Congo (Democratic Republic)

Kahuzi-Biega National Park

WHS Score 3.33 Votes 6 Average 4.08

Kahuzi-Biéga National Park protects a primary tropical forest that is one of the last refuges of the critically endangered Eastern Lowland Gorilla.

The Eastern Lowland Gorilla is the largest subspecies of the Gorilla and the largest living primate. The park reaches high altitudes at Mounts Kahuzi (3,308 m) and Biega (2,790 m). where sub-alpine vegetation has developed. Its bird list holds 349 species, including 42 endemic.

Community Perspective: There have been no recent reviews of this site, though it is regularly visited as it is easily accessible from the Rwanda border.

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Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Kahuzi-Biega National Park (ID: 137)
Country
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Status
Inscribed 1980 Site history
History of Kahuzi-Biega National Park
WHS Type
Natural
Criteria
  • x
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article
  • Dec. 30, 2020 france24.com — Rangers at DR Congo wildlife haven protest over pay
  • July 21, 2019 theguardian.com — Clash between Pygmies and DRC gorilla sanctuary rangers leaves one dead

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Wildlife habitat: Fauna
Travel Information
No travel information
Recent Connections
View all (23) .
Connections of Kahuzi-Biega National Park
Geography
Ecology
Damaged
  • Poaching
    Bushmeat commerce, involving almost all vertebrate species, is very intense and thus affects the biodiversity values of the park. Forest elephants are under intense pressure from ivory poachers with probably only few individuals left in high altitude. Gorillas were heavily poached during the wars (mainly for bushmeat) and probably continue to be hunted in the low altitude sector.
World Heritage Process
  • Inscribed on a single criterion only
    x. to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.
Human Activity
  • Indigenous groups expelled
    Twa. “The expulsion of the Twa from their forests had already begun before the establishment of the National Park, at the end of the 1960s, and was conducted by staff from the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) with the support of the armed forces. Starting around 1967, the Twa who were living in what was the Kahuzi-Biega Reserve were forced out of the area on the orders of the provincial authorities” (WHS-IPR)
  • Pygmy Peoples
    Batwa peoples were evicted when the park was created in 1975

    See healingtraumaindrcongo.blogspot.com

WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Early Pleistocene
    "Straddling the Albertine Rift and the Congo Basin" - "The current course of the Congo River formed 1.5-2 million years BP, during the Pleistocene"
Visiting conditions
WHS Names
News
france24.com 12/30/2020
Rangers at DR Congo wildlife haven…
theguardian.com 07/21/2019
Clash between Pygmies and DRC gori…
Recent Visitors
Reserved for members.

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 11/11/13.

Anonymous

Kahuzi-Biega National Park

Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Inscribed)

Photo in the Public Domain

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.

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 12/06/08.

Anonymous

Kahuzi-Biega National Park

Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Inscribed)

Photo in the Public Domain

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.

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 29/06/06.

Anonymous

Kahuzi-Biega National Park

Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Inscribed)

Photo in the Public Domain

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, …

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 24/08/05.

Anonymous

Kahuzi-Biega National Park

Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Inscribed)

Photo in the Public Domain

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.

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