Posted on March, 14 2015

Virunga National Park was designated World Heritage Site in recognition of its outstanding universal value to all humanity. As a World Heritage Site protected under national and international law, decisions regarding the boundaries of the park cannot be made by the DRC government alone, but must be made in agreement with the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which has a firm position that oil and gas are incompatible with World Heritage status. 
 
Last year the committee called for DRC to cancel all concessions overlapping Virunga and reiterated its policy against oil exploration inside the park. We urge the committee to maintain its vigilance on this matter, and we ask all the stakeholders to invest in long-term sustainable economic options for the park and the people dependant on it, such as renewable energy, fisheries and eco-tourism. 

WWF believes World Heritage Sites such as Virunga must be protected and will continue to defend these outstanding global treasures.