GARAMBA NATIONAL PARK Museum

With vast undulating grassland savannah amidst dense equatorial forest, Garamba National Park in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the oldest national parks in Africa. With abundant food and water resources, the park provides excellent habitat for a variety of mammal species, such as notable elephant and giraffe populations. The grasslands feature lion and buffalo, while species such as chimpanzee, giant forest hog and golden cat thrive in the forest areas.

Garamba was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, but over the decades endured periods of conflict and ivory poaching, which led to steep declines in wildlife populations. In 2005, the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) entered into a management partnership agreement with African Parks for Garamba, however, instability in the region continued to threaten communities and wildlife over the next decade. In 2016, African Parks, together with the ICCN, revised its approach by implementing new systems to improve conservation law enforcement and bring stability to the park and its surrounds. By 2020, ivory poaching had decreased and elephant numbers stabilised, while other wildlife numbers steadily increased. Tens of thousands of people living around the park have benefitted from the provision of schools, healthcare, and investments in sustainable development and enterprise. This historic park now serves as an anchor for regional stability and the source of a brighter future for people and wildlife.

In 2025 African Parks and the ICCN renewed their partnership for Garamba, marking 20 years of working together and reinforcing a shared commitment to conservation and sustainable development in the DRC.

Garamba Highlights

• In 2025 and 2026, 24 southern white rhino were translocated to the park, supplementing the first move that took place in 2023.
• The last remaining population of Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffe in the DRC continues to grow steadily.
• Over 100 camera traps deployed across the park recorded a range of species, including chimpanzee, white-bellied pangolin, sitatunga, and bongo.
• A solar energy programme uses mini-grids to provide clean power to over 500 households and businesses in towns around the park.
• The Farmer Field Schools (FFS) programme, designed to train farmers in sustainable agriculture methods, has expanded agroecological practices to nearly 4,000 additional farmers across Garamba.
• Health services, through Nagero Hospital, Gangala health posts and mobile clinics, have helped nearly 10,000 patients annually.
• Environmental education reached 6,422 participants across 98 schools in 2025.In a region with little economic opportunity, Garamba employs almost 500 full-time local staff.