A transboundary protected area ( TBPA ) is an ecological protected area that spans boundaries of more than one country or sub-national entity. Such areas are also known as transfrontier conservation areas ( TFCAs ) or peace parks .
95-424: TBPAs exist in many forms around the world, and are established for various reasons. The preservation of traditional animal migration patterns, ensuring sufficient food and water sources for population growth, is a critical reason for the creation of TBPAs. However, TBPAs also encourage tourism , economic development and goodwill between neighbouring countries, as well as making it easier for indigenous inhabitants of
190-599: A nonprofit organisation to facilitate the establishment of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs). A 2001 study by the World Conservation Union found "there were 166 existing transboundary protected area complexes worldwide comprising 666 individual conservation zones." In 2007, the Global Transboundary Conservation Network published a global inventory of transboundary protected areas identifying 227 transboundary protected areas. Of
285-792: A "Lion Conservation Unit". The area is considered a potential lion ( Panthera leo ) stronghold, if poaching is curbed and prey species recover. In the national park's northern sector, African leopard ( P. pardus pardus ), marsh mongoose ( Atilax paludinosus ), giant pangolin ( Smutsia gigantea ), tree pangolin ( Phataginus tricuspis ), crested porcupine ( Hystrix cristata ), Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel ( Anomalurus derbianus ), Boehm's bush squirrel ( Paraxerus boehmi ), western tree hyrax ( Dendrohyrax dorsalis ), Emin's pouched rat ( Cricetomys emini ) and checkered elephant shrew ( Rhynchocyon cirnei ) were recorded during surveys in 2008. The Semliki River provides habitat for Nile crocodile ( Crocodylus niloticus ). Several were observed at
380-420: A "park for peace" as "any of the three types of transboundary conservation areas [that is] dedicated to the promotion, celebration and/or commemoration of peace and cooperation." In many instances, individual TBPAs are part of broader international environmental or cultural programs. TBPAs can be World Heritage Sites , Ramsar Wetlands , and/or UNESCO Biosphere Reserves . In 1932, the governments of Canada and
475-563: A 1430 trip through the Jura Mountains . In China, 'travel record literature' ( 遊記文學 ; yóujì wénxué ) became popular during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). Travel writers such as Fan Chengda (1126–1193) and Xu Xiake (1587–1641) incorporated a wealth of geographical and topographical information into their writing, while the 'daytrip essay' Record of Stone Bell Mountain by the noted poet and statesman Su Shi (1037–1101) presented
570-569: A civilian convoy. Again in January 2021, armed men killed at least six rangers and wounded several others in an ambush in the national park. On 22 February 2021, Italy's ambassador to the DRC who was travelling with the World Food Programme about 15km north of Goma, Luca Attanasio , as well as Italian military police officer Vittorio Iacovacci and Congolese driver Moustapha Milambo, were killed in
665-461: A company that offered affordable day trip excursions to the masses , in addition to longer holidays to Continental Europe, India, Asia and the Western Hemisphere which attracted wealthier customers. By the 1890s over 20,000 tourists per year used Thomas Cook & Son . The relationship between tourism companies, transportation operators and hotels is a central feature of mass tourism. Cook
760-676: A country's current or former form of government can be decisive for tourism. For example, the fascination of the British royal family brings millions of tourists to Great Britain every year and thus the economy around £550 million a year. The Habsburg family can be mentioned in Central Europe. According to estimates, the Habsburg brand should generate tourism sales of 60 million euros per year for Vienna alone. The tourist principle "Habsburg sells" applies. Cultural and natural heritage are in many cases
855-630: A journey across Europe, as was in custom among Polish nobility. He travelled through territories of today's Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, where he admired the siege of Breda by Spanish forces, France, Switzerland to Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic . It was an educational journey and one of the outcomes was introduction of Italian opera in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . The custom flourished from about 1660 until
950-439: A large audience of tourists and many may not know they are participating in this form of tourism. This type of tourism has a low barrier to entry and is accessible to a large population. Ecotourism focuses on education, maintaining a social responsibility for the community and the environment, as well as centering economic growth around the local economy. Weaver describes ecotourism as sustainable nature-based tourism. Ecotourism
1045-509: A militia attack. Five rangers and a driver were killed in April 2018. Since beginning of the armed conflict, armed groups killed 175 park rangers until April 2018. In May 2018, a ranger was killed when defending two tourists who were kidnapped. They were subsequently released unharmed. As a consequence, the park remained closed to visitors from June 2018 until February 2019. In April 2020 at least 12 park rangers were killed by militia men attacking
SECTION 10
#17330923197501140-545: A person's local area for leisure was largely confined to wealthy classes, who at times travelled to distant parts of the world, to see great buildings and works of art, learn new languages , experience new cultures, enjoy pristine nature and to taste different cuisines . As early as Shulgi , however, kings praised themselves for protecting roads and building way stations for travellers. Travelling for pleasure can be seen in Egypt as early on as 1500 BC. Ancient Roman tourists during
1235-492: A philosophical and moral argument as its central purpose. Modern tourism can be traced to what was known as the Grand Tour , which was a traditional trip around Europe (especially Germany and Italy ), undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means, mainly from Western and Northern European countries. In 1624, the young Prince of Poland , Ladislaus Sigismund Vasa , the eldest son of Sigismund III , embarked on
1330-650: A popular form of water tourism . Leisure cruise ships were introduced by the P&;O in 1844, sailing from Southampton to destinations such as Gibraltar , Malta and Athens . In 1891, German businessman Albert Ballin sailed the ship Augusta Victoria from Hamburg into the Mediterranean Sea. 29 June 1900 saw the launching of the first purpose-built cruise ship was Prinzessin Victoria Luise , built in Hamburg for
1425-767: A popular global leisure activity. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes". The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 500,000 people are in flight at any one time. In 2010, international tourism reached US$ 919B, growing 6.5% over 2009, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 4.7%. In 2010, there were over 940 million international tourist arrivals worldwide. By 2016 that number had risen to 1,235 million, producing 1,220 billion USD in destination spending. The COVID-19 crisis had significant negative effects on international tourism significantly slowing
1520-454: A rally in Loughborough , eleven miles (18 km) away. On 5 July 1841, Thomas Cook arranged for the rail company to charge one shilling per person; this included rail tickets and food for the journey. Cook was paid a share of the fares charged to the passengers, as the railway tickets, being legal contracts between company and passenger, could not have been issued at his own price. This was
1615-656: A shallow interest in the cultures or locations visited. By contrast, traveller is often used as a sign of distinction. The sociology of tourism has studied the cultural values underpinning these distinctions and their implications for class relations. There are many varieties of tourism. Of those types, there are multiple forms of outdoor-oriented tourism. Outdoor tourism is generally categorized into nature, eco, and adventure tourism (NEAT). These categories share many similarities but also have specific unique characteristics. Nature tourism generally encompasses tourism activities that would take place outside. Nature tourism appeals to
1710-435: A significant role for seed dispersal in the grasslands. The montane forest between 1,800 and 2,800 m (5,900 and 9,200 ft) in the southern sector is dominated by Ficalhoa laurifolia and Podocarpus milanjianus with up to 25 m (82 ft) high trees. African alpine bamboo ( Yushania alpina ) grows at altitudes of 2,300–2,600 m (7,500–8,500 ft). The vegetation above 2,600 m (8,500 ft)
1805-442: A specific center of interest which represents the core of the destination marketing mix and creates an overall visitor experience including emotional aspects for the potential customers. A tourism product is priced and sold through distribution channels and it has a life-cycle". Tourism product covers a wide variety of services including: International tourism is tourism that crosses national borders. Globalisation has made tourism
1900-470: A sustainable economy . Tourism has reached new dimensions with the emerging industry of space tourism , as well as the cruise ship industry. The English-language word tourist was used in 1772 and tourism in 1811. These words derive from the word tour , which comes from Old English turian , from Old French torner , from Latin tornare - "to turn on a lathe", which is itself from Ancient Greek tornos ( τόρνος ) - "lathe". In 1936,
1995-465: A transboundary conservation landscape and/or seascape as "an ecologically connected area that includes both protected areas and multiple resource use areas across one or more international boundaries and involves some form of cooperation." GTPAN defines a transboundary conservation migration area as "wildlife habitats in two or more countries that are necessary to sustain populations of migratory species and involve some form of cooperation." GTPAN defines
SECTION 20
#17330923197502090-405: A very limited impact on formal relations between states, but can accelerate conflicts on the local level, for instance by extending (authoritarian) state control, by prioritizing business and tourism over the interests of local populations, and by excluding local people from the protected areas. TBPAs can also stimulate (low-level) international conflicts, for instance about the sharing of revenues or
2185-530: Is important to understand that these definitions may vary. Perceived risk in adventure tourism is subjective and may change for each individual. Examples of these tourism types. Nature tourism Ecotourism Adventure tourism According to the World Tourism Organization, a tourism product is: "a combination of tangible and intangible elements, such as natural, cultural, and man-made resources, attractions, facilities, services and activities around
2280-493: Is in addition to goods bought by tourists, including souvenirs . On the flip-side, tourism can degrade people and sour relationships between host and guest. Tourism frequently also puts additional pressure on the local environment. The economic foundations of tourism are essentially the cultural assets, the cultural property and the nature of the travel location. The World Heritage Sites are particularly worth mentioning today because they are real tourism magnets. But even
2375-505: Is more specific than nature tourism and works toward accomplishing a specific goal through the outdoors. Finally, we have adventure tourism. Adventure tourism is the most extreme of the categories and includes participation in activities and sports that require a level of skill or experience, risk, and physical exertion. Adventure tourism often appeals less to the general public than nature and ecotourism and tends to draw in individuals who partake in such activities with limited marketing. It
2470-627: Is provided by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity's Peace and Biodiversity Dialogue Initiative funded by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea. This course will: The course is designed for Peace Park development practitioners and environmental peacebuilding enthusiasts but is open to everyone. Participants must create an account on Learning for Nature before registering for
2565-607: Is responsible for park management since 2010; about 80% of management costs are subsidised by the EC. Park protection efforts were militarised in the following years to deter armed rebel groups and poachers from operating inside the park. Park personnel are given paramilitary training and high-quality weaponry, and operate together with the military and state security services. These tactics, criticised as " militarization of conservation", has been blamed for further violence and dispossession faced by local indigenous people . Communities, such as
2660-501: Is subalpine with foremost African redwood ( Hagenia abyssinica ) growing up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). Tree heath ( Erica arborea ), heather and mosses cover humid slopes up to 3,700 m (12,100 ft) elevation. Senecio and Lobelia species grow on vast clearings and attain heights of up to 8 m (26 ft). Virunga National Park's faunal species include 196 mammals , 706 bird species, 109 reptiles and 65 amphibians as of 2012. Primates present in
2755-561: The Hotel Bristol , Hotel Carlton , or Hotel Majestic – reflecting the dominance of English customers. A pioneer of the travel agency business, Thomas Cook 's idea to offer excursions came to him while waiting for the stagecoach on the London Road at Kibworth . With the opening of the extended Midland Counties Railway , he arranged to take a group of 540 temperance campaigners from Leicester Campbell Street station to
2850-589: The COVID-19 pandemic put an abrupt end to the growth. The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimated that global international tourist arrivals might have decreased by 58% to 78% in 2020, leading to a potential loss of US$ 0.9–1.2 trillion in international tourism receipts. Globally, international tourism receipts (the travel item in the balance of payments ) grew to US$ 1.03 trillion ( €740 billion) in 2005, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 3.8% from 2010. International tourist arrivals surpassed
2945-581: The Cordillera del Cóndor region between Ecuador and Peru . According to a statistical analysis published in 2014, states that share a trans-boundary protected area are slightly less likely to engage with militarized disputes with each other. But the question remains whether the TBPA is a driver or consequence on better interstate relations in these cases. A more recent analysis triangulates data from various sources to show that international environmental cooperation (in
Transboundary protected area - Misplaced Pages Continue
3040-637: The Lascaux cave was rebuilt for tourists. Overtourism is an important buzzword in this area. Furthermore, the focus of UNESCO in war zones is to ensure the protection of cultural heritage in order to maintain this future important economic basis for the local population. And there is intensive cooperation between UNESCO, the United Nations , the United Nations peacekeeping and Blue Shield International . There are extensive international and national considerations, studies and programs to protect cultural assets from
3135-533: The League of Nations defined a foreign tourist as "someone traveling abroad for at least twenty-four hours". Its successor, the United Nations , amended this definition in 1945, by including a maximum stay of six months. In 1941, Hunziker and Kraft defined tourism as "the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the travel and stay of non-residents, insofar as they do not lead to permanent residence and are not connected with any earning activity." In 1976,
3230-475: The Musée Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique ; explored the ethnic groups in this area; studied volcanic activity, and fossils . In the late 1950s, Tutsi herders and their cattle entered the park, destroying natural habitat up to an altitude of 3,000 m (9,800 ft), which was thought to threaten the park's gorillas. Land laws were reformed in the 1960s after Belgian Congo became independent as
3325-617: The Republic would visit spas and coastal resorts such as Baiae . They were popular among the rich. The Roman upper class used to spend their free time on land or at sea and travelled to their villa urbana or villa maritima . Numerous villas were located in Campania , around Rome and in the northern part of the Adriatic as in Barcola near Trieste. Pausanias wrote his Description of Greece in
3420-449: The Republic of the Congo , and the land declared property of the state, much to the disadvantage of local people. Illegal hunting inside protected areas increased. In 1969, the two parks were merged under the name Virunga National Park, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. In 1996, the national park was listed as a Ramsar site of international importance . In 2011,
3515-515: The service sector of the economy associated with tourism. It is also claimed that travel broadens the mind. The hospitality industries which benefit from tourism include transportation services (such as airlines , cruise ships , transits , trains and taxicabs ); lodging (including hotels , hostels , homestays , resorts and renting out rooms); and entertainment venues (such as amusement parks , restaurants , casinos , festivals , shopping malls , music venues , and theatres ). This
3610-655: The Albertine Rift including eastern gorilla ( Gorilla beringei ) and golden monkey ( Cercopithecus kandti ). The park is also home to Tchegera Island . In 1979, the national park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its rich diversity of habitats, exceptional biodiversity and endemism , and its protection of rare mountain gorilla habitat. It has been listed in the List of World Heritage in Danger since 1994 because of civil unrest and increased human presence in
3705-574: The Albertine Rift is influenced by the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation . March to mid May and September to November are the main rainy seasons. Mean monthly rainfall in the savanna around Lake Edward is 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in); this is the driest part of the landscape. The northern sector receives a monthly mean precipitation of up to 220 mm (8.7 in), and
3800-480: The British company Soco International was granted a concession for extracting crude oil in the surroundings of and in large parts of the national park. Government officials supported exploration activities by Soco International mission members, whereas park management opposed. In the course of increasing tensions, the park's chief warden, Emmanuel de Mérode , was assailed in April 2014. Following international protests,
3895-433: The Congo's first national park , it was conceived as a science-oriented nature reserve with the aim of studying and preserving wildlife and so-called "primitive" hunter-gatherer African Pygmies . In 1926, Derscheid headed the first Belgian mission to map Albert National Park, which encompassed an area of 500 km (190 sq mi) around the extinct volcanoes Mount Karisimbi and Mount Mikeno . The protected area
Transboundary protected area - Misplaced Pages Continue
3990-574: The European continent. Leisure travel was associated with the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom – the first European country to promote leisure time to the increasing industrial population. Initially, this applied to the owners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, factory owners and traders. These comprised the new middle class . Cox & Kings
4085-571: The Hamburg America Line. Mass tourism and its tourist attractions have emerged as among the most iconic demonstration of western consumer societies. Academics have defined mass tourism as travel by groups on pre-scheduled tours, usually under the organization of tourism professionals. This form of tourism developed during the second half of the 19th century in the United Kingdom and was pioneered by Thomas Cook . Cook took advantage of Europe's rapidly expanding railway network and established
4180-594: The Mbuti, which previously relied on the lands included in the park for food and shelter have been forced out, or risk being arrested or killed by armed park rangers . Increasing militarisation of nature conservation has been accused of fuelling armed mobilisation of militias. The inhabitants inside the national park, whether native or refugees , rely on farming, hunting, fishing, logging and producing charcoal for their livelihoods, all prohibited activities. The local community has no where else to turn for security, and relies on
4275-504: The Puemba River valley to the highest peak of Mount Stanley at 5,109 m (16,762 ft) within 30 km (19 mi). The national park's central sector encompasses about two thirds of Lake Edward up to the international border with Uganda in the east. A narrow corridor of 3–5 km (1.9–3.1 mi) width along the lake's western bank connects the northern and southern sectors of the national park. The southern sector stretches to
4370-604: The Tourism Society of England's definition was: "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destinations outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. It includes movements for all purposes." In 1981, the International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism defined tourism in terms of particular activities chosen and undertaken outside
4465-583: The United States passed legislation creating the first international peace park: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. This action followed from a joint resolution of the Rotary Clubs of Montana and Alberta calling for the creation of the peace park. On 1 February 1997, Anton Rupert , together with Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and Nelson Mandela , founded the Peace Parks Foundation as
4560-660: The United States. Cook established "inclusive independent travel", whereby the traveller went independently but his agency charged for travel, food, and accommodation for a fixed period over any chosen route. Such was his success that the Scottish railway companies withdrew their support between 1862 and 1863 to try the excursion business for themselves. The tourism industry, as part of the service sector , has become an important source of income for many regions and even for entire countries. The Manila Declaration on World Tourism of 1980 recognized its importance as "an activity essential to
4655-670: The West ( c. 1592 ), which holds a seminal place in Chinese literature , has a Buddhist pilgrimage at the center of its narrative. In medieval Italy , Petrarch wrote an allegorical account of his 1336 ascent of Mont Ventoux that praised the act of travelling and criticized frigida incuriositas (a 'cold lack of curiosity'); this account is regarded as one of the first known instances of travel being undertaken for its own sake. The Burgundian poet Michault Taillevent [ fr ] later composed his own horrified recollections of
4750-420: The absolute basis for worldwide tourism. Cultural tourism is one of the megatrends that is reflected in massive numbers of overnight stays and sales. As UNESCO is increasingly observing, the cultural heritage is needed for tourism, but also endangered by it. The "ICOMOS - International Cultural Tourism Charter" from 1999 is already dealing with all of these problems. As a result of the tourist hazard, for example,
4845-522: The advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s and generally followed a standard itinerary . It was an educational opportunity and rite of passage . Though primarily associated with the British nobility and wealthy landed gentry , similar trips were made by wealthy young men of Protestant Northern European nations on the Continent , and from the second half of the 18th century some South American, US, and other overseas youth joined in. The tradition
SECTION 50
#17330923197504940-563: The area to travel. TBPAs exist in various types of geographic configuration, with various levels of ecological protection, and with various levels of international cooperation. Additionally, different organizations employ different definitions for TBPAs. Julia Marton-Lefevre broadly defines TBPAs as "areas that involve a degree of cooperation across one or more boundaries between (or within) countries." The Southern Africa Development Community's Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement defines Transfrontier Conservation Area as "the area or
5035-696: The benefits of leisure time. Virunga National Park Virunga National Park is a national park in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It was created in 1925. In elevation, it ranges from 680 m (2,230 ft) in the Semliki River valley to 5,109 m (16,762 ft) in the Rwenzori Mountains . From north to south it extends approximately 300 km (190 mi), largely along
5130-682: The company stopped exploring activities and consented to refrain from starting similar operations in the vicinity of World Heritage sites. In August 2015, the Minister of Tourism and Culture inaugurated four key initiatives including the tourist destination Tchegera Island and the Rugari–Bukima road section that facilitates access to the Mount Mikeno sector. By 2016, four hydropower dams were constructed that provide electricity to small businesses and benefit more than 200,000 rural people. Since
5225-543: The component of a large ecological region that straddles the boundaries of two or more countries, encompassing one or more protected areas, as well as multiple resources use areas." The Global Transboundary Protected Areas Network (GTPAN) lists four types of "transboundary conservation areas:" GTPAN defines a transboundary protected area as "a clearly defined geographical space that includes protected areas that are ecologically connected across one or more international boundaries and involves some form of cooperation." GTPAN defines
5320-421: The country's economic situation the government undermined that very protection by auctioning oil exploration blocks inside the park by the end of July 2022. Tullow Oil Plc, TotalEnergies , ENI and China National Offshore Oil Corporation Ltd (CNOOC) were interested in acquiring drilling permissions. Local and global groups, such as Greenpeace , are warning about the social and ecological impact of devastating
5415-588: The course. [REDACTED] Media related to Peace parks at Wikimedia Commons Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity only", as people "travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure and not less than 24 hours, business and other purposes". Tourism can be domestic (within
5510-595: The early 1990s, the protected area was impacted by political turmoil in the African Great Lakes region. Following the Rwandan genocide , thousands of refugees fled to the Kivu region, and the presence of military increased. The First and Second Congo Wars further destabilised the region. Anti- poaching patrols inside the park were obstructed, and park personnel and wildlife were killed. About 850,000 refugees lived around
5605-399: The effects of tourism and those from war. In particular, it is also about training civilian and military personnel. But the involvement of the locals is particularly important. The founding president of Blue Shield International Karl von Habsburg summed it up with the words: "Without the local community and without the local participants, that would be completely impossible'. Cruising is
5700-495: The first privately chartered excursion train to be advertised to the general public; Cook himself acknowledged that there had been previous, unadvertised, private excursion trains. During the following three summers he planned and conducted outings for temperance societies and Sunday school children. In 1844, the Midland Counties Railway Company agreed to make a permanent arrangement with him, provided he found
5795-424: The forest for oil production. Campaigners trying to create public awareness are threatened and intimidated on social media. In the early 1920s, several proponents of the European conservation movement championed the idea of creating a protected area in northeastern Belgian Congo , among them Victor van Straelen , Jean Massart and Jean-Marie Derscheid . When Albert National Park was established in April 1925 as
SECTION 60
#17330923197505890-417: The form of TBPAs and water treaties) increases the likelihood for reconciliation between states in conflict. The effect is, however, modest and contingent on a number of context factors such as high levels of environmental attention, internal political stability, a tradition of environmental cooperation and already ongoing processes of reconciliation. However, a number of authors criticize that peace parks have
5985-529: The gunfire when a militia that had kidnapped their convoy, and had brought them into the park, was met by park rangers who managed to free four people. Virunga National Park is located in the Congo − Nile watershed area. Its northern sector encompasses part of the Semliki River basin, as well as savanna and montane forest of the Albertine Rift . In altitude, this sector ranges from 680 m (2,230 ft) in
6080-423: The home. In 1994, the United Nations identified three forms of tourism in its Recommendations on Tourism Statistics : Other groupings derived from the above grouping: The terms tourism and travel are sometimes used interchangeably. In this context, travel has a similar definition to tourism but implies a more purposeful journey. The terms tourism and tourist are sometimes used pejoratively, to imply
6175-629: The importance of conserving the pristinity and ecology of Arctic region has increased, there has been a global call to declare the Arctic region as a global sanctuary/international peace park. The Save the Arctic campaign by Greenpeace , an environmental nonprofit organisation , has received online support from more than 5 million citizens from around the world. Transboundary protected areas are also termed peace parks. They are supposed to facilitate cooperation and exchange between (adversary) countries, to improve livelihoods of local populations, to demonstrate
6270-407: The international borders with Uganda and Rwanda in the east. It covers an area of 8,090 km (3,120 sq mi). Two active volcanoes, Mount Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira , are located in the park. They have significantly shaped the national park's diverse habitats and wildlife . More than 3,000 faunal and floral species have been recorded, of which more than 300 are endemic to
6365-639: The late 1930s and 1955, an estimated 85,000 Rwandophone people were moved to nearby Masisi in North Kivu . In 1934, the Institut des Parcs Nationaux du Congo Belge was founded as the governing body for national parks in the Belgian Congo. Between the early 1930s and 1961, several expeditions to Albert National Park were carried out by Belgian scientists, the second headed by Gaston-François de Witte . They studied and collected zoological specimens of wildlife for
6460-504: The life of nations because of its direct effects on the social, cultural, educational, and economic sectors of national societies, and on their international relations." Tourism brings large amounts of income into a local economy in the form of payment for goods and services needed by tourists, accounting as of 2011 for 30% of the world's trade in services, and, as an invisible export , for 6% of overall exports of goods and services. It also generates opportunities for employment in
6555-543: The milestone of 1 billion tourists globally for the first time in 2012. Emerging source markets such as China , Russia , and Brazil had significantly increased their spending over the previous decade. Global tourism accounts for c. 8% of global greenhouse-gas emissions. Emissions as well as other significant environmental and social impacts are not always beneficial to local communities and their economies. For this reason, many tourist development organizations have begun to focus on sustainable tourism to mitigate
6650-516: The national park in 1994. Up to 40,000 people entered the park daily in search of firewood and food, and deforested huge areas. In 1994, Virunga National Park was entered into the List of World Heritage in Danger. After the Second Congo War was over, confrontations between park personnel and rebel groups continued; 80 park staff were killed between 1996 and 2003. Several armed rebel groups operate in
6745-625: The national park include mountain gorilla ( G. b. beringei ), common chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ), golden monkey, red-tailed monkey ( Cercopithecus ascanius ), Dent's mona monkey ( C. denti ), blue monkey ( C. mitis ), Hamlyn's monkey ( C. hamlyni ), De Brazza's monkey ( C. neglectus ), Central African red colobus ( Procolobus foai ), mantled guereza ( Colobus guereza ), olive baboon ( Papio anubis ) and grey-cheeked mangabey ( Lophocebus albigena ). African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana ), hippopotamus ( Hippopotamus amphibius ) and African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer ) inhabit
6840-531: The national park's central sector. Okapi ( Okapia johnstoni ), blue duiker ( Philantomba monticola ), bay duiker ( Cephalophus dorsalis ), Weyns's duiker ( C. weynsi ), yellow-backed duiker ( C. silvicultor ), water chevrotain ( Hyemoschus aquaticus ), red river hog ( Potamochoerus porcus ), aardvark ( Orycteropus afer ) and bongo ( Tragelaphus eurycerus ) were recorded in the northern sector in 2008. Harnessed bushbuck ( T. scriptus ) and giant forest hog ( Hylochoerus meinertzhageni ) are present in
6935-548: The negative effects caused by the growing impact of tourism. The United Nations World Tourism Organization emphasized these practices by promoting tourism as part of the Sustainable Development Goals , through programs like the International Year for Sustainable Tourism for Development in 2017, and programs like Tourism for SDGs focusing on how SDG 8 , SDG 12 and SDG 14 implicate tourism in creating
7030-2817: The northern shore of Lake Edwards in 1988 for the first time. Of the Albertine Rift's endemic birds , Rwenzori turaco , Rwenzori batis , Archer's ground robin , red-throated alethe , Kivu ground thrush , collared apalis , mountain masked apalis , dusky crimson-wing , Shelley's crimsonwing , red-faced woodland warbler , stripe-breasted tit , blue-headed sunbird , regal sunbird , Rwenzori double-collared sunbird , handsome spurfowl and strange weaver were recorded in Virunga National Park's southern sector during surveys in 2004. Non-endemic birds recorded include Wahlberg's eagle , African goshawk , African hobby , harrier hawk , common buzzard , mountain buzzard , hadeda ibis , grey-crowned crane , black-and-white-casqued hornbill , black-billed turaco , African olive pigeon , tambourine dove , blue-spotted wood dove , red-eyed dove , brown-necked parrot , red-chested cuckoo , olive long-tailed cuckoo , barred long-tailed cuckoo , Klaas's cuckoo , Diederik cuckoo , blue-headed coucal , Narina trogon , white-headed wood hoopoe , white-necked raven , white-tailed crested flycatcher , African paradise flycatcher , white-eyed slaty flycatcher , African dusky flycatcher , white-tailed blue flycatcher , mountain oriole , speckled mousebird , cinnamon-chested bee-eater , grey-throated barbet , yellow-billed barbet , western tinkerbird , yellow-rumped tinkerbird , cardinal woodpecker , olive woodpecker , black saw-wing , Angola swallow , Alpine swift , mountain greenbul , yellow-whiskered greenbul , common bulbul , white-starred robin , Archer's ground robin , white-browed robin-chat , African stonechat , rufous thrush , African thrush , olive thrush , grassland pipit , cinnamon bracken warbler , black-faced rufous warbler , mountain yellow warbler , brown woodland warbler , green sandpiper , Chubb's cisticola , banded prinia , chestnut-throated apalis , grey-backed camaroptera , white-browed crombec , black-throated wattle-eye , chinspot batis , mountain illadopsis , grey-chested illadopsis , olive sunbird , bronze sunbird , malachite sunbird , collared sunbird , variable sunbird , yellow white-eye , Mackinnon's shrike , Doherty's bushshrike , Lühder's bushshrike , northern puffback , mountain sooty boubou , tropical boubou , narrow-tailed starling , Sharpe's starling , baglafecht weaver , black bishop , grey-headed nigrita , common waxbill , black-headed waxbill , bronze mannikin , black and white mannikin , pin-tailed whydah , African citril , streaky seedeater and thick-billed seedeater . Ethnic groups living in and around Virunga National Park include: The documentary Virunga documents
7125-472: The overall increasing trend. International tourism has significant impacts on the environment , exacerbated in part by the problems created by air travel but also by other issues, including wealthy tourists bringing lifestyles that stress local infrastructure, water and trash systems among others. Tourism typically requires the tourist to feel engaged in a genuine experience of the location they are visiting. According to Dean MacCannell, tourism requires that
7220-547: The park to land controlled by the FDLR, where they could rent small plots of land. Clashes occurred in 2015 when a local Mai-Mai group in Binza (north Bwisha) attempted to take back control of region, with the objective of reinstalling fishing activities and allowing the population to return, killing a park guard and 11-15 soldiers. Five rangers were killed in August 2017 near Lake Edward in
7315-715: The park, including Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and National Congress for the Defence of the People (FDLR). Latter controlled the Mikeno sector of Virunga National Park between December 2006 and January 2009. In 2005, the European Commission (EC) recommended a public-private partnership between the country's government and the British non-governmental organisation African Conservation Fund . The latter organisation
7410-476: The passengers. This success led him to start his own business running rail excursions for pleasure, taking a percentage of the railway fares. In 1855, he planned his first excursion abroad, when he took a group from Leicester to Calais to coincide with the Paris Exhibition . The following year he started his "grand circular tours" of Europe. During the 1860s he took parties to Switzerland, Italy, Egypt, and
7505-553: The possibility of positive-sum interactions, and hence to support more peaceful international relations. There are several cases documented in which trans-boundary conservation contributed to conflict resolution (although it was not the main driver), such as in the Virunga region between the DR Congo , Rwanda and Uganda , around the Trifinio region between El Salvador and Honduras , and in
7600-524: The presence of human populations in the parks. A Massive Online Open Course on Peace Park Development and Management was developed by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), its Peace and Biodiversity Dialogue Initiative in partnership with UNDP and the NBSAP Forum. This free three-week course offered in five languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic. Financial support
7695-723: The protection of armed groups, for which fees are levied off the prohibited activities. According to a 2010 report by the United Nations Security Council , 80% of the charcoal consumed by the city of Goma is sourced from the park, representing an annual value of US$ 28–30 million. Both state security services and such groups also resort to armed robberies and kidnapping for income. Efforts at nature conservation have had contradictory effects, for example when farms were destroyed within Kibirizi, and soldiers and park guards were sent in to patrol, people migrated even further within
7790-531: The region. There have been several deadly attacks in the park by rebel groups, and several park rangers have been killed. There have been plans to drill for oil in the Congo Basin since the 2000s. Preventing these plans the park gained further protection by an agreement sealed between DRCs president Felix Tshisekedi and Boris Johnson at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. To improve
7885-603: The roots of Western civilization . With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months (or years) to roam, they commissioned paintings , perfected their language skills and mingled with the upper crust of the Continent. The primary value of the Grand Tour, it was believed, laid in the exposure both to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance , and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of
7980-438: The second century AD. In ancient China , nobles sometimes made a point of visiting Mount Tai and, on occasion, all five Sacred Mountains . By the post-classical era, many religions, including Christianity , Buddhism , and Islam had developed traditions of pilgrimage . The Canterbury Tales ( c. 1390s ), which uses a pilgrimage as a framing device , remains a classic of English literature , and Journey to
8075-478: The shores of Lake Kivu and encompasses Nyamulagira, Nyiragongo and Mikeno volcanoes with montane forests on their slopes. The northern sector of Virunga National Park is contiguous with Uganda's Semuliki park , the Rwenzori Mountains National Park , and the central sector with Queen Elizabeth National Park . The southern sector borders Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park . The climate in
8170-1005: The southern sector of up to 160 mm (6.3 in). Average temperatures in lower altitudes vary from 23–28 °C (73–82 °F), and in higher altitudes from 16–24 °C (61–75 °F), rarely dropping below 14 °C (57 °F). Virunga National Park's flora encompasses 2,077 plant species, including 264 tree species and 230 plants that are endemic to the Albertine Rift. The plains of Virunga National Park are dominated by wetlands and grasslands with papyrus sedge ( Cyperus papyrus ), jointed flatsedge ( C. articulatus ), common reed ( Phragmites mauritanica ), sacaton grasses ( Sporobolus consimilis ), ambatch ( Aeschynomene elaphroxylon ), conkerberry ( Carissa spinarum ), paperbark thorn ( Vachellia sieberiana ) and kowai fruit ( Coccinia grandis ). Remains of dicots such as African caper ( Capparis tomentosa ), Maerua species, wild cucurbits , and nightshades were found in dung balls of African elephants ( Loxodonta ) that play
8265-486: The southern sector. All of the topi ( Damaliscus lunatus jimela ) cluster to the south of Lake Edward in the Ishasha Flats region, and regularly cross the border into Uganda. Other ungulates present include Ugandan kob ( Kobus kob thomasi ), waterbuck ( K. ellipsiprymnus ), and common warthog ( Phacochoerus africanus ). Virunga National Park together with the adjacent Queen Elizabeth National Park forms
8360-463: The supremacy of classic art of which Italy, France, and Greece provide excellent examples. For these reasons, the Grand Tour's main destinations were to those centers, where upper-class students could find rare examples of classic art and history. The New York Times recently described the Grand Tour in this way: Three hundred years ago, wealthy young Englishmen began taking a post- Oxbridge trek through France and Italy in search of art, culture and
8455-419: The tourist can view the toured area as both authentic and different from their own lived experience. By viewing the "exotic," tourists learn what they themselves are not: that is, they are "un-exotic," or normal. According to MacCannell, all modern tourism experiences the "authentic" and "exotic" as "developmentally inferior" to the modern—that is, to the lived experience of the tourist. Travel outside
8550-407: The traveller's own country) or international , and international tourism has both incoming and outgoing implications on a country's balance of payments . Tourism numbers declined as a result of a strong economic slowdown (the late-2000s recession ) between the second half of 2008 and the end of 2009, and in consequence of the outbreak of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus , but slowly recovered until
8645-689: The world's twenty transboundary UNESCO biosphere reserves, twelve are in Europe. Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Ukraine each contribute to three reserves. TBPA advocates by 2006 had identified additional sites for protection. Professor Saleem Ali of the University of Vermont noted that "numerous ecologically sensitive areas remain unprotected" and cites a 2006 "geographic information systems (GIS) study" that "found 104 transboundary wild areas involving 61 countries that are not formally part of any conservation park." Specific sites for proposed TBPAs include: As awareness of
8740-528: Was able to offer prices that were below the publicly advertised price because his company purchased large numbers of tickets from railroads. One contemporary form of mass tourism, package tourism , still incorporates the partnership between these three groups. Travel developed during the early 20th century and was facilitated by the development of the automobiles and later by airplanes. Improvements in transport allowed many people to travel quickly to places of leisure interest so that more people could begin to enjoy
8835-520: Was extended in 1929 by Virunga National Park, which encompassed the Virunga Mountains , parts of the Rutshuru Territory , and the plains south of Lake Edward. Its initial size of 2,920.98 km (1,127.80 sq mi) was enlarged step by step in subsequent years. Indigenous people lost their traditional land rights in this process, and were evicted from the protected area. Between
8930-479: Was extended to include more of the middle class after rail and steamship travel made the journey easier, and Thomas Cook made the "Cook's Tour" a byword. The Grand Tour became a status symbol for upper-class students in the 18th and 19th centuries. In this period, Johann Joachim Winckelmann 's theories about the supremacy of classic culture became very popular and appreciated in the European academic world. Artists, writers, and travellers (such as Goethe ) affirmed
9025-541: Was the first official travel company to be formed in 1758. The British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. In Nice , France, one of the first and best-established holiday resorts on the French Riviera , the long esplanade along the seafront is known to this day as the Promenade des Anglais ; in many other historic resorts in continental Europe , old, well-established palace hotels have names like
#749250