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...