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ABOUT
UPEMBA

Upemba National Park is a rising forgotten park playing an important role for the survival of the Congo Basin.

Our History

Upemba National Park is one of the oldest national parks of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was first established in May 1939 on the basis of a Belgian royal decree with an area of ​​1.75 millions hectares because of its high value in biodiversity. It is home to some 1.800 different species, including savannah elephants, leopards, antelopes,  buffalo, and the Katanga impala which is endemic to the park. Upemba is the only national park in DRC with zebra populations.

 

The habitat of the park varies from grassland at higher altitudes, through forests, woodlands, to lakes and wetlands at lowest altitudes. Its valley of the Lufira, from the fall of Kyubo to the junction with the Congo river at Kitembo, has been an illustration of natural wonders due to its a large concentration of mammals, reptiles, batrachians, birds, fish and a vast wetland.

The Upemba National Park is confronted with many threats ranging from poaching, illegal settlements and the presence of illegal permits to mining. While the park is lacking technical and financial resources to minimize the threats, rangers are risking their lives to save the last remaining elephant population of Katanga. Parts of Upemba have also been taken over by the Mai Mai groups – a local armed group. In December 2012, Atamato Madrandele, Chief Warden of Upemba National Park, was ambushed and killed by Mai-Mai militia. Since the assassination of Atamato, the Park saw poaching gain momentum until recently.

In July 2017 the Forgotten Parks Foundation signed a public-private partnership agreement with the Congolese government to rehabilitate and manage the Upemba national park under the Upemba & Kundelungu national park complex. In January 2024 and addendum to the agreement was signed to expand the mandate to manage Upemba and the two Hunting Reserves (Bena Mulumbu and Lubudi Sampwe).

Rangers need our help to protect these last remaining wild places for future generations and the sustainable development of the populations living around.

Management

In July 2017, Forgotten Parks Foundation (FPF) signed a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with the Congolese government through the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) to rehabilitate and manage the Upemba national park under the Upemba & Kundelungu national park complex. In 2020, the agreement was revised for FPF to focus on the ecological restoration and development of Upemba National Park and its landscape, while providing limited support to Kundelungu National Park and the Reserve Ornithologique de Tshangalele.

The Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature is the Congolese governmental partner tasked with the protection and conservation of national parks and nature reserves in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ICCN is governed by Law No. 08/009 of July 7, 2008 laying down general provisions applicable to public establishments.

The aim of the ICCN is the conservation of Nature in Protected Areas in situ and ex situ. As such, he is responsible for:

  • Ensuring the protection of fauna and flora;

  • Promoting biodiversity by promoting scientific research and facilitating ecotourism activities in accordance with current legislation and the fundamental principles of conservation.

The ICCN is under the general supervision of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development as well as under the specific supervision of the Ministries of Tourism and Defense. Since November 2022 the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation is led by Yves Milan Ngangay, as its Executive Director.

Partners

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