The Democratic Republic of Congo has just taken a big step in the protection of its wildlife. The Garamba National Park, located in the province of Haut-Uélé (North-East of the DRC) has just received a dozen endangered white rhinos, as part of a restoration plan for the population of these mammals. The project, which has been announced since 2022, is to relocate the first 16 white rhinos to the reserve and 60 more will follow over the next three years. This initiative is a real step forward in terms of biodiversity protection.
The Garamba wildlife sanctuary had practically lost its population of white rhinos, whose numbers had dropped dramatically from 1,000 animals in 1960 to 13 specimens in 1984, to only 15 individuals in 1994. Poachers and the various wars that struck territory have been particularly devastating for this species.
The Canadian company of exploitation and development of mining sites, Barrick Gold, operating in the DRC in the territories of Watsa and Faradje of the province of Haut-Uélé, affirms that the objective of this project is to create a new population for this species in order to contribute to its survival, while enhancing the attractiveness of the park for tourists. The company has therefore joined forces with African Park and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) to oversee the project, and thus ensure the survival of these endangered animals.
With this initiative, the province of Haut-Uélé also hopes to boost animal tourism and consolidate its infrastructure to offer a better experience to visitors. For the governor of the province, Christophe Nangaa, “the arrival of the white rhinos will boost tourism and will also force us, both the central and provincial government, to work on the infrastructures so that we are very frequentable. Because if that is not done, I think we will have thrown money into the water.”
Note that Garamba National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the oldest national parks in Africa. It covers approximately 5000 km2 and is located 70 km north of the Kibali mine. Apart from white rhinos, the reserve is also home to other species such as elephant, northern giraffe, hippopotamus, buffalo and okapi.
This news is a beacon of hope for the protection of wildlife in the DRC, and we hope that other initiatives of this kind will follow to help save the various endangered species.