Satellite data has detected several dramatic spikes in deforestation activity in Virunga National Park in 2021.
Virunga National Park is situated in the northeastern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), right over its border with Uganda.
Virunga is home to many endangered species and subspecies, including mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei).
The park’s major threats include logging for charcoal production and clearing for agriculture, both of which are driven by poverty.
Virunga National Park’s forests are some the most biodiverse in Africa and among the last bastions of mountain gorillas, okapis, Ruwenzori duikers and many other endangered species. Guarded by some of the highest, most inaccessible mountains on the continent, as well as the international scrutiny afforded by its designations as a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, large portions of Virunga have escaped – at least comparatively – the deforestation wrought on the land that surrounds them in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as well as across the border in Uganda.
