Virunga National Park
Website
2019
Creative lead and designer
Created while at Hello Monday
Photos by Brent Stirton
Nestled in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Virunga National Park inherited some of the less desirable reputation of the country’s complex past. However, as one of the world’s most biodiverse areas and home to some of our most endangered species, including the mountain gorilla, the Park sought an online experience to shift its public perception – to one of hope and resilience.
Concept
The Virunga Alliance, the Park’s new fundraising effort, needed an influential online experience. To accomplish this, we centered the site around the Park’s heart and soul: Virunga’s park rangers and wildlife. Nearly 800 rangers put their lives on the line every day to defend the Park from the likes of poachers and other threats. Their stories, and those of the species they protect, deserved to be celebrated.
Virunga National Park is home of the world’s last mountain gorillas, of which only approximately 1,000 still exist in the wild. Unfortunately, wildlife poaching poses an incredible threat to the Park and its animals. For example, poachers can earn up to $1M USD for a baby gorilla. Though to obtain one, generally they must slaughter its entire family.
Parklog
The Virunga Alliance’s goals depended on increasing ecotourism and fundraising. To support this, we created a digital parklog that allowed staff and park rangers to post bite-sized updates about their everyday activities and observations. Through it, site visitors could better glimpse how the Park’s safeguarding depended on their engagement.
We conducted immersive interviews with Park rangers, climbing mountains and navigating lush forests alongside them, to understand their deep commitment to their work. The site showcases individual rangers’ stories to humanize what the Park stands for to a global audience.
The map
We had to be careful when we designed a custom map of the Park’s cities, treks, and accommodations. We could not accidentally reveal too much information poachers, and other threatening entities, could utilize to endanger rangers and wildlife.
