Oil Exploration Threatens Virunga National Park

MUTSORA, EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - AUGUST 8: A new soap factory that uses palm oil made possible by newly installed electricity lines, on August 8, 2013 in the Congolese town of Mutsora, DRC. The electricity is made possible by the ICCN Congolese Conservation authority hydro-electric scheme in Virunga National Park. This plant employs water drawn from natural flow and it will provide much needed electricity for industry in Mutsora, a town of over 30 000 people. Mutsora is in the "Block V" area of Virunga National Park. UK company Soco International PLC is planning to explore for oil in DRC's Virunga National Park, a protected World Heritage Site and most biodiverse park in Africa. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images for WWF-Canon)