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This briefing note presents the results of a regional baseline vulnerability assessment conducted between 2011 and 2012 in the Virunga landscape of Rwanda. Part of the 'Climate Change and Forests in the Congo Basin' (COBAM) project, the study focuses on 12 sectors across four districts adjacent to Volcanoes National Park. It examines how social dynamics, historical disturbances, and land-use practices interact with climatic variability to affect different community groups, particularly the Batwa, and evaluates the role of conservation and tourism in regional adaptive capacity.

This report documents a three-day workshop held from December 5 to 7, 2006, in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The workshop aimed to strengthen the capacity of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) to manage and resolve conflicts related to natural resources within Virunga National Park. Facilitated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and WWF, the event focused on conflict analysis tools, the identification of primary drivers of conflict in the park, and the development of strategic intervention plans.

The Conflict-Sensitive Conservation Practitioners’ Manual, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in 2009, provides a framework for conservation NGOs and protected area authorities to integrate conflict sensitivity into their operations. The guide aims to help practitioners minimize the risk of inadvertently exacerbating conflicts and maximize opportunities for peacebuilding, particularly in conflict zones where natural resources can be both a source of tension and a foundation for stability.

This practitioner's guide, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), provides a framework for integrating conflict sensitivity into conservation activities. It aims to help NGOs and protected area managers minimize the risk of inadvertently exacerbating conflicts and maximize opportunities for peacebuilding, particularly in volatile regions where natural resource management often intersects with social and political tensions.

This strategy report, prepared following a February 2006 meeting in Nairobi, examines the intersection of biodiversity conservation and social-political conflict within the Albertine Rift. It advocates for adaptive conservation interventions to minimize risks and address root causes of threats, while analyzing seven conflict assessment tools to help practitioners avoid or mitigate conflict in project areas.

This December 2008 briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the intersection of the humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the ecological degradation of Virunga National Park. The author argues that the park's natural resources are being exploited to fund ongoing conflict and that environmental governance must be integrated into any sustainable peace agreement to ensure long-term regional recovery.

This case study describes the application of a conflict-sensitive conservation (CSC) approach to restore the Lake Edward fishery within Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It details how institutional decline and environmental degradation caused by decades of violent conflict were addressed through multistakeholder monitoring committees, joint patrols, and transboundary dialogue to improve fish yields and regional peacebuilding.

This report details a 27-month pilot project using a conflict-sensitive approach to conservation in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Albertine Rift. By implementing participatory mapping, multi-stakeholder monitoring committees, and dialogue-based resolution strategies, the project achieved reductions in illegal fishing in Virunga National Park and illegal woodcutting in Kahuzi-Biega National Park. It also established a collaborative framework for the creation of the Itombwe Reserve and the proposed Ngamika National Park in Misotshi-Kabogo. The findings emphasize that while dialogue and awareness are critical, long-term sustainability requires addressing root causes like poverty through alternative livelihoods and securing political and military support.