The coloniality of “crisis conservation” : The transnationalization and militarization of Virunga National Park from an historical perspective

This chapter traces the colonial origins of current modes of ‘crisis conservation’ in Virunga National Park, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, characterized by processes of militarization and transnationalization. It first discusses the (pre-)colonial history of the area before the park has been created, whereafter it describes the history of the creation and management of Virunga National Park since 1925. This chapter argues that it is precisely because of various colonial continuities surrounding the management of Virunga National Park, that the relationship between park authorities and the adjacent population continues to be strained. It concludes by arguing that the daily practices of conservation, and park-population relations, remain remarkably unchanged from before the trope of ‘crisis’ was employed (due to the protracted violent conflict in eastern part of the country) which continues to allow the management of Virunga National Park to manoeuvre within an historically constructed colonial ‘state of exception’