A half-day patrol to protect gorillas in Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo (also called Congo-Kinshasa), with its large rainforests, is home to Grauer's and mountain gorillas. Gorillas live in family groups led and protected by an imposing silverback. Their habitat is only partly in protected areas such as national parks. They often share it with the people living there and are exposed to a variety of dangers. The east of the DR Congo has been destabilized for 25 years by civil war and the activities of several rebel groups (Stearns, JK, 2022). Armed groups also threaten protected areas and their unique flora and fauna. They use the forests as refuges and live from poaching, charcoal production and illegal exploitation of mineral resources such as coltan, gold and diamonds. Gamekeepers disrupt the illegal activities and are therefore often attacked (BBC News Africa 2021). Nature conservation is also a state task in the Congo. But the national park authorities are chronically underfunded (theconversation.com 2023). In addition, the state structures of the authorities and the army are weak, so that the protection of many national parks and reserves and the animals living there is not sufficiently guaranteed. There is too little staff to protect the areas, and the wage payments do not allow the gamekeepers to earn a sufficient and adequate income for their dangerous work. The economic hardship of the population is great. As a result, people go to the protected areas in search of food and wood or try to permanently convert areas into arable or pasture land despite the ban. The areas must therefore be protected more effectively (Robbins et al., 2011).