Emmanuel d commented this post on our official blog, follow our daily news

Emmanuel d commented this post on our official blog, follow our daily news

Emmanuel d commented this post on our official blog, follow our daily news

Emmanuel d commented this post on our official blog, follow our daily news

Emmanuel d commented this post on our official blog, follow our daily news

Emmanuel d commented this post on our official blog, follow our daily news

Emmanuel d commented this post on our official blog, follow our daily news

I grew up in eastern Africa, and was able to develop a deep affection for its mountains, its savannas, its wildlife and its people.  I trained as an anthropologist, and came to Congo as a young researcher in 1993, working in Garamba National Park on the border with Sudan where I stayed for almost 7 years. Since then, I have dedicated my efforts to working with those involved in rebuilding Congo’s national parks. My work in Virunga began in 2001, at the height of the second Congolese civil war.  The incredible dedication of Virunga’s rangers at a time when they were getting virtually no support shaped the future of my working life.

In 2005 I co-founded WildlifeDirect, a conservation group that supports wildlife rangers in remote and dangerous areas. The Congolese Government has now given me the opportunity to lead Virunga’s 680 Rangers. This team of rangers has a job: to protect the mountain gorillas through the armed conflict, and to rebuild Virunga into Africa’s greatest national park. We are absolutely committed to this job, but we cannot achieve it alone, and we need to build up our team.

The massacre of the Rugendo family in July 2007 was the lowest point in my 15 years in Congo

The online team - that means you - plays a crucial role. This website is essential to conservation in Virunga and our success in protecting the park. This website is an opportunity for us to show the world what is happening in the park, what we are doing to safeguard the park, and how we can all work together.

Virunga was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1979. It is our duty to protect the mountain gorillas and all the other flora and fauna in the park. We owe it to our children and our grandchildren.