Emmanuel de Merode explained

Honorific Prefix:Prince
Emmanuel de Merode
Full Name:Emmanuel Werner Marie Ghislain de Merode
Issue:Princess Seiyia
Princess Alexia
Noble Family:Merode
Father:Prince Charles-Guillaume de Merode
Mother:Princess Hedwige de Ligne-La Trémoïlle
Birth Date:5 May 1970
Birth Place:Carthage, Tunisia
Occupation:Director of Virunga National Park
Religion:Roman Catholicism

Prince Emmanuel de Merode (Emmanuel Werner Marie Ghislain de Merode; born 5 May 1970) is a conservationist and anthropologist. He has been the director of Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since 2008.

Family

Merode was born in Carthage, Tunisia. He is the second son of Charles-Guillaume, Prince de Merode and Princess Hedwige Marie de Ligne-La Trémoïlle. His parents belong to two of Belgium's historically most ancient and influential families, the Houses of Merode and Ligne. He descends patrilineally from Félix, Count de Merode, a military commander during the successful Belgian Revolution of 1830 who helped form the first Belgian legislative council and government. His mother's branch of the House of Ligne are also the heirs to a French princely family, the House of La Trémoille; his maternal uncle is Prince Charles-Antoine Lamoral de La Trémoïlle, 13th Duke of Thouars.

Merode does not use his hereditary title in professional contexts; however, he is legally a prince in the Belgian nobility, the title having been conferred upon the family by King Albert I in 1929.[1] His elder brother, Prince Frédéric de Merode,[2] is married and heir to his father's multiple titles as head of the family.[3]

Upbringing

Charles-Guillaume's sons grew up outside Nairobi in Kenya and Merode studied at the Banda School before attending Downside School and Durham University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992.[4] He earned a PhD in Anthropology from University College, London (UCL), having concentrated on Congolese conservation issues. He has lived in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire) since 1993, currently residing in Rumangabo, Virunga National Park's headquarters.

Career

Merode has worked to control the bushmeat trade and protect endangered wildlife in Central and Eastern Africa. His main focus has been on supporting the work of African wildlife rangers in conflict affected areas by driving economic development in partnership with local communities. His work was primarily in the parks of eastern DRC, working to sustain the national parks through the country's 20-year civil war. Merode is the author of fourteen scientific papers and co-editor of the book Virunga: The Survival of Africa's First National Park.[5]

On 1 August 2008, he was appointed Director of Virunga National Park by the Congolese government. He now lives at the park headquarters in Rumangabo, bordering the park's mountain gorilla sector.[6] The park's 680 rangers are under his direction and much of his work is focused on protecting the park's wildlife, including critically important populations of mountain gorillas, elephants, okapis and chimpanzees. His first breakthrough[7] was to broker an agreement between the Congolese government and rebel leader Laurent Nkunda to spare the mountain gorilla sector of the park from the ongoing civil war and to enable government rangers to redeploy in rebel territory. Negotiating the neutral status of environmental and sustainable development imperatives among the warring factions in eastern Congo became a recurring theme in Merode's approach to establishing Virunga National Park as a stabilizing presence in the war-affected Great Lakes Region of Africa.

Given the chronic insecurity and the succession of violent wars in eastern Congo, Merode and a team of over 3000 conservationists and development practitioners have focused their efforts on economic development initiatives in a large-scale attempt to bring greater stability to the region. In 2013 he assisted in the launching of the Virunga Alliance[8] in an effort to drive the post-war economy of eastern Congo as an instrument for peace-building in the region. The initiative is based on 127 local institutions from the private sector, civil society and government agencies committing to the sustainable development of the parks resources, through tourism, rural electrification through clean energy, sustainable fisheries and agriculture. A major program aims to generate 80-100,000 jobs in the post-war communities around the national park, providing young Congolese men and women viable alternatives to engaging in conflict related activities.

At his swearing in ceremony, Merode remarked, "The intensity of the conflict in and around the park makes this a daunting challenge, but it is a great privilege to be working alongside such a dedicated and courageous team of rangers. I have real confidence in our ability to secure a future for the park to ensure that it makes a positive contribution to the lives of the people of North Kivu." His role in maintaining the Park's administration during the M23 Rebellion was covered in the Oscar-nominated British documentary Virunga.

He has spoken about his work and the work of the rangers of Virunga in a TEDxWWF talk, "A story of conflict, renewal and hope".[9] Under his leadership, the Virunga park opened to the public again in 2014.[10]

Assassination attempt

On 15 April 2014, Merode was critically injured by unidentified gunmen during an ambush on the road between Goma and Rumangabo, hours after a meeting with the state prosecutor.[11] It was reported that, during this meeting, Merode submitted a report on the park's 4-year enquiry in the actions of an oil-company alleged to be illegally exploring for oil in Virunga National Park.[12] He was shot several times in the chest and abdomen, but survived and was able to leave the scene of the attack with the help of local residents.[13] [14] Emergency surgery was performed at a local hospital in Goma. A legal enquiry into the motives and identity of the attackers was undertaken by the Congolese authorities. Media reports have cited various suspects, including those engaged in the illegal production of charcoal, people associated with SOCO International, a British oil company engaged in the exploration for oil in the national park, opponents of the park's law enforcement activities, disgruntled local residents, and those engaged in struggles to control park lands including, at the time, factions of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and of the Congolese military.[15]

Merode returned to Virunga National Park on 22 May 2014 to resume his functions as Park Director.[16]

Personal life

Merode married[17] Louise Leakey in 2003, a paleontologist from Kenya. They have two daughters:

Honours and titles

De Merode has received several international awards. Among others, including public recognition from Philippe, King of the Belgians,[19] Albert, Prince of Monaco, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Marie-Esméralda of Belgium.[20]

Titles

Honours

National honours

International recognition

Publications

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hueck, Walter von. Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels Fürstliche Häuser Band XIV. 1991. C. A. Starke. Limburg an der Lahn. German.
  2. http://www.thecandideye.co.uk/blog/2014/4/17/challenges-of-conservation-on-a-grand-scale picture of Prince Emmanuel and Prince Frederic
  3. Web site: Maine-et-Loire | Leurs vies de château : Serrant, conte de femmes, pas de fées… (3/6) . 13 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220115645/http://www.angersmag.info/Leurs-vies-de-chateau-Serrant-conte-de-femmes-pas-de-fees-3-6_a7484.html . 20 December 2016 . dead.
  4. B.A. . University of Durham Congregation (2 July 10:50am) . 1992 . 7 . Durham University . Durham.
  5. Web site: virungafund.org . virungafund.org . 2014-04-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170812020807/http://virungafund.org/ . 12 August 2017 . dead .
  6. Web site: Interview With Emmanuel de Merode, Director of Virunga National Park – National Geographic Blog. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051704/https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2017/05/12/interview-with-emmanuel-de-merode-director-of-virunga-national-park/. dead. 22 December 2017. blog.nationalgeographic.org. en-US. 2017-12-20. 12 May 2017.
  7. Web site: Special Report: Congo's Mountain Gorillas – National Geographic Adventure Magazine . https://web.archive.org/web/20090202082804/http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/special-report/congo-gorillas/mark-jenkins-text . dead . 2 February 2009 . Adventure.nationalgeographic.com . 2014-04-21.
  8. Web site: Virunga Alliance . virunga.org . 2014-04-11 . 2014-04-21.
  9. Web site: TEDxWWF – Emmanuel De Merode: A Story of Conflict Renewal & Hope . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/OhnGzaEOE34 . 2021-12-15 . live. YouTube . 2014-04-21.
  10. Web site: Stokes . Elaisha . Virunga is open, ready for business | Al Jazeera America . America.aljazeera.com . 2014-02-24 . 2014-04-21.
  11. News: Who tried to kill the man who protects the Congo gorillas?. 2014-04-20. The Independent. 2017-12-20. en-GB.
  12. News: Battle for Virunga: The fight to save Africa's oldest national park. Daily Telegraph. Fletcher. Martin. 2014-09-06. 2017-09-18. en-GB. 0307-1235.
  13. Web site: Belgian Emmanuel de Merode shot in DR Congo ambush. 16 April 2014. 27 January 2015. BBC News.
  14. Web site: Emmanuel de Mérode, le directeur du parc des Virunga, blessé dans une attaque | Monde . lesoir.be . 2014-04-16 . 2014-04-21.
  15. Web site: Warden Wounded in Africa's Oldest National Park Had Enemies. https://web.archive.org/web/20140423025227/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140418%2Dvirunga%2Dwarden%2Dshooting%2Dcongo%2Dgorillas%2Dde%2Dmerode/. dead. 23 April 2014. Jack Kahorha. 18 April 2014. 27 January 2015. nationalgeographic.com.
  16. Web site: The Belgian Prince Taking Bullets to Save the World's Most Threatened Park. Abe Streep. 5 November 2014. 27 January 2015. Outsideonline.com.
  17. Web site: Exploring Human Origins . The Archaeology Channel . 2007-05-01 . 2014-04-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101206075025/http://www.archaeologychannel.org/content/LouiseLeakey.html . 6 December 2010 . dead.
  18. Book: The Leakeys: A Biography – Mary Bowman-Kruhm – Google Boeken . 2014-04-21. 9780313329852 . Bowman-Kruhm . Mary . 2005 .
  19. Web site: Wereldpatrimonium in Afrika | de Belgische Monarchie.
  20. Web site: Esmeralda de Belgique : "Virunga est un trésor pour l'humanité" . 5 December 2016 . 25 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161225082145/http://cinetelerevue.be/fr/esmeralda-de-belgique-virunga-est-un-tresor-pour-l-humanite.html?cmp_id=7&news_id=39562 . dead .
  21. Web site: CV de Merode. ukc.ac.uk. 18 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20141228190247/http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/rainforest/PEOPLE/cv_deMerode.html. 28 December 2014. dead.
  22. Web site: Eredoctoraat voor Emmanuel De Merode aan UHasselt. mal. Het Belang van Limburg.
  23. [Hasselt University|UHasselt]
  24. Web site: Stony Brook to Confer Honorary Degree to Actor & Philanthropist, Michael J. Fox.
  25. Numac : 2015015098
  26. Web site: Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals – 2019.
  27. Web site: Tusk Conservation Awards: 2015 winners. https://web.archive.org/web/20151125135524/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/safariandwildlifeholidays/12014333/Tusk-Conservation-Awards-2015-winners.html . dead . 25 November 2015 . 24 November 2015.
  28. Web site: Rangers van Virunga 'Explorers' van het jaar - National Geographic Nederland/België . 5 July 2016 . 23 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160923073312/http://www.nationalgeographic.nl/artikel/rangers-van-virunga-explorers-van-het-jaar . dead .
  29. Web site: Biodiversity Award of Prince Albert III of Monaco Foundation given to Emmanuel de Merode, Director of Virunga National Park.
  30. Web site: Emmanuel de Merode & Anthony Caere of Congo's Virunga National Park to Receive the.
  31. Web site: ZSL Conservation Awards 2013 | Zoological Society of London (ZSL) . 16 October 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161018225247/https://www.zsl.org/conservation/news/zsl-conservation-awards-2013 . 18 October 2016 . dead.
  32. https://www.fourfreedoms.nl/en/laureaten/year:2018/award:freedom-from-want-award/laureates:emmanuel-de-merode--virunga-alliance.htm Four Freedoms Award