This case study evaluates the current and potential social and economic value of Virunga National Park, which is located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This evaluation is to be seen in the context of a campaign to raise awareness of the risks associated with oil development in Virunga, one of DRC’s five United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites and home to about 200 critically endangered mountain gorillas. In December 2007, the DRC government granted oil concessions covering 85 percent of the park. However, plans to develop oil expose the social and economic value of the park to risks, the likelihood and impact of which are demonstrated by cases such as the Bas Congo and Niger Delta.
This report provides an overview of the park and the background of the oil concessions, followed by two main sections. First, it explores the risks that are associated with developing oil in Virunga based on experiences in other parts of the world. Second, it identifies the current and potential value of the park in a situation of sustainable management of its resources. The report also includes specific recommendations for various stakeholders with an interest in the park, including governments, private companies, investors, and NGOs and civil society.
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