The Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Swahili: Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Kahuzi-Biega, French: Parc national de Kahuzi-Biega) is a protected area located near Bukavu town in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is found close to the west side of Lake Kivu and near the border with Rwanda.

History

The first reserve, called the Zoological and Forest Reserve of Mount Kahuzi, was created on July 27, 1937, by the Governor General of Belgium's colonial government. This reserve became part of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in November 1970. The park was created in 1970 by Adrien Deschryver, a Belgian photographer and conservationist. In 1975, the park was expanded to cover an area of 6,000 square kilometers (2,300 square miles).

In 1980, the park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its unique rainforest habitat and the wide variety of mammal species, including eastern lowland gorillas.

In 1997, the park was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger due to political instability in the region, many people fleeing to the area, and increased hunting and trapping of wildlife.

Geography

Kahuzi-Biega National Park covers an area of 6,000 km² (2,300 sq mi), making it one of the largest national parks in the country. It is located west of the town of Bukavu in South Kivu Province and includes both mountainous and lowland areas. The eastern part of the park, which is 600 km² (230 sq mi), is in the Mitumba Mountains of the Albertine Rift in the Great Rift Valley. The western part, covering 5,400 km² (2,100 sq mi), is mostly lowland terrain that stretches from Bukavu to Kisangani. The Luka and Lugulu rivers flow through the park and join the Lualaba River. A 7.4 km (4.6 mi) wide corridor connects the two parts of the park. Two dormant volcanoes, Kahuzi (3,308 m or 10,853 ft) and Biéga (2,790 m or 9,150 ft), are located within the park and give it its name.

The park receives an average annual rainfall of 1,800 mm (71 in). The average highest temperature in the area is 18 °C (64 °F), and the average lowest temperature is 10.4 °C (50.7 °F).

Environment

Kahuzi-Biega National Park has a wide variety of plants and animals. A survey from 2003 by the Wildlife Conservation Society found that the park protects about 349 bird species and 136 mammal species. Over 1,178 plant species have been seen in the park's highland areas. The park's different landscapes and habitats make it a hotspot for plants and animals found only in this region.

The park has rare wetlands, marshes, and forests growing on moist ground at all altitudes. The western lowland area is covered by dense Guineo-Congolian wet rainforests, part of the Northeastern Congolian lowland forests ecoregion. Between 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) and 1,500 meters (4,900 feet), there is a transition forest.

The eastern mountainous area has continuous forests from 600 meters (2,000 feet) to over 2,600 meters (8,500 feet). This area is one of the few places in Sub-Saharan Africa that shows all stages of the lowland to highland transition. Six main types of plant life exist here: swamp and peat bog, swamp forest, high-altitude rainforest, mountain rainforest, bamboo forest, and subalpine heather.

The montane rainforests are part of the Albertine Rift montane forests ecoregion. Mountain and swamp forests grow between 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) and 2,400 meters (7,900 feet). Bamboo forests grow between 2,350 meters (7,710 feet) and 2,600 meters (8,500 feet). Above 2,600 meters (8,500 feet) on Mounts Kahuzi and Biéga, there are subalpine heather, dry savanna, and grasslands. These areas also include an endemic subspecies of Dendrosenecio erici-rosenii (D. e. erici-rosenii).

Kahuzi-Biega National Park has more mammal species than any other park in the Albertine Rift. Among the 136 mammal species found here, the eastern lowland gorilla is the most well-known. A 2008 report said the park had 125 lowland gorillas, a drop from 600 in the 1990s before conflicts began. Because of this decline, the species is listed as endangered. The park is now the last safe home for these gorillas. A 2011 survey by the Wildlife Conservation Society found at least 181 gorillas in the park.

Other primates in the park include eastern chimpanzees, several species of Cercopithecinae (like the olive baboon), Colobinae, and Hamlyn's monkey. Other mammals include forest elephants, forest buffalo, hippos, leopards, giant forest hogs, bongos, needle-clawed bushbabies, Maclaud's horseshoe bats, Ruwenzori otter shrews, Mount Kahuzi climbing mice, and Alexander's bush squirrels. Two types of genet live only in the Congo Basin: the aquatic genet and the giant forest genet.

Of the 349 bird species in the park, at least 42 are found only in this region. These include the threatened Albertine owlet. Other birds include the yellow-crested helmet shrike, Congo peafowl, African green broadbill, and Rockefeller's sunbird. The park is designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports large populations of many bird species.

A 2020 survey of freshwater fish in the park and its three drainage basins found 147 species. Eleven of these are only found in the Lowa River basin, and seven had never been described before. Cyprinidae was the most common family of fish found.

Conservation and management

The park, managed by the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, has a basic system for managing and monitoring the area. However, the park's expansion in 1975, which included areas where people lived, led to forced evacuations. Approximately 13,000 people from the Shi, Tembo, and Rega tribal communities were affected and refused to leave. Park authorities worked with nearby communities and employed the Twa people to help protect the park. In 1999, a plan was created to protect both the people living near the park and its natural resources.

Illegal mining of Coltan, a valuable mineral, occurs in the park, which harms the dense forest cover.

Between 2015 and 2016, park rangers reported being dissatisfied with their jobs. They cited low pay, lack of support from officials, and poor living conditions as reasons for their dissatisfaction.

In 2019, it was reported that some park rangers used violence against Batwa people who returned to the park in 2018. This included the alleged killing of several residents, the burning of homes, and the use of sexual violence against indigenous people.

In 2022, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights ruled that the Democratic Republic of the Congo violated the human rights of the Batwa people. This included evicting them from their ancestral lands without their consent when the Kahuzi-Biega National Park was established. The case was filed in 2015, but the decision was made public in June 2024.