Greater Virunga Landscape

Located in east-central Africa, the Greater Virunga Landscape is one of the most biodiverse places on earth and home to the entirety of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population.

The cultivated hills surrounding Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

About the Greater Virunga Landscape and why it's so important

Resting along the shared boundaries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda, the Greater Virunga Landscape is an interconnected set of protected areas, containing three World Heritage Sites, one Ramsar Site, and one Man and Biosphere Reserve. The landscape’s diverse mosaic of ancient tropical forests, ice-capped mountains, active volcanoes, savannah, swamps and wetlands provide habitats for important populations of African elephant, buffalo, okapi and the hippos. It is also the only place on Earth where 20 primate species coexist, including the mountain gorilla population.

A large and growing population depends on the natural resources of the Greater Virunga Landscape for daily life. Forest resources provide an important source of income, alongside small-scale farming, fishing, and a growing tourism sector. The landscape also serves as a vital shared water source for the region, supplying millions of people with fresh water for drinking and agriculture. In addition, it contains the highest and most permanent source of the River Nile.

Commonly asked questions about the Greater Virunga Landscape

How many mountain gorillas live in the Greater Virunga Landscape?

According to the last census there are around 1,063 mountain gorilla's left. They are categorised as endangered according to the IUCN red list. This means they face a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Which countries share the Greater Virunga Landscape range?

The Greater Virunga Landscape is found at the shared boundaries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.

What are the eight major volcanoes found in the Virunga Mountains?

The eight major volcanoes Include the highest; Mount Karisimbi (4,507m), then Mount Mikeno, Mount Bisoke, Mount Sabyinyo, Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura, and active volcanoes Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira.

Which protected areas fall within the Greater Virunga Landscape?

Volcanoes National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Semuliki National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Virunga National Park, and Sarambwe Game Reserve.

Did Dian Fossey spend time in the Greater Virunga Landscape?

Yes, Dian Fossey worked on the conservation of the mountain gorillas in Rwanda from 1967 until her death in 1985. Her work continues to this day through the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

What wildlife lives in the Greater Virunga Landscape?

It’s home to quite a few iconic and endangered species, from elephants and hippos to golden monkeys, and of course the last remaining mountain gorillas – one of three great apes in the region (with eastern lowland gorillas and chimpanzees).

© Martin Harvey / WWF

African elephants
More

Close

The connected protected areas of the Greater Virunga Landscape are especially important for elephants because they need extensive ranges to move freely, find food and water, and maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations.
© Martin Harvey / WWF

Mountain gorillas
More

Close

There are two sub-populations of mountain gorillas within the Greater Virunga Landscape. One in the transboundary Virunga volcanoes and one in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which is connected with Sarambwe Nature Reserve.
Hippos
More

Close

In the 1970s, Virunga National Park supported an estimated 20,000–30,000 hippos, making it one of the continent’s largest populations. Numbers have since declined significantly, but more recent monitoring suggests some recovery.
© David Lawson / WWF-UK

Okapi
More

Close

The okapi, often called the ‘forest giraffe’, is only found in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Within Virunga National Park, okapi were thought to have disappeared after decades without confirmed sightings. However, camera-trap surveys reconfirmed their presence in 2006.

Key Challenges facing Greater Virunga Landscape and the impact

Unsustainable natural resource use

Some of the world’s highest rural population densities are found in and around the Greater Virunga Landscape. Outside protected areas, land is increasingly being converted for settlements and agriculture. At the same time, many communities live in extreme poverty and, with limited alternatives, depend heavily on natural resources for food, water, fuel, and building materials. This dependence, along with additional pressures from poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and illegal logging, places significant strain on the region’s ecosystems.
Human wildlife conflict

As pressure on natural resources increases, so does human wildlife conflict. This can have serious impacts on people, including risks to personal safety and damage to livelihoods. It can also reduce local support for conservation efforts. For wildlife, close contact with people can cause stress, increase the risk of disease transmission, and sometimes lead to injury or death.
Extractive industries and infrastructure development

The Greater Virunga Landscape is under significant pressure from extractive industries, with concessions covering much of the region. At the same time, developments such as hydropower dams, road construction, and tourism infrastructure pose additional risks, particularly where sustainable planning and coordination across national borders are limited.
Climate change

Climate change impacts are already being seen in the Greater Virunga Landscape including changes is species movement, increasing rainfall as predicted by climate models, increasing temperatures, and fire frequency.
Civil unrest

Ongoing civil unrest and political instability creates significant challenges in parts of the Greater Virunga Landscape. These conditions can hinder conservation efforts, limit access for management and monitoring, and increase risks for both local communities and wildlife.

Find out more

How we're helping the Greater Virunga Landscape

In collaboration with an array of local, national and international partners, we’ve helped to develop a Greater Virunga Landscape Strategy to ensure a people-centred, transboundary, sustainable landscape approach.

© Troy Enerkvist / WWF Sweden

Zero poaching in the Greater Virunga Landscape
More

Close

WWF is collaborating with local partners to strengthen efforts to address illegal wildlife trade in the Greater Virunga Landscape, developing a transboundary monitoring and learning system as well as coordination mechanisms to allow governments and communities to share their knowledge and insights on illegal wildlife trade and use this learning to inform practical, locally appropriate responses.

Discover more
© Andy Rouse

Monitoring wildlife
More

Close

We’re working to strengthen community and ranger-based monitoring of wildlife, their habitats, and the associated threats. We also help to carry out census surveys of the remaining mountain gorilla populations every 5-10 years, giving an estimation of numbers and distribution. All of which helps to ensure that management and policy decisions are based on good quality scientific data.

Great gorilla count
© Brent Stirton / Reportage by Getty Images / WWF

Making tourism work for mountain gorillas and people
More

Close

We’re supporting sustainable eco-tourism initiatives, to help protect the landscape and mountain gorillas and benefit local communities. In addition to creating increased employment opportunities in the tourism sector, we’ve helped to introduce mechanisms, such as revenue sharing schemes, to ensure that local people benefit directly from this tourism. Profits from a range of sustainable tourism activities are ploughed back into the community via a diverse range of enterprises, helping to reduce poverty pressure and create financial incentives for conservation efforts.
© Jasper Doest / WWF

Human wildlife conflict
More

Close

We’re supporting a range of methods to help reduce human-wildlife conflict. For example, we’ve helped local people to establish tea plantations to create a ‘buffer zone’ between some areas of mountain gorilla habitat and human settlement. Tea isn’t palatable to gorillas, so they are less tempted to wander onto agricultural land searching for food. We also work with community patrols who can safely herd mountain gorillas and other wildlife back into the forest if they stray onto people’s land whilst also collecting important monitoring data to inform future management of conflict. On the Uganda side of the Greater Virunga Landscape, we’re working with local partners to strengthen efforts to address human-carnivore conflict in Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area.

Discover more
© Brent Stirton/Getty Images

Livelihoods and wellbeing
More

Close

We’re helping local people to realise the benefits (economic and environmental) of living alongside mountain gorillas and other iconic wildlife, and of protecting the forests as an asset for themselves and future generations. And reducing their need to enter the forests by setting up rainwater harvesting tanks and supporting sustainable livelihood activities such as bee-keeping.