Kinshasa, February 26th, 2026 (CPA) – The contribution of authorities in recruiting park rangers for the Salonga National Park, located in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was requested Thursday by the Commander of the National Parks Protection Corps (CorPPN) during a feedback interview as part of his visit to the protected area. “It is urgent to continue recruiting new park rangers until reaching a minimum of 850 personnel in order to contain human pressures within and around the Park,” declared Major General Albert Massi Bamba. He emphasized that government resources are necessary to safeguard Africa’s largest protected forest area.
Currently, the Salonga National Park has only 173 park rangers to cover a forest area of 36,000 km², which amounts to 352 km² per ranger—far above the international standard of 19 km² per ranger. In addition to insufficient numbers, General Massi also highlighted the aging of the personnel. “The average age of Salonga’s rangers is 50 years, making it difficult for them to patrol long distances on foot in the forest,” he lamented. Major General Albert Massi visited Salonga National Park from February 13th to 16th, 2026, to launch paramilitary training for new rangers. The National Parks Protection Corps is a paramilitary structure established within the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation by Prime Ministerial decree in 2015 to ensure the security of the country’s protected areas. With 36,000 km², Salonga National Park is the largest protected area of dense rainforest in Africa. It spans four provinces: Tshuapa, Mai-Ndombe, Sankuru, and Kasaï.