Restoring the Lake Edward Fishery in Virunga National Park

The document describes how the conflict-sensitive conservation (CSC) approach was used to address the degradation of the Lake Edward fishery in Virunga National Park, which had been devastated by decades of violent conflict. By restructuring multistakeholder monitoring committees and implementing a support program involving awareness campaigns, law enforcement, and transboundary dialogue, the initiative improved cooperation among stakeholders, reduced illegal fishing, and increased fish yields. While not solving the broader regional conflicts, the project contributed to peacebuilding through environmental cooperation and strengthened local food security.

• Decades of violent conflict in the region led to the over-exploitation of the Lake Edward fishery, the growth of illegal settlements, and the near extinction of the local hippopotamus population due to poaching for ivory and bushmeat.
• The Lake Edward fishery was under significant pressure, supporting between 60,000 and 70,000 people, with half residing in illegal settlements and high demand coming from population centers such as Beni, Butembo, and Goma.
• The implementation of the conflict-sensitive conservation (CSC) approach involved restructuring monitoring committees and a support program featuring awareness campaigns, population censuses, mixed patrols (parks authority, army, and fisher cooperatives), and transboundary coordination with Uganda.
• The CSC initiative showed early success in improving the lake's ecosystem by reducing illegal fishing practices and increasing fish yields, while fostering peacebuilding through joint management and stakeholder dialogue.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Restoring the Lake Edward Fishery in Virunga National Park. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/csc-stories-virunga.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Restoring the Lake Edward Fishery in Virunga National Park. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/csc-stories-virunga.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Restoring the Lake Edward Fishery in Virunga National Park |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/csc-stories-virunga.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndrestoring, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Restoring the Lake Edward Fishery in Virunga National Park}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/csc-stories-virunga.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }