- At age 70, Luis Arranz has taken on a new mission aimed at helping turn around the fate of Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo: he became its co-director in 2022.
- Unlike his previous assignments, including his work in the DRC’s Garamba National Park marked by school kidnappings and violence by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army, Arranz now faces a different type of challenge in Salonga.
- Undeterred, he says he enjoys “impossible missions” and is motivated by the prospect of protecting Salonga while improving livelihoods for communities living around the park.
SALONGA, Democratic Republic of Congo — At nearly 70 years old, Spanish conservationist Luis Arranz is taking on what he calls a new “impossible mission”: changing the fate of Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I like difficult missions,” Arranz told Mongabay during a recent visit to the park. “I like impossible missions.”
Salonga is far more than a protected area. Covering 36,000 square kilometers (nearly 14,000 square miles), it is Africa’s largest tropical forest national park and, according to WWF, one of the largest in the world. Larger than Belgium, the park is vast and remote. Many areas are accessible only by river or air. From Kinshasa, the capital, the journey by boat can take several weeks.
Unlike parks such as Virunga National Park, which attract international attention and tourists, Salonga remains largely inaccessible and little known, despite its importance as a refuge for bonobos, forest elephants and other unique Congo Basin species.
For Arranz, that’s precisely what makes the mission appealing.
“The difference is that Virunga has millions of people around it. Salonga is immense,” he said. “We cannot do everything. We must start small, show that it is possible, and then gradually expand.”
Arranz is no stranger to difficult terrain. Nearly five decades ago, he first arrived in Africa by road, crossing the Sahara Desert to reach Equatorial Guinea.
Since then, his career has taken him across some of the most complex conservation landscapes in the Congo Basin — from Monte Alén in Equatorial Guinea to Zakouma in Chad, Odzala in the Republic of Congo, Garamba in northeastern DRC, and Dzanga-Sangha in the Central African Republic.
In Garamba, he worked during years marked by attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a Christian extremist militia led by the notorious Joseph Kony. In Dzanga-Sangha, he helped revive conservation and tourism efforts in one of Central Africa’s remotest landscapes.
“I have never taken over parks that were already working well,” Arranz said. “I have always accepted difficult missions.”
A conservationist’s mission to change Salonga’s future
Today, Arranz said he believes Salonga may be the most difficult assignment of all.
The park is surrounded by communities where economic opportunities remain limited. Arranz estimated that about 800,000 people live around the landscape. For many, hunting remains one of the few sources of income and food, placing pressure on wildlife.
“We cannot tell people not to hunt without offering alternatives,” he said. “They must eat, like you and me. So, we must propose other solutions.”
Among those alternatives, Arranz pointed to agriculture, particularly cacao and coffee, as well as the gradual development of ecotourism.
The idea is ambitious. There are no regular tourist visits to the park yet, and infrastructure is still being developed. But Arranz said interest is growing.
“The most important thing for tourists is access,” he said. “We already have an airstrip. We are preparing a lodge. Bonobo habituation work is underway.”
He said he also envisions linking Salonga with other conservation landscapes across the Congo Basin, creating what he describes as a unique route from southwestern Central African Republic to Salonga, and then to Virunga in eastern DRC.
“To see gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and mountain gorillas in one trip — this is the only place in the world where it is possible,” he said.
Arranz said he also sees potential in domestic tourism. With a population of nearly 20 million in Kinshasa, urban visitors can play an important role in Salonga’s future, he said.
“People in Kinshasa have the means and are looking for things to do on weekends,” he said. “You leave Saturday, return Monday. See the river, the bonobos. I’m sure people will come.”
For now, logistics remain complex. Charter flights are unreliable, and Arranz said dedicated transport will eventually be needed.
“We need our own plane,” he said. “For tourism, you need to be able to plan.”
Arranz first visited Salonga in 2022 to assess the situation. A few months later, he took over as co-director of the park. For two years, he managed both Dzanga-Sangha and Salonga before focusing fully on the latter last year.
“I am not here to be remembered,” he said. “In every park where I have worked, I tried to leave it in better condition. I have experience, and I want to use it to improve Salonga.”
In a region where conservation often unfolds slowly, over decades, Arranz’s optimism may seem ambitious. But after nearly 50 years in the field, he said he remains determined.
“Salonga is difficult,” he said, “but not impossible.”
Banner Image: Luis Arranz became the co-director of Salonga National Park in the DRC in 2022. Despite the size of the task, he comes across as undaunted. “I like difficult missions,” Arranz told Mongabay. Image courtesy of Luis Arranz.
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