VZCZCXRO5571
PP RUEHBZ
DE RUEHLGB #0499/01 2061530
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241530Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY KIGALI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5473
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 0183
RUEHBZ/AMEMBASSY BRAZZAVILLE PRIORITY
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0264
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA PRIORITY 0356
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM PRIORITY 1171
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA PRIORITY 1940
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA PRIORITY 0491
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0271
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 1268
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0532
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 0186
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0140

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KIGALI 000499 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
OES A/S CMCMURRAY 
USAID JFLYNN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN EINV ETRD PGOV PREL RW
SUBJECT: MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE PLEDGES STRONGER PROTECTION 
TO MOUNTAIN GORILLA HABITAT 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: In a U.S.-led conference on conservation of 
the Greater Virunga Transboundary Landscape - home to the 
world's last 700 mountain gorillas - ministers from Rwanda, 
Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) pledged to 
strengthen conservation and security efforts in the region. 
In a joint declaration July 15, the three governments 
recognized the unique nature of the Greater Virunga Landscape 
and called for investment in eco-tourism friendly 
infrastructure, implementation of revenue sharing policies 
benefiting local communities and institutionalization of 
regional conservation cooperation.  The Ministerial 
Declaration condemned the presence of armed groups in the DRC 
area of Virunga National Park and called for their 
disarmament and evacuation from protected areas.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
¶2. (U) The State Department Bureau of Oceans, Environment and 
Science (OES) and USAID/CARPE sponsored the conference, held 
in Gisenyi, Rwanda July 13-15.  Attendees included tourism 
and environment ministers from the three countries that 
border the Greater Virunga Transboundary Landscape (Rwanda, 
Uganda, and the DRC), as well as 45 delegates representing 
the Presidents' offices of the three countries, national park 
services, conservation NGOs, the Governor and Environment 
Minister of North Kivu Province, the United Nations 
Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations peacekeeping 
mission in the DRC (MONUC), and diplomats from donor 
countries.  Assistant Secretary (A/S) OES Claudia McMurray 
co-chaired the event with Rwandan Minister of Trade and 
Industry, Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Ugandan Minister of State 
for Tourism, Wild-Life and Antiquities, Serapio Rukundo and 
DRC Secretary General for the Ministry of Environment, Nature 
Conservation and Tourism, Dr. Abel Kalambai. 
 
------------------- 
Unique Biodiversity 
------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Conference delegates highlighted the unique nature of 
the Greater Virunga Landscape, which is home to 414 
indigenous species including 43 percent of Africa,s birds, 
27 percent of the continent's mammals, and the last remaining 
mountain gorilla populations on Earth.  This rich 
biodiversity is threatened by growing demographic pressures; 
the region is among the poorest and most densely populated 
areas in Africa, with up to 1,070 inhabitants per square mile 
and average per capita income under $2 per day and pressures 
from more than 800,000 refugees. 
 
------------------------ 
But Threatened by Humans 
------------------------ 
 
¶4. (U) Andrew Plumptre from the Wildlife Conservation Society 
(WCS) told attendees that the Virunga forest is under attack 
from agricultural encroachment, poaching, harvesting of wood 
for charcoal, oil exploration and armed conflict.  Plumptre 
asserted that conservation of the forest habitat in 
conjunction with tourism offered the highest value and most 
sustainable benefits to both governments and local 
communities.  Plumptre estimated the revenue stream of the 
Virunga landscape from tourism and ecosystem values (such as 
QVirunga landscape from tourism and ecosystem values (such as 
biodiversity, carbon credits and soil fertility) at over $100 
million annually.  Delegates universally supported 
conservation efforts but also recognized conservation would 
fail if local communities did not benefit from tourism 
projects.  Participants discussed current revenue sharing 
programs in the bordering parks and called for expanding 
these programs to ensure local communities inhabiting the 
landscape benefit from park revenues and become stakeholders 
in regional conservation and tourism. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
Could be "The Golden Goose" for the Region...if Protected 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
 
KIGALI 00000499  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶5. (U) Both Uganda and Rwanda have experienced rapidly 
expanding revenues from tourism.  Rosette Rugamba, Director 
General for Rwanda,s Office of Tourism and National Parks 
told delegates that tourism was Rwanda,s second highest 
foreign exchange earner for 2007, with revenues of $34 
million (up from less than $1 million in 2001), and employed 
more than 252,000 Rwandans in the sector.  The Ministers from 
Rwanda and Uganda urged increased investment in tourism 
infrastructure to facilitate further growth.  Minister 
Rukundo (Uganda) noted that, despite its outstanding natural 
resources, the region is not capturing a proportionate share 
of the international tourism market as a result of inadequate 
tourism infrastructure. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Armed Bands in the DRC Threaten Conservation 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) In contrast to Rwanda and Uganda, the DRC has 
virtually no tourism revenue from Virunga National Park. 
Lack of security and the presence of armed groups in 
protected park areas have destroyed infrastructure, 
devastated wildlife and displaced local communities.  Cosma 
Wilungla, Director of the Congolese Institute for Nature 
Conservation (ICCN) explained that the Government of the DRC 
controls only 60 percent of protected park areas, while the 
remaining 40 percent is inaccessible to park rangers.  The 
lack of security has made tourism development nearly 
impossible, he said.  Large mammals have been devastated by 
the lack of security in the park.  Cosma noted that in 
addition to the seven mountain gorillas killed in 2007, the 
population of hippos in the park has declined from 30,000 a 
few years ago to less than 500 today. 
 
¶7. (U) Participants voiced unanimous concern about the 
destructive impact of armed groups in the protected areas of 
the DRC.  A/S McMurray noted "it is vital to rid Virunga 
National Park of militia groups who threaten both people and 
wildlife.  Without security, economic growth from tourism and 
other investment will not occur."  The Governor of North Kivu 
DRC, Julien Paluku Kahongya echoed A/S McMurray's remarks, 
calling the destruction of protected areas in the DRC 
"environmental genocide."  Nicholas Jenks from USAID provided 
delegates with an overview of security-related threats to the 
tri-national park system and on-going international peace 
efforts, and concluded "the threats to the Grand Virunga have 
at least some of their roots in the prevailing military 
situation."  MONUC Civil Affairs Officer, Edem Blege added 
that "the region was paying the price in lost tourism 
revenue." 
------------------------------------------- 
Conservation Lobby Could Help Peace Process 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) In a lunch meeting with A/S McMurray on July 17, 
Rwandan Secretary General for Internal Security, Ambassador 
Joseph Mutaboba, and Rwandan Director General of the National 
Security Service, Joseph Nzabamwita congratulated A/S 
McMurray for her initiative in bringing together the 
QMcMurray for her initiative in bringing together the 
ministers from the three countries, and expressed hope that 
the initiative would invigorate the ongoing Tripartite peace 
process (in the Eastern DRC).  Nzabamwita noted that the 
involvement of new stakeholders on both sides of the border 
united for a neutral issue could un-block the Tripartite 
process which he asserted was at a "dead end."  The Director 
General told A/S McMurray that civil society (including the 
NGO's participating in the conference) were the best 
organized and most effective lobby in the Eastern Congo, and 
that the issue of protection of the Virunga National Park 
could attract new international interest and energize support 
from UN organization such as UNESCO, UNEP and MONUC.  The 
Rwandan officials were acutely aware of the parks, economic 
value, calling it their country's "gold mine," and were 
greatly concerned by the "spill-over" effects from the 
ongoing armed conflict in the DRC.  Rwandan Secretary General 
of the Ministry of Finance, John Rwangombwa stated "anyone 
 
KIGALI 00000499  003 OF 003 
 
 
who wants to think of investing in Rwanda also thinks of 
instability in the Congo." 
 
¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: The conference outlined key challenges 
facing Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC in preserving the Greater 
Virunga Landscape, recognized the overriding economic value 
of the region for tourism and identified cooperative 
strategies for the governments to address these challenges. 
While the Ministerial Declaration, signed by ministers from 
all three countries, represented a significant step forward 
by forcefully calling on militant groups to leave park areas 
in the DRC, it is uncertain whether this will be just one 
more plea for peace or a more decisive move towards greater 
involvement by the international community in the peace 
process.  What is clear from the conference is that 
environmental and wildlife protection in DRC is unlikely to 
succeed while armed groups continue to inhabit the Virunga 
National Park. 
SIM