Tshiaberimu

Category: Gorillas, Tshiaberimu | Date: May 28 2009 | By: tshiaberimu

Hi, this is Jean Claude,

Unfortunately I have some bad news about our patrol vehicle, which is in a pretty bad state.  The truck itself was purchased in 2006 and it is used full time to cover all activities: ration transportation, administrative duties, anti-poaching patrols and helping with a range of community projects around MtT.

Although it appears to be old it really isn’t - it does, however, need to be fully repaired.Unfortunately for over three weeks now there haven’t been any vehicles available at MtT – making it difficult to work. During this insecurity period, we need really a vehicle to patrol the sector.

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Category: Gorillas, Rangers, Tshiaberimu | Date: May 19 2009 | By: tshiaberimu

Hi this is Jean-Claude, 

Attacks against the guards of the Virunga National Park have increasingly grown over the last few years and as a result we’ve decided to come up with a three-pronged approach, which we hope will help the situation.

The strategies being implemented include: 

1)    Capacity building: To deal with the increasing violence we ideally need more men, and men who are better trained, who know how to deal with conflict when it does arise. Hopefully training the rangers can aid their safety, ensuring they are better equipped to deal with attacks. 

2)    Reducing conflicts: If we can stem the cause of the conflict among local people and create awareness about what the rangers are doing, we can hopefully create a sense of empathy. The initiative also hopes to educate the public and local leaders about the importance of the rangers’ role in protecting gorillas and gorilla habitat.

 3)    Administrative Authority: We hope to educate both the general public and local leaders (chiefs, mayors, local politicians) about issues surrounding the allocation of land. In the past local politicians have pledged to allocate areas of the national park to local people so they can grow food. When these promises have not materialised local people have become unsettled, which has occasionally resulted in violence towards the rangers protecting the park (as has been documented in previous posts). We hope to raise awareness among community leaders about the devastating effects such promises can have, as well as educating the general public to be wary of such exaggerated statements. 

A combination of the above, we hope, will result in a safer, more peaceful, park. 

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Category: Gorillas, Tshiaberimu | Date: May 15 2009 | By: tshiaberimu

Hi this is Vhosi, Social Assistant at Mount Tshiabirimu for the Gorilla Organization      

Currently at Mount Tshiabirimu two activities are putting a massive strain on the gorilla population: charcoal production and bamboo growing. We have more than fifteen villages where the human population rate is about 203 people/square kilometre of density, and their food comes from plants and animals which the land and waters must sustain.    

Communities in the nearest villages from Mt.T, such as Burusi, Kitolu, Kisone and Buswagha, are growing beans - they wild-raise bamboo sticks from the bush and sometimes illegally from the gorillas habitat to support the growth of these beans. Others are wild-raising bamboo sticks for sale in order to earn money for their survival. Wood is also being used for building, fuel (charcoals), and for other uses. Much is now the product of tree plantations, but immense quantities are still harvested from wild forests. There are currently two trucks in Kyondo town, which transport charcoals from Burusi, Kasisi and Buswagha villages to Butembo city three times weekly with 40 and 80 packs (80-90kg each); meaning that there is a loss of trees from these villages to produce about 30,600kg of charcoals for Butembo people every week. 

Last week I had a talk with Mwami Kapita (the customary chief of Isale Kasongwere), in Burusi village about bamboo stick cutting and charcoal consumption. He told me that he is highly concerned because the natural resource shortages and disease are proportionately increasing with the population - unfortunately gorillas will be the main victims of this. He concluded with suggesting that we have to increase public awareness to support the community projects in a hope that we can create a better balance between the expanding population and the resources we have available, to secure the cousins of ours.  

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Category: Communities | Date: May 02 2009 | By: tshiaberimu

Hi this is Tuver

Jean Claude has informed me that the population of Kisoni village, on the outskirts of Mount Tshiaberimu, recently handed-over a blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) to ICCN rangers after she ventured out of the forest and was held captive by individuals in the village.

The ranger Kataps, while walking in the region, noticed the monkey, which was being taunted by local boys. Soon after local villagers called ICCN to help them release the captive monkey. Rangers were very happy to witness such good relations between the park and people, enabling them to help the captured monkey in the village of Kisoni.

On this picture Kataps and I at Mont Tshiaberimu

The health of the monkey was then monitored in Burusi (the entry point to the forest of Mount Tshiaberimu) and she was soon after released to join other blue monkeys, and is now starting to settle back in to the wild.

This act of collaboration between population and park has really pleased the authorities of the ICCN, the Director Norbert Mushenzi, expressed particular appreciation of the gesture by the community, especially following recent unfortunate events.

In my opinion these acts show the great ways communities have collaborated with the Gorilla Organization, in partnership with ICCN, since 1996 to help protect this part of the Virunga National Park, and offers great promise for the future.

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