Park background and conservation management
The park, which covers 4900 km2 of rolling tallgrass savannah, bush and woodland and its surrounding 7527 km2 of wooded reserves, has been recently supporting over 6900 elephants (Loxodonta africana) of a unique species intergrade, some 14,480 buffalo (Synceros caffer brachyceros), the last 30 northern white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), and it is the only location in DRC where the rare Congo giraffe (Girafa camelopardalis congoensis) can be seen. By virtue of its conservation importance, the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, and like all the World Heritage Sites in DRC it is currently on the Danger list.

Since 1984 the conservation of the park has been supported technically and financially by the Garamba National Park Project, working in partnership with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN). The work has been funded by a number of donors and the project is currently coordinated by the International Rhino Foundation. The Frankfurt Zoological Society provides an aircraft for logistical support and several other organizations, such as the United Nations Foundation/UNESCO, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Save the Rhino International, the Wildlife Conservation Fund (WCF) and the Zoological Society of London, are substantial supporters.

In the six years before the start of the project, elephant numbers had dropped from 22,000 to a low of 4500 and rhinos from about 490 to 15. In the first eight years of the project, both elephant and rhino numbers doubled, proving the suitability of the ecosystem if protection can be ensured.

Poaching in the park over the years
Poaching in Garamba National Park is largely a by-product of the war in southern Sudan, and has been going on for over 10 years, with three main phases.

In 1991 80,000 refugees from Sudan crossed the border and settled in the areas surrounding the park. They brought weapons with them and poaching started in the park in order to supply them with bushmeat. Poachers mainly targeted buffalo from the north and centre of the park, severely impacting their numbers and distribution, in spite of strong resistance from park staff.

With the outbreak of civil war in 1997 guards in the park were disarmed and anti-poaching activity was stopped for several months. Later this activity resumed and park staff worked effectively in the face of serious difficulties and danger. In spite of this virtually all wildlife was eliminated from the northern and central areas of the park.

The current poaching upsurge
A key factor in making the current upsurge possible was in 1999 the settlement of a group of the Sudan People's Liberation Army regulars in camps south of the Sudan - RDC border. Initially this was on the request of local civilian RDC authorities, because local people were being harassed. However later on this SPLA group refused to return to Sudan, and is now the main force behind the current poaching upsurge.

Since the beginning of the latest upsurge in late June 2003 the focus of poaching has been ivory rather than meat. Reports indicate that ivory is traded in exchange for equipment as well as for arms and ammunition to resupply rebel factions in Sudan. The level of elephant poaching has exploded, with poachers taking only the tusks and leaving the meat. Surveys have identified dozens of carcasses. Several groups of poachers were seen, in one case in the process of cutting the tusks of a recently killed elephant. Many recent camps were also found. Poachers are now operating in the heart of the park, in areas of high rhino density. Several rhinos have been killed, and the threat to the last few northern white rhinos is greater than it has been in the last 20 years.

Despite their tough antipoaching stance and motivation, the guards are finding it difficult to repel the well-armed and determined poachers, who are largely southern Sudanese military and military deserters.

Recently an agreement was reached between the SPLA commander and local authorities preparing for the SPLA's withdrawal. However there were clear indications that the SPLA was making the most of its remaining period in RDC to take as much ivory as possible.

Remedial action and restoration
An emergency strategy has been developed jointly at the park and approved by the administrateur directeur general of ICCN. The aim is to stop the poaching in the southern sector, prevent any more deaths of key species and allow numbers to rebuild before it is too late. With peace now coming to both RDC and Sudan, all hopes and efforts are focused on regaining control of the park and rebuilding effective conservation.

Any aditional support would be urgently needed - please find contact details in the Field Support Conservation Unit website below.

Donations can be made either directly online from the International Rhino Foundation website (see below for link), or checks can be mailed directly to the program office in care of:

Becky Thompson
IRF Program Office
at 581705 Owens Road
Yulee, FL 32097