Kahuzi-Biega National Park

Kahuzi Biega national covers several varieties of the African wild life. I have visited the park two month ago and it was a pleasure to see Gorilla for my first time. The security situation is becoming better as rebellions are leaving the park and local population have now noticed the importance of the forest.

I love tourism in the natural area, It could be nice if decision and strategies can be make to upgrade the status of the world heritage site in RDC. Its painful surveying the status of all protected areas, animals are being killed, trees are cut, etc

Please if you are reading me and in any kind you can sensitize people around you, tell them that the parks is all left for us as natural places in world filled with big building, industries, modern staff and so on. so please let conserve it.

I am a Congolese currently living in South Africa where I am studying Biotechnology at the University of the Western Cape. I am coming precisely from the South Kivu region where the Kahuzi-Biega national Park is located.

I leaved in Lwiro where I was doing Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, a degree that unfortunately I didn't finish.

In 2005, I went in the Kahuzi-Biega National park several times. This park is a real heritage that our planet still have, to save it or to protect is species both it fauna and flora is to guaranty the humankind a fresh air and new filed of research during this critical time that the planet if facing due to climate change and pollution.

Let together save the flora and fauna of the Kahuzi-Biega national park.

Thanks to all those who have invested their time and money for the protection and conservation the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

I am a field research working with the neighboring community around The kahuzi Biega National park (KBNP). In the moment we are a running a Centre for Environmental education in Katana.

The project aims to achieve long-term conservation of the park by increasing awareness and appreciation towards the KBNP among visitors from urban and peri-urban areas as well as neighboring rural communities.

Dealing with the Community based conservation approaches, it targets to establish the basic framework of a regional Environmental Interpretation Service in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The project focuses on information dissemination and awareness building through a Four-sided approach:

• Establish a functioning environment information and public awareness program

• Establish infrastructure for the program ( housing, visual communication equipment

• Build adequate capacity to run the awareness program.

• Empower the youth from ground levels to preserve, protect and conserve natural resources for their promising future: creating a small Child Forest Environmental Education

The main components of the project consist of Education and awareness campaigns for the local people, preparation of varied resource materials for wider dissemination among all members of the community, including pupils, teachers, as well as researchers, students and in a various non-formal education activities for children above 3 years old, young people and adults, and to increase the capacity building of the park staff and guides and tours operators by means of training.

Therefore the Centre seeks to engage a highly trained team to run activities involving technicians in Environmental Sciences, Teachers, …

I was born within this park and there are now 13 years, I am working for its conservation through the Pole Pole Foundation (POPOF), a local NGO that we have created to involve local communities in the park's conservation.

Since 1996, successive wars started by the eastern DR Congo and have badly affected the park's ecosystem. The mark of this park is that it is an habitat of many endemic species of plants and animals. While efforts are being made to protect the Mountain gorillas in the Virungas, few people around the world know about the other sub-species of the Gorillas that live only in the Kahuzi-Biega national Park region; the Goriila gorilla graueri. Researchers have reported that their population have been declined to 70% the ten years ago.

The present state of this World Heritage Site needs more efforts from international and national levels to save some of the remained individuals in the forest.

It is a bit difficult to provide all the information in a short letter of fews words like this one. If specific information are needed, we will be pleased to provide some, if requested at popofdrc@yahoo.fr

With very best wishes,

Bikaba.