A leading international conservation group has praised the decision by UK-based oil company Soco to withdraw its plans to drill for oil in the Unesco-listed Virunga National Park on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.

After a campaign that enlisted more than 760,000 supporters worldwide, the World Wide Fund for Nature and Soco issued a joint statement on June 10 and announced that they had agreed not to undertake or commission any exploration or drilling within Virunga “unless Unesco and the DRC government agree that such activities are not incompatible with its World Heritage status.”

Soco said it would now complete its current operations, including a seismic study around Lake Edward, after which it will produce a report that “will give the DRC government vital information on how to proceed.”

The UK-based WWF said the decision “is a victory for the people who depend directly on the park’s resources and a triumph for everyone who values the rare plants, animals and habitats the park was set up to protect.

READ: Saving DRC gorillas from oil drillers

Universal value

“With the development of hydropower, fisheries and ecotourism industries, Virunga can have a prosperous and sustainable future,” the lobby said. But it also called on Kinshasa “to reaffirm its conviction that Virunga has outstanding universal value for all humanity by cancelling all oil concessions overlapping the park as requested by Unesco.

“Only then will Virunga’s outstanding value truly be secure for the future, and only then can the park reach its full potential to drive sustainable economic development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We will also continue to say no to the pressures putting World Heritage Sites in danger across the globe,” WWF added.

Virunga, which hosts a quarter of the world’s 950 critically endangered mountain gorillas is Africa’s oldest national park, set up in 1979 and a treasured World Heritage Site. It has continually struggled with issues of conflict around its borders with the three countries of the DRC, Uganda and Rwanda.

Concerns over oil drilling in Virunga were first voiced in October 2013, when WWF filed a complaint against Soco under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, saying oil drilling would cause severe environmental damage. The company’s commitment comes following mediation between the two parties as part of this process.

READ: Alarm bells sound over Virunga oil project

“If free from the threat of oil, Virunga can be a continuing source of hope for the people of DRC. As in other African countries, with proper investment, this park can become a leading economic driver for its communities,” said Raymond Lumbuenamo, country director of WWF-DRC.