Description
The African Parks Foundation officially assumed management responsibility for Garamba National Park on 12 November 2005 in partnership with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN). Garamba was established by Belgian royal decree in 1938 as one of the first national parks in Africa and was closely tied to the Elephant Domestication Centre established in 1920 at Gangala-na-Bodio.
Garamba is situated in the district of Haut-Uélé in the north-eastern corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo, adjacent to the Sudanese border. Garamba adjoins Sudan's Lantoto National Park and is surrounded on its southern, eastern and western sides by the Gangala-na-Bodio, Mondo Missa and Azande domaines de chasse or hunting areas. The total area of the Garamba complex, including the domaines de chasse, is 12,427 km2.
When African Parks started working in Garamba, the main priority was to ensure the immediate safety of the remaining population of Northern white rhino. Since August 2005, there have been no signs of rhino poaching and the main objective of the anti-poaching department - to protect the remaining Northern white rhino - has so far been achieved. In addition, local bushmeat markets have ceased to exist - an indication of the effectiveness of anti-poaching patrols. All rangers have been trained, issued with full patrol kits including radios and GPS, and carry much improved field rations. Monitoring teams have completed refresher training courses organised by the ICCN and are continuing to survey the park and the hunting areas regularly.
An intensive aerial survey in March 2006 enabled park management to learn a great deal about wildlife in the southern area of the park and the most important areas of the Gangala-na-Bodio hunting area. The survey was repeated in July 2006 with one plane concentrating solely on rhino, and later in April 2007. Other aerial and grounds surveys since November 2005 have brought data held on wildlife numbers and human activities in the Garamba area up to date.
Since November 2005, a range of community initiatives and projects have been instigated and supported. The Community Conservation department has created a Comité de dialogue which consists of members of Garamba's administration board, the head of the CoCo department and the three Chefs de chefferie (traditional authorities) which surround the park. Territory administrators, members of local NGOs and civil society representatives also attend Comité de dialogue meetings.
