Garamba, one of Africa’s oldest national parks and a World Heritage Site, is the last stronghold for the largest population of elephants and the last remaining Kordofan giraffe in the DRC
Garamba National Park, spanning 5,133 km2, with 9,662 km2 of adjacent domaines de chasse, is characterised by savannah and equatorial forest and situated in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). One of Africa’s oldest national parks, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. But over the decades, Garamba endured periods of armed conflict, rampant ivory poaching, and civil wars, which led to steep declines in wildlife populations and threatened its UNESCO listing. In 2005, the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) entered into a management agreement with African Parks for Garamba. Between 2005 and 2016 widespread insecurity due to the rebel group, Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and other armed forces continued to threaten the safety of communities and wildlife.
In 2016, African Parks, together with the ICCN, revised its approach by implementing new systems to overhaul conservation law enforcement and bring stability to the park and its surrounds. Since then, wildlife numbers in the park have begun increasing, and communities have begun realising the benefits from stability in the region. Tens of thousands of people living around the park have benefitted from the provision of schools, healthcare, and investments in sustainable development and enterprise. In a region with little economic opportunity, Garamba employs over 500 full-time local staff. This historic park now serves as an anchor for regional stability and the source of a brighter future for people and wildlife.
Garamba Highlights
In June 2023, 16 southern white rhinos were translocated from South Africa to Garamba, as part of an ongoing wildlife restoration project within the Garamba Complex (GC).
To help anti-poaching efforts, anti-poaching dogs, selected for their tracking capabilities, underwent intensive training, now effectively aiding ranger teams in the field.
The population of critically endangered Kordofan giraffe, which is the last remaining in the DRC, continues to grow with over 80 individuals recorded.
In 2021, as part of our solar energy programme, mini-grids were built to provide power to over 14,000 households in towns around the park
Over 900 children were taught about sustainable agriculture and market gardening through the junior Farmer Fields Schools project in 2022.
On the Horizon
Our primary focus is to continue efforts to reduce poaching threats and to make progress on the Sustainable Development initiative that is beginning to impact more than 100,000 people living around Garamba. Help us continue these vital efforts by donating to African Parks today.
African Parks and theInstitut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) entered into a partnership in 2005 to manage the park. In 2016, we renewed our management agreement for another ten years.
