in insecurity following the occupation of a significant portion of the property by the rebel National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP). Although the situation improved in 2009, to date several armed groups continue to operate in the Park. They illegally exploit natural resources and spread terror among the villagers and travelers on main roads through the Park. This is aggravated by the presence of several thousand undisciplined members of the FARDC based permanently in the Park, and who are often involved in large-scale poaching. The World Heritage Centre notes that since the December 2010 mission, the security situation again seems to have worsened following several attacks by Rwandan rebels, which have again resulted in loss of life amongst the guards. The mission confirmed that the threats identified in previous missions are still valid, including the massive and illegal invasions in many places in the Park, illegal fishing on the lake, the carbonization of the forest of the volcanic sector for the commercialization of charcoal, and the poaching of the large mammals of the savannas. The mission noted that the encroachments now cover an estimated area of 31,146 hectares, or 3.8% of the total area of the Park. The mission also noted that these invasions were encouraged by some local officials during the war and continue to be so today by some local politicians. In addition, the mission highlighted a significant new threat to be added to those identified by the 2006 and 2007 missions, notably the granting of a permit for petroleum exploitation.