Abstract

War and civil strife play a significantly detrimental role in the conservation of ecosystems – its wildlife, vegetation, and natural resources. There is an inevitable interaction between natural habitats and humans whether it is here in Los Angeles or in the most remote parts of Africa. Rwanda was once globally recognized for its biodiversity and conservation efforts(Kanyamibwa, 1998). However, since civil war has plagued the nation, environmental issues have become a secondary issue as Rwandans are forced to face violence, genocide, poverty, and many more social tragedies. Volcanoes National Park is located on the borders of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The national park is home to the highly endangered Virunga mountain gorillas that depend on this remote protected area for its habitat and resources. Despite the Rwandan government's efforts to promote the importance of the mountain gorillas, the already small population in Volcanoes National Park is highly susceptible to disturbances which come in the form of deforestation, war, and poaching (Kalpers, 2003). We can observe how Rwanda’s social problems correlate with the growth and decline of Virunga mountain gorilla populations by taking time series satellite images provided by Landsat satellites and identifying how vegetation within the Volcanoes National Park has changed over time. Despite Rwanda’s tumultuous social history, its maintenance of the Volcanoes National Park and its borders has been fairly steady. Also, the available censuses suggest that the populations of mountain gorilla have actually risen over the past two decades despite the civil war (Plumptre et al, 2001). However, the resources to verify the censuses have been limited since it is still dangerous and difficult to research in the Volcanoes National Park where conflicts still occur. By comparing data provided by satellite images, censuses, and conflict history, we can piece together an explanation as to how humans’ actions have impacted the Virunga mountain gorilla.













Photo from The Sydney Morning Herald