After 20 years Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is removed from the "in danger" list of the World Heritage.
UNESCO praised the country's conservation efforts and the government's commitment to ban prospecting for oil in Salonga, the vast central African country's largest public park.
A mission carried out jointly by IUCN and UNESCO in 2020 reported significant improvements in the site’s conservation, but recommended that any plan for extractive activities be permanently cancelled and a new management plan be finalised.
iucn
Congrats to the Democratic Republic of Congo!
— WWF (@WWF) July 19, 2021
Salonga National Park is removed from the World Heritage in Danger list after progress in stopping oil concessions & rampant poaching threatening local wildlife, people.
Proud to have contributed to this effort https://t.co/Z8LWtcExB5 pic.twitter.com/UgnVA4cH0d
"Regular monitoring of the wild fauna shows that the bonobo (ape) populations remain stable within the territory despite past pressure, and that the forest elephant population is starting to come back," the statement said.
Oil Rights in Salonga National Park Could be Null and Void, Global Witness Analysis Reveals #HVWHumanRights #environment #Congo #HumanRights @mbachelet @benolugbuo @jm_senga @Soraziz @fredbauma90 @adhofstra @DaniNierenberg @HigelinMichelle https://t.co/T4uXQUzgL7 pic.twitter.com/BuCzsaYsEW
— Humanity Voice Watch (@hvw_intl) February 1, 2019
Salonga is Africa's largest protected rainforest and home to 40 percent of the Earth's bonobo apes, along with several other endangered species.
Wow. Salonga National Park has been removed from #UNESCO list of #WorldHeritage in Danger. The DRC confirmed that the #oil concessions straddling the park are null and void and that these blocks will be excluded from future auctions. https://t.co/nlDpbtJbnL
— Save Virunga (@SaveVirunga) July 19, 2021
Deep inside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Salonga National Park extends over 33,350km2, which makes it the largest forest national park in Africa and the second largest tropical forest park in the world. It was created in 1970 and classified as a World Heritage Site in 1984. Forest elephants, bonobos, bongos, giant pangolins, and the indigenous Congo peacock all call Salonga home. The Park harbors 51 species of mammals, 129 species of fish, and 223 species of birds.
WWF
Work overtime again. Bon courageous pour moi. UNESCO online meeting "Extended 44th session World Heritage Commitee (WHC)" from Fuzhou, China. Learning abt Salonga National Park, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Felt so happy hearing French again. I'm missing it. ? Cr: WWF pic.twitter.com/og5QZbJcuM
— princess_alberta (@princes59911922) July 19, 2021
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity".
