Les éléphants du Parc National des Virunga au travers la guerre en République Démocratique du Congo

Abstract

Records suggest in 1959-1960 over 3000 elephant occupied the central portion of Virunga National Park during at least part of the year. By 2001 only about 400 animals might be present in this area. Large numbers of elephant were killed between 1964 and 1968, 1974 and 1984, and then again from 1996 to the time of reporting. The first and last dates are characterized by wars and insecurity, the second by high demand of ivory resulting from high prices on the international market. The authors suggest that as well as frequent war conditions, the government's relegation of conservation to a non-priority sector, insufficient operational capacity in conservation agencies, and the local population's ignorance of the status of elephants all acted against the elephants. Animals in and around protected areas such as Queen Elizabeth NP and Mgahinga Gorilla NP in Uganda and Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda can play a role repopulating the Virunga area when conditions for them to range more widely become more positive.