Barrick Gold is facilitating the return of white rhinos to the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of its biodiversity conservation efforts
A joint venture 45% owned by Barrick Gold and AngloGold Ashanti and 10% owned by Société Minière de Kilo-Moto, Kibali Goldmines SA (Kibali), has launched a biodiversity conservation initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kibali facilitated the return of 16 white white rhinos to Garamba National Park, an important step for the park’s biodiversity conservation.
The arrival of the 16 white white rhinos is the result of an effective partnership between Kibali, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), the Garamba National Park, African Parks, Barrick Gold and the private reserve of Beyond. The southern white rhinoceroses will constitute the first batch out of a workforce of around sixty planned for the project. The other batches will come over the next few years following the acclimatization of these 16 rhinos from the first batch.
This is an important project for the neighboring communities, because it will contribute to improving their future. All the communities of the chiefdoms of Wando, Logo-Ogambi and Missa, and the Kibali sector whose territories cover the Garamba complex, as well as the province of Haut Uele are concerned.
One of the objectives is to make the Garamba park a sanctuary of global importance for megaherbivores, because the DRC thus contributes to the conservation of nature on the planet. The reintroduction of white white rhinos constitutes a national and international benefit, because the action is concerted by many actors and has a profound impact on the restoration of the ecosystem.
Stéphanie BAUD, Funding and Reporting Manager of African Parks, welcomed this initiative for several reasons. She stressed that this introduction is an excellent sign for the DRC, because, at the local level, it will create attractiveness and this will generate activities and benefits for the communities. Everything is done to ensure that the safety of these species is guaranteed.
The governor of Haut-Uélé province, Christophe Baseane Nangaa, who personally attended the reception of the rhinos, reaffirmed the will of the provincial authority to materialize its promise to accompany this project aimed at preserving the environment thanks to the promotion of biodiversity in accordance with its five-year action program inspired by the Congolese Government led by Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.
This reintroduction of white white rhinos is a stroke of genius on the part of Barrick Gold Corporation, demonstrating its commitment to biodiversity conservation. The return of these animals demonstrates the positive impact that a company can have on the community and its environment by taking responsible and sustainable initiatives.