ISHANGO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO,: An elite unit of rangers come out of the bush after rehersing an ambush. This quick reaction force takes on groups like the Hutu led FDLR and Ugandan Isis affiliate the A.D.F. The groups and many other mai mail militias continue to make conservation problematic and dangerous inside Virunga, well known as one of the worlds most dangerous places to practice conservation.
CHONDO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MARCH 2012: A combined team of ICCN Congolese conservation rangers and members of the Congolese army patrol an area known to have a FDLR rebel presence, Chondo, Virunga, 12 March 2012. The FDLR are the hardcore Hutu's who were behind the Rwandan massacre of 1994. Since they fled into the DRC and the park after the Genocide, they have sown mayhem and destruction in Virunga. 140 Rangers have died defending Virunga since 1994, many at the hands of the FDLR rebels. There are regular contacts between the Rangers and FDLR, usually resulting in injuries and deaths on either side. The Rangers, with the help of the FARDC, are winning this battle but at a heavy price. In 2011 eleven Rangers died fighting the FDLR. Virunga remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to practise conservation. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for GEO magazine.)
BUKIMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, EASTERN CONGO, JULY 2007: Conservation Rangers from an Anti-Poaching unit work with locals to evacuate the bodies of nine severely endangered Mountain Gorrillas killed in mysterious circumstances in the park. Senkwekwe, a silver-back alpha male, the leader of the group was shot, seven females were also killed. Two of the females had babies and one was pregnant. One baby was found and taken into care.
VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, JANUARY 25 2015: Emmanuel De Merode, head warden of Virunga National Park seen in the Southern sector headquarters of Rumangabo. (De Merode has worked inside Virunga since 1992 and has been present for all hte trials and tribulations of Virunga. He has been head warden since 2008. He has negotiated with 2 major Rebel groups to keep access to the mountain gorillas of the region, he has dealt with the deaths of more than 150 of his Rangers. He has been a a conservation visionary in securing funding to continue the running of Virunga. De Merode was shot 4 times last year by 3 unknown men who are either linked to the FDLR rebel group or to Soco oil, a British oil compnay De Merode has been campaigning against. He was back in the park a month after he was shot. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
KIBATI, CLOSE TO GOMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK,NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO-23 FEBRUARY 2008: ICCN Rangers conduct a raiding patrol into an area of illegal Charcoal production. They arrested a number of mules, poor people from displaced communities who are being used by the real powers behind Charcoal production in the area. These players include members of the Congolese military, the FDLR Interhamwe rebels and big businessmen in Goma. The ICCN Rangers were shot at by FDLR as they were completing their mission. This is an area known to be under their influence. ICCN Advance Force rangers at the Kibati Station are conducting roadblocks and vehicle searches for illegal charcoal in Virunga National Park. They are being assisted by members of the Congolese military police who are looking to stamp out their own military's involment in the illegal charcoal industry. The ICCN Ranger's job is complicated by the large number of Congolese military travelling on many of the vehicles and also by the fact that the Charcoal producers are increasingly turning to military vehicles as their means of transport as the Rangers until today had no rights to search vehicles of the Congolese Army. There is complicity between bad elements of the Congolese military, the rebel FDLR Interhamwe militias in the Charcoal industry, rumoured to be worth around 30 million dollars a year in the Goma region of DRC. Rwanda recently banned the production of charcoal which has led to increased prices and demand. The ranger's job is further complicated by the fact that the area is desperately poor and people have a hard time accepting this ban on one of the very few opportunities they feel they have to actually make some money. (Photo by Brent Stirton. ) For verification phone Rob Muir +243 997251960 in Goma.
LULIMBI, EASTERN DRC, FEBRUARY 2012: ICCN Conservation Rangers deploy young bloodhounds for the first time in Virunga to investigate the corpse of a recently killed sub-adult male elephant in Lulimbi, Eastern DRC, February 29, 2012. The elephant had obviously been killed for its ivory, a trend on the rise across the DRC and one which makes the Rangers job very difficult. The young dogs reacted with horror at the elephant corpse, their noses are estimated to be 3 million times more sensitive than a humans. After initially recoiling, the lead dog Lily, just over a year old, took the scent and followed it for several kilometers in the exact direction of a fishing village on Lake Edward long suspected in poaching cases in Virunga. She was pulled off the trail once Rangers knew where the suspects came from. Undercover intelligence will now be used in the village to seek out the sellers. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for Geo magazine.)
ISHANGO RANGER STATION, NORTHERN SECTOR, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, NORTH KIVU, RUWENZORI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO-27 FEBRUARY 2008: ICCN Ranger Kambale Kalibumba was killed today by a rogue rebel soldier who shot the Ranger 5 times at close range. At the time the Ranger was in the park on the way to the Ishango post with rations for the patrol. More than 140 rangers have died in the last ten years as a result of their work in Virunga National Park. These pictures depict the dead ranger at the local Red Cross clinic in the village and the body being delivered to the Ishango Ranger Station to be driven to Mutsora Ranger station, the headquarters for the Northern Sector region. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 22 JANUARY 2015: Benadete Kahindo, 32, seen with her eldest daughter Gift and 3 of her seven children. Benadete's husband was ICCN ranger Hassan Sebuyori, 34. In 2012 Hassan was targeted, killed and beheaded by FDLR, a notorious Hutu led rebel group operating inside Virunga National Park since the time of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Benadete was forced to flee from her home after continued FDLR threats and a year later her eldest daughter Gift was raped at age 14 by the M23 rebels, a group who claimed to be opposed to FDLR. Gift gave birth to a child after the rape. Benadete's husband Hassan had been effective in stopping FDLR's bushmeat trade inside Virunga. They were angry with him for this and ambushed the ICCN vehicle in which he was travelling. FDLR dragged a wounded Hassan away with them and his headless body was discovered not far from the ambush location. His head was not recovered and his body was left as a warning to the other rangers. Benadete and her children survive on funds from the Virunga Widows fund, something dependant on donations and not guaranteed for the future. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
BUKIMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, EASTERN CONGO, JULY 2007: Conservation Rangers discover the body of a nursing female mountain gorilla gunned down by AK47 rounds, a baby later named Ndakasi was still trying to suckle from her dead mother when the body was discovered. Rangers from an Anti-Poaching unit worked with locals to evacuate the bodies of 5 Mountain gorillas killed in mysterious circumstances in Virunga National Park, Eastern Congo, 24 July 2007. A Silver-Back Alpha male named Senkwkwe, the leader of the group was shot, 4 females were also killed. Two of the females had babies and another was pregnant. One of the babies was found trying to suckle from it's dead mothers breast. This baby was rescued and called Ndakasi. It is thought that the other baby died of stress and dehydration. The motivation for the killing was revealed to be an intimidation tactic by a crooked warden backed by the local charcoal mafia. Charcoal was being illegally produced using hardwood from the park, rangers tried to stop the habitat destruction and the gorillas were killed as a warning. The illegal Charcoal industry clashes with conservation efforts in this very poor area and Rangers have been threatened, tortured and killed as a result of this clash of political and economic wills. Over 180 Rangers have been killed in their efforts to protect the mountain gorillas of Virunga, one of the world's most endangered species. The DRC has the highest toll of human casualties of any country since the second world war, a figure in the region of 5 million dead as a result of war and resultant displacement, disease, starvation and ongoing militia violence. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
BUKIMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, EASTERN CONGO, JULY 2007: Conservation Rangers discover the body of a nursing female mountain gorilla gunned down by AK47 rounds, a baby later named Ndakasi was still trying to suckle from her dead mother when the body was discovered. Rangers from an Anti-Poaching unit worked with locals to evacuate the bodies of 5 Mountain gorillas killed in mysterious circumstances in Virunga National Park, Eastern Congo, 24 July 2007. A Silver-Back Alpha male named Senkwkwe, the leader of the group was shot, 4 females were also killed. Two of the females had babies and another was pregnant. One of the babies was found trying to suckle from it's dead mothers breast. This baby was rescued and called Ndakasi. It is thought that the other baby died of stress and dehydration. The motivation for the killing was revealed to be an intimidation tactic by a crooked warden backed by the local charcoal mafia. Charcoal was being illegally produced using hardwood from the park, rangers tried to stop the habitat destruction and the gorillas were killed as a warning. The illegal Charcoal industry clashes with conservation efforts in this very poor area and Rangers have been threatened, tortured and killed as a result of this clash of political and economic wills. Over 180 Rangers have been killed in their efforts to protect the mountain gorillas of Virunga, one of the world's most endangered species. The DRC has the highest toll of human casualties of any country since the second world war, a figure in the region of 5 million dead as a result of war and resultant displacement, disease, starvation and ongoing militia violence. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
BUKIMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, EASTERN CONGO, JULY 2007: Murdered Silverback mountain gorilla Senkwekwe is seen before evacutation. He is the father of rescued baby gorilla Ndakasi. Congolese Conservation Rangers worked with locals to evacuate the bodies of Mountain gorillas killed in mysterious circumstances in the park, Virunga National Park, Eastern Congo, 24 July 2007. A Silver-Back Alpha male, the leader of the group was shot, 4 females were also killed. Two of the females had babies and another was pregnant. One of the babies was found trying to suckle from it's dead mothers breast. This baby was rescued and called Ndakasi. It is thought that the other baby died of stress and dehydration. The motivation for the killing was revealed to be an intimidation tactic by a crooked warden backed by the local charcoal mafia. Charcoal was being illegally produced using hardwood from the park, rangers tried to stop the habitat destruction and the gorillas were killed as a warning. The illegal Charcoal industry clashes with conservation efforts in this very poor area and Rangers have been threatened, tortured and killed as a result of this clash of political and economic wills. Over 180 Rangers have been killed in their efforts to protect the mountain gorillas of Virunga, one of the world's most endangered species. The DRC has the highest toll of human casualties of any country since the second world war, a figure in the region of 5 million dead as a result of war and resultant displacement, disease, starvation and ongoing militia violence. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
BUKIMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, EASTERN CONGO, JULY 2007: Conservation Rangers discover the body of a nursing female mountain gorilla gunned down by AK47 rounds, a baby later named Ndakasi was still trying to suckle from her dead mother when the body was discovered. Rangers from an Anti-Poaching unit worked with locals to evacuate the bodies of 5 Mountain gorillas killed in mysterious circumstances in Virunga National Park, Eastern Congo, 24 July 2007. A Silver-Back Alpha male named Senkwkwe, the leader of the group was shot, 4 females were also killed. Two of the females had babies and another was pregnant. One of the babies was found trying to suckle from it's dead mothers breast. This baby was rescued and called Ndakasi. It is thought that the other baby died of stress and dehydration. The motivation for the killing was revealed to be an intimidation tactic by a crooked warden backed by the local charcoal mafia. Charcoal was being illegally produced using hardwood from the park, rangers tried to stop the habitat destruction and the gorillas were killed as a warning. The illegal Charcoal industry clashes with conservation efforts in this very poor area and Rangers have been threatened, tortured and killed as a result of this clash of political and economic wills. Over 180 Rangers have been killed in their efforts to protect the mountain gorillas of Virunga, one of the world's most endangered species. The DRC has the highest toll of human casualties of any country since the second world war, a figure in the region of 5 million dead as a result of war and resultant displacement, disease, starvation and ongoing militia violence. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
BUKIMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, EASTERN CONGO, JULY 2007: Murdered Silverback mountain gorilla Senkwekwe and three female mountain gorillas are seen before being taken away for autopsy. Senkwekwe is the father of rescued baby gorilla Ndakasi, her mother is one of these dead females. Congolese Conservation Rangers worked with locals to evacuate the bodies of Mountain gorillas killed in mysterious circumstances in the park, Virunga National Park, Eastern Congo, 24 July 2007. A Silver-Back Alpha male, the leader of the group was shot, 4 females were also killed. Two of the females had babies and another was pregnant. One of the babies was found trying to suckle from it's dead mothers breast. This baby was rescued and called Ndakasi. It is thought that the other baby died of stress and dehydration. The motivation for the killing was revealed to be an intimidation tactic by a crooked warden backed by the local charcoal mafia. Charcoal was being illegally produced using hardwood from the park, rangers tried to stop the habitat destruction and the gorillas were killed as a warning. The illegal Charcoal industry clashes with conservation efforts in this very poor area and Rangers have been threatened, tortured and killed as a result of this clash of political and economic wills. Over 180 Rangers have been killed in their efforts to protect the mountain gorillas of Virunga, one of the world's most endangered species. The DRC has the highest toll of human casualties of any country since the second world war, a figure in the region of 5 million dead as a result of war and resultant displacement, disease, starvation and ongoing militia violence. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
RUMANGABO, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO-NOVEMBER 2008: CNDP rebels, North Kivu, D.R.C, 23 November 2008. The Gorilla Sector of the Park has been occupied by the rebel movement CNDP under rebel Congolese Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda. Since September 2007 no ICCN Ranger has set foot in this sector, almost all had to flee the fighting and it has not been safe to return. Recent violence in the region has seen CNDP extend its power in the region and it now controls over 50% of the park and all of the Southern section. Emmanuel De Merode, the Director of Virunga National Park, has performed some remarkable diplomacy since the recent fighting and has succesfully negotiated with CNDP and General Nkunda to return the ICCN Rangers to the Park. This is a fragile process but so far 120 courageous Rangers are back at the Southern Headquarters at Rumangabo and there is a camp in the Gorilla Sector at Bukima which has begun a Gorilla census to determine the effects of the war on the mountain Gorilla population. It is a remarkable case of conservation winning out over politics. The DRC had just over 200 of the extremely rare mountain Gorillas, of which there are only 680 in the world. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for Getty Images.)
RWINDI, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC, MARCH 2012: A combined ICCN conservation Ranger force and FARDC Congolese Army soldiers patrol both the road and inland in the Virunga National Park at Rwindi, DRC, March 8 2012. This reconnaisance patrol was conducted because of an FDLR rebel hijacking which occured on the road 2 days earlier but protecting the civilians who travel on the road through the park is now the mandate of the Rangers, a job which saw 9 Rangers killed last year. The Ranger camp has been attacked by in recent times by both FDLR, the Rwandan Hutu Genocidaires living illegally in Virunga as well as CNDP, a rebel break away faction of the Congolese army. Rwindi remains a harcore flashpoint for contacts between FDLR and Rangers on patrol in the Park. 9 Rangers were killed in Rwindi in 2011. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportge for GEO magazine.)
A rebel milita soldier stands guard with the extinct Mikeno Volcano behind him. This is the Mountain Gorilla sector of Virunga National Park, inside the ring of three other active volcanoes
NYIRAGONGO VOLCANOE, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 25 APRIL 2015: Porters wait out a rainstorm while carrying bags for tourists who will overnight at the top. (photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
RUMANGABO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 2 MAY 2015: Moonlit images of active volcanoes within Virunga National Park, Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira. Virunga has some of the most active volcanoes on the continent and offers tourism trips to Nyiragongo. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
Conservation rangers walk carefully through the ashfield of a newly formed volcano inside Virunga National Park.
VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 26 NOVEMBER 2015: ICCN conservation rangers working as a bodyguard unit wait for a visit from the Minister of the Environment at Rumangabo Ranger Headquarters. Fighting in the region between FDLR rebels and Virunga's rangers continues to be a problem and bodyguard units are assigned to key wardens in the park. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
KILYA, RWENZORI SECTOR, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 9 APRIL 2021: Congolese Army soldiers and UN forces inspect an ambush site where an hour previously A.D.F fundamentalist rebels attacked two vehicles on the road between Beni and the Ugandan border town of Kasindi. A.D.F killed three civilians in the vehicles, assassinating them with shots to the head outside of their vehicles, there was also evidence of cuts from machetes. The Malawian contingent of the UN’s MONUSCO force arrived on scene as the ambush was ending and the vehicles were being set on fire. They engaged a large force of A.D.F fighters, killing one of them. That fighter was stripped of his uniform by other ADF fighters during the firefight, they then fled into the jungle. The purpose of the A.D.F’s attacks is to spread terror amongst the civilian population. There have been multiple attacks across the province by A.D.F, all characterized by brutality and on occasion, beheadings. The A.D.F is an Islamic terror group based out of Eastern DR Congo that, in recent years, has developed a relationship with the Islamic State after pledging allegiance to ISIS leadership. They are known locally as ISIS in Congo. The A.D.F are one part of ISCAP, the ISIS province for Central Africa, Mozambique is the other part. A.D.F have killed over 5000 Congolese civilians in recent years, abducted and displaced thousands and killed over 2500 Congolese army soldiers. (photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
RUMANGABO, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 28 NOVEMBER 2015: The funeral of ICCN Ranger Theodore Mbusa Matofali, 27, after a tragic car accident which left him dead from head injuries. Over 150 ICCN rangers have died in the course of their duties in Virunga National Park, most of those deaths have resulted from conflict. The Rangers have a dangerous job, often dealing with rebel movements, paramilitary Mai-Mai groups as well as the Congolese army all in the name of conservation in this contentious region of the DRC. (photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
RUMANGABO, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 28 NOVEMBER 2015: The funeral of ICCN Ranger Theodore Mbusa Matofali, 27, after a tragic car accident which left him dead from head injuries. Over 150 ICCN rangers have died in the course of their duties in Virunga National Park, most of those deaths have resulted from conflict. The Rangers have a dangerous job, often dealing with rebel movements, paramilitary Mai-Mai groups as well as the Congolese army all in the name of conservation in this contentious region of the DRC. (photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
RUMANGABO, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 28 NOVEMBER 2015: The funeral of ICCN Ranger Theodore Mbusa Matofali, 27, after a tragic car accident which left him dead from head injuries. Over 150 ICCN rangers have died in the course of their duties in Virunga National Park, most of those deaths have resulted from conflict. The Rangers have a dangerous job, often dealing with rebel movements, paramilitary Mai-Mai groups as well as the Congolese army all in the name of conservation in this contentious region of the DRC. (photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
RUMANGABO, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 28 NOVEMBER 2015: The funeral of ICCN Ranger Theodore Mbusa Matofali, 27, after a tragic car accident which left him dead from head injuries. Over 150 ICCN rangers have died in the course of their duties in Virunga National Park, most of those deaths have resulted from conflict. The Rangers have a dangerous job, often dealing with rebel movements, paramilitary Mai-Mai groups as well as the Congolese army all in the name of conservation in this contentious region of the DRC. (photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
KIBATI, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK,NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, April 5: ICCN Rangers conduct an anti-charcoal patrol in the Kibati region of Virunga National Park, 5 April 2008, Democratic Republic of Congo. They are exploring an area which has been closed to them for the last year as a result of conflict in the area. The area of Virunga National Park that they are patrolling has been devastated by subsequent illegal charcoal producation and this day they saw the largest production area they have encountered thus far. There were 8 active charcoal kilns and a huge area of at least a kilometer square where the forest has been cut to the ground and trees burnt for Charcoal. This area is a former Chimpanzee habitat and can never be restored from this level of devastation. ICCN rangers at the Kibati Station are conducting roadblocks and vehicle searches for illegal charcoal in Virunga National Park. Their job is complicated by the large number of Congolese military travelling on many of the vehicles and also by the fact that the Charcoal producers are increasingly turning to military vehicles as their means of transport as the Rangers have no rights to search vehicles of the Congolese Army. There is complicity between the military and the manufacturers in the Charcoal industry, rumoured to be worth around 30 million dollars a year in the Goma region of DRC. Rwanda recently banned the production of charcoal which has led to increased prices and demand. (Photo by Brent Stirton.)
KIBATI, CLOSE TO GOMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK,NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO-23 FEBRUARY 2008: Daily scenes at Kibati ICCN Rangers station. ICCN Advance Force rangers at the Kibati Station are conducting roadblocks and vehicle searches for illegal charcoal in Virunga National Park. They are being assisted by members of the Congolese military police who are looking to stamp out their own military's involment in the illegal charcoal industry. The ICCN Ranger's job is complicated by the large number of Congolese military travelling on many of the vehicles and also by the fact that the Charcoal producers are increasingly turning to military vehicles as their means of transport as the Rangers until today had no rights to search vehicles of the Congolese Army. There is complicity between bad elements of the Congolese military, the rebel FDLR Interhamwe militias in the Charcoal industry, rumoured to be worth around 30 million dollars a year in the Goma region of DRC. Rwanda recently banned the production of charcoal which has led to increased prices and demand. The ranger's job is further complicated by the fact that the area is desperately poor and people have a hard time accepting this ban on one of the very few opportunities they feel they have to actually make some money. (Photo by Brent Stirton. ) For verification phone Rob Muir +243 997251960 in Goma.
ISHANGO RANGER STATION, NORTHERN SECTOR, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK,DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO-7 MAY 2015: Images of elephants bathing inside Lake Edward close to the IShango Ranger station in Virunga National Park, DRC. There are only around 200 Savanah elephants left in Virunga, victims of extensive poaching campaigns since 1995. There is an effort underway by the Rangers to protect these remaining elephants and reopen the corridor to Queen Elizabeth Park in nearby Uganda to see Virunga's elephants return. Potential oil exploration in the area further threatens Virunga's elephants, with the potential oil area falling inside their corridor and habitat. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
LULIMBI, EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 23 JULY 2014: ICCN Conservation Rangers investigate and then deploy bloodhounds in Virunga National Park to investigate the corpse of a elephant killed in the night, Eastern DRC. The elephant had obviously been killed for its ivory, a trend on the rise across the DRC and one which makes the Rangers job very difficult. It is believed that this elephant was killed by FDLR, the Hutu genocidaires who fled into Virunga after the Rwandan genocide. They have been exploiting the park ever since, often in co-operation with the Congolese Army. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage.)
RWINDI, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 24 JULY 2014: ICCN conservation Rangers prepare their weapons for a patrol against illegal Virunga inhabitants the Hutu militia group FDLR at the the Rwindi Ranger post inside Virunga. The previous night two elephants were killed. One tusk was recoved by Rangers after an intense firefight. It is thought that either FDLR, the Hutu militi group living illegally inside the park or the FARDC, the Congolese army, are responsible. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage.)
CHONDO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MARCH 2012: A combined team of ICCN Congolese conservation rangers and members of the Congolese army patrol an area known to have a FDLR rebel presence, Chondo, Virunga, 12 March 2012. The FDLR are the hardcore Hutu's who were behind the Rwandan massacre of 1994. Since they fled into the DRC and the park after the Genocide, they have sown mayhem and destruction in Virunga. 140 Rangers have died defending Virunga since 1994, many at the hands of the FDLR rebels. There are regular contacts between the Rangers and FDLR, usually resulting in injuries and deaths on either side. The Rangers, with the help of the FARDC, are winning this battle but at a heavy price. In 2011 eleven Rangers died fighting the FDLR. Virunga remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to practise conservation. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for GEO magazine.)
CHONDO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MARCH 2012: A combined team of ICCN Congolese conservation rangers and members of the Congolese army patrol an area known to have a FDLR rebel presence, Chondo, Virunga, 12 March 2012. The FDLR are the hardcore Hutu's who were behind the Rwandan massacre of 1994. Since they fled into the DRC and the park after the Genocide, they have sown mayhem and destruction in Virunga. 140 Rangers have died defending Virunga since 1994, many at the hands of the FDLR rebels. There are regular contacts between the Rangers and FDLR, usually resulting in injuries and deaths on either side. The Rangers, with the help of the FARDC, are winning this battle but at a heavy price. In 2011 eleven Rangers died fighting the FDLR. Virunga remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to practise conservation. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for GEO magazine.)
CHONDO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MARCH 2012: ICCN Congolese conservation rangers and members of the Congolese army capture illegal fisherman, Chondo, Virunga, 12 March 2012. Many of these fisherman are involved in this activity due to poverty, others are there to supply the rebel FDLR group with food. The FDLR are the hardcore Hutu's who were behind the Rwandan massacre of 1994. The fish stocks in the lake are just beginning to recover from the war, thousands of hippos were slaughtered to feed militia groups and this devastated fish stocks. This delicate recovery is what the ICCN rangers are trying to protect. This will allow a viable and sustainable fishing industry to be generated at Lake Edward, for the benefit of all.Since the FDLR fled into Virunga after the Genocide, they have sown mayhem and destruction in Virunga. 140 Rangers have died defending Virunga since 1994, many at the hands of the FDLR rebels. There are regular contacts between the Rangers and FDLR, usually resulting in injuries and deaths on either side. The Rangers, with the help of the FARDC, are winning this battle but at a heavy price. In 2011 eleven Rangers died fighting the FDLR. Virunga remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to practise conservation. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for GEO magazine.)
CHONDO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MARCH 2012: ICCN Congolese conservation rangers and members of the Congolese army capture illegal fisherman, Chondo, Virunga, 12 March 2012. Many of these fisherman are involved in this activity due to poverty, others are there to supply the rebel FDLR group with food. The FDLR are the hardcore Hutu's who were behind the Rwandan massacre of 1994. The fish stocks in the lake are just beginning to recover from the war, thousands of hippos were slaughtered to feed militia groups and this devastated fish stocks. This delicate recovery is what the ICCN rangers are trying to protect. This will allow a viable and sustainable fishing industry to be generated at Lake Edward, for the benefit of all.Since the FDLR fled into Virunga after the Genocide, they have sown mayhem and destruction in Virunga. 140 Rangers have died defending Virunga since 1994, many at the hands of the FDLR rebels. There are regular contacts between the Rangers and FDLR, usually resulting in injuries and deaths on either side. The Rangers, with the help of the FARDC, are winning this battle but at a heavy price. In 2011 eleven Rangers died fighting the FDLR. Virunga remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to practise conservation. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for GEO magazine.)
CHONDO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: ICCN Congolese conservation rangers capture poachers suspected of killing an elephant. Many of these poachers are involved in this activity due to poverty, others are there to supply the rebel FDLR group with food and ivory. The FDLR are the hardcore Hutu's who were behind the Rwandan massacre of 1994. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Gettyimages.)
JOMBA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 30 APRIL 2015: Innocent Mburanumwe, head warden of the Mountain Gorilla sector of Virunga National Park. Innocent is seen interacting inside the gorilla sector at Jomba, an often difficult sector to monitor. Innocent has been interacting with the Gorilla families of Virunga for over 15 years, risking his life on many occasions to ensure their well-being against poachers and rebel groups alike. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
TSHIABIRIMU, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, NORTHERN SECTOR, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - 4 MARCH 2008: Scenes from a patrol at the Tshabarimu ICCN post. The men are seen making their way up the mountain towards the gorilla sector. This outpost has seen a lot of fighting between different militia groups over the years and only last year 3 people were shot in an unexplained attack on the lower post. A member of WWF was killed and an employee of "The Gorillas Organisation" was shot in the leg and a student was wounded. Local politicans have used the park, promising land there to local populations if elected. This has caused tension between rangers and the local population. It is the only place other than the southern Mikeno sector, currently under rebel CNDP occupation, where it is possible to see gorillas in the DRC. These are currently classified as Eastern Lowland Gorillas. That said, there is some dispute as to the genetic profile of these gorillas, they resemble mountain gorillas in every way except size, being smaller than the traditional mountain gorilla. Genetic studies thus far point out that these gorillas are closest to Lowland gorillas but studies are ongoing. There are only 20 in total, isolated on the top of Mount Tshiarimu, cut off by human population groups from any other gorilla contact. They are the most northerly occuring of the Lowland gorillas and this may help to explain their similarity to mountain gorillas. This may in fact be the rarest of all gorillas groups if it is determined they are their own sub-species. I was able to briefly shoot a silverback from the Kipura family, a family of six, before the rain completely closed in. The name of the silverback is Tsongo, which means 2nd boy of the family in the local language. The gorillas are located 3 and a half hours from the camp, over a series of mountain tops and in a valley at the time of shooting. The largest family is the Kipura family of which there are 6 members. The mountain area where they ar
BUKIMA, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO-NOVEMBER 2008: The first sighting of Mountain Gorilla by Congolese Conservation Authorities in over 15 months, North Kivu, DRC, 25 November 2008. There appear to be at least 5 new births in the Kabirizi family. The Gorilla Sector of the Park has been occupied by the rebel movement CNDP under rebel Congolese Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda. Since September 2007 no ICCN Ranger has set foot in this sector, almost all had to flee the fighting and it has not been safe to return. Recent violence in the region has seen CNDP extend its power in the region and it now controls over 50% of the park and all of the Southern section. Emmanuel De Merode, the Director of Virunga National Park, has performed some remarkable diplomacy since the recent fighting and has succesfully negotiated with CNDP and General Nkunda to return the ICCN Rangers to the Park. This is a fragile process but so far 120 courageous Rangers are back at the Southern Headquarters at Rumangabo and there is a camp in the Gorilla Sector at Bukima which has begun a Gorilla census to determine the effects of the war on the mountain Gorilla population. It is a remarkable case of conservation winning out over politics. The DRC had just over 200 of the extremely rare mountain Gorillas, of which there are only 680 in the world. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for Getty Images.)
JOMBA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC, 1 MAY 2015: The alpha male silverback mountain gorilla from the Mpua family intimidates his father and claims his females, Virunga National Park, DRC. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
JOMBA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC, 1 MAY 2015: The alpha male silverback mountain gorilla from the Mpua family intimidates his father and claims his females, Virunga National Park, DRC. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
BUKIMA, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC, 6 AUGUST 2013: Image of the plant life in the gorilla sector of Virunga National Park, DRC, 6 August 2013. (photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images.)
RWINDI REGION, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 17 MAY 2015: ICCN conservation rangers and FARDC Congolese Army soldiers on long range patrol to locate and destroy FDLR, a Hutu led militia movement who fled into the park after the Rwandan genocide in 1994. FDLR have plagued Virunga ever since with their relentless exploitation of the park's resources. They are also responsible for the deaths of a number of Rangers trying to preserve the region. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
RWINDI REGION, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 17 MAY 2015: ICCN conservation rangers and FARDC Congolese Army soldiers on long range patrol to locate and destroy FDLR, a Hutu led militia movement who fled into the park after the Rwandan genocide in 1994. FDLR have plagued Virunga ever since with their relentless exploitation of the park's resources. They are also responsible for the deaths of a number of Rangers trying to preserve the region. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
LAKE EDWARD, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 11 MAY 2015: ICCN conservation Rangers move across the Lake at the beginning of a night exercise against the FDLR militia group. They are being trained by an EU appointed instructor in anti-poaching and counter-insurgency tactics. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
LAKE EDWARD, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 11 MAY 2015: ICCN conservation Rangers move out from the Lake shore at the beginning of a night exercise against the FDLR militia group. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
Huge illegal agriculture production in the central section of Virunga. This sector is in the hands of different Mai Mai and rebel groups who make their money explotiing the park. The park is too large for the manpower of the rangers so its a constant battle for control
VITSHUMBI REGION, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 17 MAY 2015: ICCN conservation rangers on long range patrol locate and destroy an illegal farm inside the boundaries of Virunga National Park. The farm belongs to FDLR, a Hutu led militia movement who fled into the park after the Rwandan genocide in 1994. FDLR have plagued Virunga ever since with their relentless exploitation of the park's resources. They are also responsible for the deaths of a number of Rangers trying to preserve the region. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
VITSHUMBI REGION, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 17 MAY 2015: ICCN conservation rangers on long range patrol locate and destroy an illegal farm inside the boundaries of Virunga National Park. The farm belongs to FDLR, a Hutu led militia movement who fled into the park after the Rwandan genocide in 1994. FDLR have plagued Virunga ever since with their relentless exploitation of the park's resources. They are also responsible for the deaths of a number of Rangers trying to preserve the region. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
RWINDI, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC, 23 July 2014: ICCN conservation Rangers capture illegal farmers and destroy illegal agriculture inside Virunga National Park in the Rwindi sector, Democratic Republic of Congo. It is believed that these illegal farms are being used to feed FDLR, the Hutu Militia group made up of the genocidaires from the Rwandan genocide. Rwindi remains a harcore flashpoint for contacts between FDLR and Rangers on patrol in the Park. OVer 190 Rangers have died over the last 15 years as a result of these and other encounters with armed groups within the park. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage.)
RWINDI, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC, 23 July 2014: ICCN conservation Rangers capture illegal farmers and destroy illegal agriculture inside Virunga National Park in the Rwindi sector, Democratic Republic of Congo. It is believed that these illegal farms are being used to feed FDLR, the Hutu Militia group made up of the genocidaires from the Rwandan genocide. Rwindi remains a harcore flashpoint for contacts between FDLR and Rangers on patrol in the Park. OVer 190 Rangers have died over the last 15 years as a result of these and other encounters with armed groups within the park. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage.)
RWINDI REGION, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 7 December 2015: The contents of FDLR rebel poachers bags, seized by ICCN Rangers in a firefight with 5 rebels moving through the Rwindi section of the park. FDLR is a rebel group formed in 1995 when Hutu genocidaires fled into then Zaire after perpetrating the Rwandan genocide. Paul Kagame's Tutsi troops pursued them and FDLR have lived inside the forests of Virunga National Park ever since. They exploit the park for any resources they can and have been the cause of a a number of ICCN ranger deaths. The contents of these bags is typical of FDLR poaching expeditions within the park. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
VITSHUMBI REGION, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 17 MAY 2015: ICCN conservation rangers on long range patrol capture a poacher with a large steel trap who has been using this place to poach animal illegally inside Virunga. It is thought that this man is a Mai Mai militia member out to trap Hippo or Buffalo for meat to sell at market. He will be tried and sentenced to jail time in Goma, the nearest large city in the region. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
VITSHUMBI, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 17 MAY 2015: ICCN conservation rangers discover a poaching camp inside Virunga NP and then capture one of three poachers who have been using this place to poach animal illegally inside Virunga. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
RUMANGABO, EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MARCH 2012:ICCN Congolese Conservation Ranger and a few FARDC Congolese Army soldiers prepare for a patrol in the rain in Virunga National Park, DRC, 25 July 2014. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage.)
BUKIMA, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO-NOVEMBER 2008: ICCN Ranger Theodor Nereye, 45, washes at the end of the day back in the Gorilla sector at Bukima for the first time in 15 months of fighting and uncertainty, 25 November 2008. The Gorilla Sector of the Park has been occupied by the rebel movement CNDP under rebel Congolese Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda. Since September 2007 no ICCN Ranger has set foot in this sector, almost all had to flee the fighting and it has not been safe to return. Recent violence in the region has seen CNDP extend its power in the region and it now controls over 50% of the park and all of the Southern section. Emmanuel De Merode, the Director of Virunga National Park, has performed some remarkable diplomacy since the recent fighting and has succesfully negotiated with CNDP and General Nkunda to return the ICCN Rangers to the Park. This is a fragile process but so far 120 courageous Rangers are back at the Southern Headquarters at Rumangabo and there is a camp in the Gorilla Sector at Bukima which has begun a Gorilla census to determine the effects of the war on the mountain Gorilla population. It is a remarkable case of conservation winning out over politics. The DRC had just over 200 of the extremely rare mountain Gorillas, of which there are only 680 in the world. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for Getty Images.)
RWINDI, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC, MARCH 2012: The destroyed remains of the Rwindi hotel, once a popular resort in this part of Virunga National Park, now a shell tacked on the ICCN conservation Ranger camp at Rwindi, Virunga National Park, DRC, March 8 2012. The hotel was last open in 1992 and ICCN officials hope to one day see it restored to its former glory days. This camp has been attacked by both FDLR, the Rwandan Hutu Genocidaires living illegally in Virunga as well as CNDP, a rebel break away faction of the Congolese army. Rwindi remains a harcore flashpoint for contacts between FDLR and Rangers on patrol in the Park. 9 Rangers were killed in Rwindi in 2011. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportge for GEO magazine.)
RWINDI, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, NORTH KIVU, DR CONGO, 2 DECEMBER 2015: ICCN Congolese conservation rangers are seen outside their primitive living quarters at their Rwindi basecamp. Rwindi is a hardship posting for the Rangers, with very primitive facilities and regular fighting between Rangers and rebel groups in the area. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic magazine.)
KAVANYONGI, LAKE EDWARD, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 9 AUGUST 2013: Scenes from the fishing village of Kavanyongi on the Northern shores of Lake Edward inside Virunga National Park, DRC, 9 August 2013. This lake shore village relies on fishing for its livelihood and for all its water needs. It is the biggest village on the lake shores on the Congolese side, with a population of 30 000. SOCO, a British oil company, has acquired the rights to prospect for oil on the shores of of Lake Edward under dubious circumstances, changing Congolese law from a no prospecting in Virunga rule to allowing prospecting within one year. This prospecting block places them inside the Park, a world heritage site and Africa's first ever National Park. Drilling for oil could prove disastorous for the fishing villages all around the lake shores as well as for all tributaries carrying water for Lake Edward, the source of the nile. If the lake is poisoned, it will affect fresh water supply, fish, hippo, multiple other species as well as migrating and local bird populations and the livelihood of more than 30 000 fisherman on the Congolese side of the lake. There is also danger to the Ugandan side and to other countries who benefit from Lake Edward as a water source. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images.)
VITSHUMBI, LAKE EDWARD, DR CONGO, 28 JULY 2013: Images of fisherman at work on the Southern shores of Lake Edward, 29 July 2013. These men are amongst 30 000 other Lake Edward fisherman who utilize the lake for the livelihood of their families. The fish is eaten locally and also smoked and sent to Goma. The villagers depend on the lake for water, washing, the staple food of fishing, the transport of people and goods. Plans by Socco oil company to drill for oil in Lake Edward currently imperil all of those things. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images.)
ISHANGO, LAKE EDWARD, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. 11 AUGUST 2013: Local men bathe in the Semliki River as it flows into Lake Edward, Ishango, DRC, 11 August 2013. This river and the Lake itself are inside Virunga National Park, a World Heritage site, they are currently in danger of oil exploration by British oil company SOCO, who have acquired rights to prospect for oil through dubious means. Thousands of Lakeside inhabitants find their while way of life threatened by this exploration. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images.)
ISHANGO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 6 MAY 2015: European Union commissioned instructors pick up a patrol of Virunga National Park rangers in the Ishango region of the park for transport back to base. The instructors are there to teach skills for VIP close protection, concealment, bush craft, weapons and survival in their fight against paramilitary groups and poachers in the Park. Groups like the Hutu led FDLR and Ugandan ADF continue to make conservation problematic and dangerous inside Virunga, well known as one of the worlds most dangerous places to practice conservation. This group is a smaller subset of Rangers who will receive specialized training for a quick reaction force. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for National Geographic Magazine.)
VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 26 NOVEMBER 2015: A view of the volcanoes Nyiragongo and Namalagira inside Virunga National Park. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, 26 NOVEMBER 2015: A view of the volcanoes Nyiragongo and Namalagira inside Virunga National Park. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
Mutsora Chocolate and widows.
Mutsora Coffee and employment
RUMANGABO, EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MARCH 2012: Women and children fetch water from a newly contructed tap system built by the ICCN Congolese Conservation authority on the outskirts of Virunga National Park, DRC, 13 March 2012. This facility means the women and children no longer have to walk 6 kilometers to springs higher on the mountain. This has improved productivity, water quality and safety for the women. In addition to this project ICCN has constructed more than 30 schools, water points and hydro-elecric schemes, all part of a concerted effort to building understanding and appreciation for the park in the minds of local communities. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for GEO magazine.)
Kitali flight school 6 rangers 3 FARDC bathawk trainees
RUMANGABO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, NOVEMBER 16, 2015: Caregivers at the Senkwekwe Mountain Gorilla orphanage play with the orphaned gorillas inside their enclosure. This is the only mountain Gorilla orphanage in the world and takes in mountain gorilla orphans who have lost their families to poaching or conflict. A number of the orphans here were rescued from sales by poachers in sting operations carried out by ICCN rangers. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images)
RUMANGABO, VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DR CONGO, SEPTEMBER 26 2021: A medical procedure is carried out on female orphan mountain gorilla Ndakasi by Gorilla Doctors vets Eddy Syaluha and Fabrice Malonga accompanied by the Senkwekwe team of caregivers. Ndakasi passed away shortly thereafter. Andre Bauma and others at the Senkwekwe Mountain Gorilla Center have cared for Ndakasi and other orphans for 13 years. This is the only mountain Gorilla orphanage in the world and takes in mountain gorilla orphans who have lost their families to poaching or conflict. A number of the orphans here were rescued from sales by poachers in sting operations carried out by ICCN rangers. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images)
GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 4 OCTOBER 2013: Orphaned mountain gorilla Ndkasi and her ICCN conservation ranger care-giver prepare for bed as he reaches to bring down the Mosquito net around them in the make-shift gorilla orphanage in Goma. The care-giver lives and sleeps in the same space with the orphan in 3 weeks shifts, 24/7, with one week off a month to see his family. Ndkasi's mother was killed in order to secure the Gorilla baby by poachers. The poachers had hoped to sell the baby but were caught in a sting by ICCN conservation rangers. Mountain Gorillas are extremely endangered and exist in a small region of the Virunga mountains on the border of DR Congo and Rwanda with a small family in Uganda. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images.)
RUMANGABO, VIRUNGA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 7 AUGUST 20013: The beginning of the day at Senkekwe Mountain Gorilla Orphanage as caretakers interact with a new orphan mountain gorilla at ICCN headquarters, Rumangabo, DRC, 7 August 2013. It is suspected that this orphan was taken by soldiers who probably killed the mother to get the baby. When they were unable to sell it, the orphan was abandoned and the conservation rangers heard and rescued it. Wounds from a rope were evident on its chest and back, it is slowly recovering now as it lives full time with caretakers who also sleep in the enclosure with the orphan. There are a number of other orphans at the center who will be introduced to the new baby once it has been through quarantine and is accustomed to its new surroundings. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for Getty Images.)
RUMANGABO, EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MARCH 2012: Andre, 39, a self described "gorilla mother" looks after 4 orphaned gorillas who were rescued from various horrific circumstances and brought into care by the staff of Virunga National Park, DRC, 2 March 2012. Andre thinks of these gorillas as his own children and even describes bringing his children to see them as showing them their brothers and sisters. Andre lives with the Gorillas 24/7 with the exception of a few days off to visit his own family. Andre is an ICCN Congolese Conservation ranger and has cared for orphaned and rescued gorillas since 2003. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for GEO magazine.)
Virunga's mountains and rainfall provide the fuel for sustainable, environmentally safe hydroelectirc schemes. The park produces enough energy to power much of Eastern Congo, a democratic effort to provide opportunity for all rather than just those who control the charcoal industry and the environmentally devastating extraction industries controlled by generals and rebels
MUTSORA, EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO,: Images of the newly installed Congolese Conservation authority Hydro-electric plant in its finishing stages at Mutsora, DRC, 8 August 2013. This plant employs water drawn from natural flow in Virunga National Park, it will provide much needed electricity for industry in Mutsora, a town of over 30 000 people. There are a number of businesses desperate for the power this scheme provides, this region has a large amount of unemployment and this new electricity source is a boon for the whole region for development. One of the factories to come online as a result will be the largest soap factory in the entire Eastern Congo. There are other hydro-electric schemes underway in Virunga National Park, all of which are contributing to sustainable development in the region. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images.)
MATEBI, EASTERN DR CONGO, 18 NOVEMBER 2015: Congolese men and a Belgian engineer lay electricity pylons for the power that will be supplied by Matebi Hydro-electric station. The powerstation is an initiative of Virunga National Park and when it comes online in early 2016, it will supply over 13 Kilowatts of power to the region. The nearest city is Goma, which uses a quarter of the power that will be created by Matebi. The electricity generated will be used to change the face on industry in the region as well as the daily lives of the population. The new opportunities this will provide for employment is also expected to be a game-changer for peace in this extremely impoverished region. (Photo by Brent Stirton/ Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
MATEBI, EASTERN DR CONGO, 18 NOVEMBER 2015: Congolese workers at work inside the turbine hall at Matebi Hydro-electric station. The powerstation is an initiative of Virunga National Park and when it comes online in early 2016, it will supply over 13 Kilowatts of power to the region. The nearest city is Goma, which uses a quarter of the power that will be created by Matebi. The electricity generated will be used to change the face on industry in the region as well as the daily lives of the population. The new opportunities this will provide for employment is also expected to be a game-changer for peace in this extremely impoverished region. (Photo by Brent Stirton/ Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
MUTWANGA, EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, 24 NOVEMBER 2015: A recently delivered baby via emergency caesarian is seen in the arms of a Congolese nurse while doctors sew up the mother in the background. Mutwanga hospital is a recent benificiary of electricity via a Virunga National Park hydro-electric scheme. The Park has a number of hydro-electric projects in the works, Mutwanga is the first of these to come online and other larger projects are about to. The availability of electricity could change the face of the region, making industry and employment possible as well as emergency services available 24 hours a day in places like Mutwanga General hospital. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Reportage for National Geographic Magazine.)
VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, SEPTEMBER 2021: Technican's recruited from local areas run and maintain the Ivindo Hydroelectric project data mining operation. The electricity that is generated is used to bring power to local villages and small cities as well as to sustainably power a data mining operation close to the powerstation at Ivindo. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)
