The largest population of mountain gorillas in the world has grown to four times the size of its once-dwindling number, as poaching has become virtually non-existent in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The numbers have gradually increased from around 250 about 30 years ago to 1000 now, thanks to efforts to protect them from poachers. Only one has been poached since 2007.
The Viunga foundation a UK based charity, set up in 2005 has created a good atmosphere in the area by building schools and facilitating businesses and also run a $22 million hydroelectric project in the area which provides power and jobs. These investments have yielded tangible benefits to the people of North Kivu.
The foundation also boosted the salaries of park rangers to $200 a month, which is eight times the average salary in DR Congo – to reduce the temptation for corruption.
Much credit must go to Chief Warden of Virunga National Park; Emmanuel de Merode.
Anthropologist, conservationist, pilot, Emmanuel worked to control the bushmeat trade and protect endangered wildlife in Central and Eastern Africa. His main focus has been support for African wildlife rangers in remote and difficult national parks and reserves. His work was primarily in the parks of eastern DRC, working to sustain the national parks through the DRC’s 15-year civil war.
In 2008 he was appointed by Congolese Government as Director for Virunga National Park. 360 rangers fall under his command and much of his work is focused on protecting the park’s exceptional wildlife, that include a critically important population of Mountain gorillas, elephants, okapis and chimpanzees.
Don't let them drill for oil in Virunga!
Monday, 26 June 2017
Friday, 2 June 2017
Donald Trump betrays all life on Earth
June 1st 2017 is a day to remember.
It's the day that Donald Trump sold
out everyone, and I mean everyone, whether they support him or not, on the
planet.
He sold out you, he sold out your
kids, and he sold out your grandkids, even the as yet unborn ones.
He sold out
the wildlife and he sold out the plants. Not one person or living form is
unaffected.
He told us all - I don't give a toss
about you, your future and the future of this planet. I just care about the
here and now and I have no concern about wrecking this World for everyone.
How a supposedly intelligent human
being can ignore the overwhelming evidence from all over the globe that the
climate is changing, how he can ignore the melting glaciers, the rivers drying
up, the encroaching deserts, the bleaching corals, the disappearing polar ice
shelves the droughts and the storms, is beyond comprehension.
And how a supposedly intelligent
population can be so blinkered and insular and self centred and ignorant in
their view of the World and be taken in by him enough to vote him President of
the United States of America simply beggars belief.
They have taken their country a
giant step backwards, reverting to a mentality of 'I'm all right Jack so stuff
you'. They have damaged the credibility and stature of the US and voted for all
that is wrong in human nature.
I could weep for the blow he has
delivered to this beautiful planet on this day.
I can only hope that sanity prevails
soon and he is ousted before the damage is irreparable and catastrophe befalls
us all.
Take a look at Mars everyone.
Ngorongoro Crater - Earth
Gale Crater - Mars
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