FZS has been involved in biodiversity conservation in the Virunga ecosystem since Bernhard Grzimek visited the park in the 1950s. Indeed, for many years, FZS was the only organization paying ranger salaries. In the 1980s, FZS supported the very first habituation of mountain gorillas for tourism, and eventually, for chimpanzees as well. The civil war and unrest in eastern Congo caused support to decline in the early 1990s, but in 2003, the project was reinstated. In early 2004, Rob Muir was brought in to head up FZS activities.

Robert Muir, head of FZS in Virunga

The program has focused on providing institutional support to ICCN through ranger training, the construction of patrol posts, provision of vehicles, uniforms, patrol rations, and aerial monitoring and surveillance. The program is set to expand and will include the rehabilitation of the Rumangabo station in the southern sector of the park, support for gorilla conservation, and the development of community-based conservation initiatives around the gorilla sector.

FZS is one of nine conservation organizations in Virunga National Park that work in a formal partnership with ICCN. In 2008, FZS will contribute $157,000 to the operating costs of Virunga National Park, which amounts to 9% of the total allocated annual operating budget.

For more information about Frankfurt Zoological Society please visit our website at www.zgf.de.