The Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is located in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the border with Uganda and Rwanda. The Virunga NP is Africa's oldest park and certainly one of the most diverse protected areas in Africa. The protected area not only covers 7800 km2 of forests, savannahs, swamps, lakes and valleys, but also includes lava fields and even active volcanoes. Adjacent to it are the glaciated peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains.

The park is home to around a quarter of the world's population of endangered mountain gorillas. Other primates include eastern lowland gorillas and chimpanzees, making it unique in the world. Also noteworthy is the presence of forest and savannah elephant, lion and okapi or so-called ‘forest giraffe’.

The park is divided into the following sectors: Mikeno (gorilla sector) and Volcano (Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira) in the south, the central sector south of Lake Edwards and the northern sector with the Rwenzori Mountains and the Semliki region.

The Kivu region has been shaken by many serious humanitarian crises. The rangers of Virunga protect this unique park and most particularly the gorillas – many of them have paid with their life. They deserve our support.