In order to protect the wild animals and improve tourism, government organizations have given development activities to the residents near the parks.

Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration project (GVTC) together with Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and ICCN Kinshasa Congo created the development activities for the parks neighbour residents.

Game rangers from Virunga Park and the two other countries have revealed that residents have been killing animals looking for what to sell especially horns and hides of some animals due to poverty.
Prosper Uwingeri, game ranger in Virunga Park of Rwanda; highlight that some near park residents were put in cooperatives that do modern bee keeping and others are art and craft cooperatives through the National Parks fund.

Also, residents could invade the park in search of bamboo trees which are eaten by gorillas, but now they planted their own bamboo trees which have helped them to fight soil erosion that was their common problem.

On Uganda’s side, Mark Mwine confirm that after helping residents with what to do, a positive change has been evidenced to an extent that residents play the big role in protecting the parks.

Mwine emphasized that residents carry out their activities with dedication because they were taught how to conserve the environment.