Kinshasa, May 13th, 2026 (CPA).– The Salonga National Park in Tshuapa province, north-western Democratic Republic of Congo, has trained 63 new eco-guards to reinforce its protection, CPA learned Wednesday from the park’s official website. “The Chief Executive Officer of the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), Yves Milan Ngangay, chaired on Wednesday, May 13th, 2026 the official closing ceremony of training for 63 new eco-guards, including 8 women and 2 members of indigenous peoples, at the headquarters of Salonga National Park (SNP),” the source reported.
According to the same source, the recruits received a total of 797 hours of training covering physical conditioning, specialized conservation techniques, and paramilitary preparation adapted to field realities. Limited training center capacity led to the program being organized in two cohorts. The Salonga Park management unit stated that this new generation of eco-guards will help strengthen state presence in this vast protected area and lay the foundations for more professional, efficient, and sustainable conservation. The new eco-guards completed an intensive three-month training program at the Bekongo center, focusing on anti-poaching operations. Instructors noted that the selection process was highly rigorous, with an average age of 25 and a minimum requirement of a high school diploma.
On this occasion, the ICCN Chief Executive Officer called on political, administrative, customary authorities, as well as surrounding communities, to support efforts to modernize and professionalize Salonga National Park and to embrace community-based development alternatives aimed at preserving its resources. Faced with still limited and aging personnel, the Salonga Park management unit aims to recruit and train 300 new eco-guards by 2030 to strengthen anti-poaching operations and long-term protection of the reserve. Salonga National Park is considered the largest forest national park in Africa, covering nearly 36,000 km² in the DRC.