Photo: 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize winner Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo (Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize).
Former child soldier turned wildlife park ranger, Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo, 41, is one of the six people who has been awarded the prestigious 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize for his work to protect the natural environment. The prize, given to one person from each of the world’s six inhabited continental regions, was given to Katembo for his work protecting the majestic endangered species who populate Virunga, Africa’s oldest’s national park, from oil prospectors who are keen to gain access the pristine and untapped lands of this UNESCO World Heritage site.
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At 3,000 square-miles in size, Virunga encompasses sections of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Rwanda. It’s lush tropical rainforest, active volcanoes, and mountain glaciers are home to the world’s last remaining population of mountain gorillas, less than 900 total, as well as elephants, lions, and hippopotamuses—making it one of the few Edenic spaces that exist on earth.
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As a park ranger, Katembo is up against the very worst: political instability, armed poachers, and rebels, who outnumber the poachers ten to one. Militias have killed more than 160 rangers over the past twenty years, as Virunga has been the site of countless skirmishes and conflicts.
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Bottom Photo: Virunga, the oldest national park in Africa and the crown jewel of Congo’s ecotourism, is an area of extraordinary biodiversity and an important habitat for mountain gorillas. (Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize)