Emmanuel de Merode on 100 Years of Virunga — A Masterclass in Quiet Leadership

This might be the moment you first hear about one of the most
important — and least understood — places on Earth.


Virunga National Park, nestled in the heart of
the Democratic Republic of Congo, is Africa’s oldest national
park and home to a third of the world’s remaining mountain
gorillas. It’s also a frontline of armed conflict, poverty, and
ecological destruction — and yet, a bold transformation is
underway.


Emmanuel de Merode is building real-world
systems change from the ground up, using hydroelectricity,
microfinance, sustainable agriculture, and conservation to
rebuild a war-torn economy.


As Director of Virunga, he has spent 20 years
turning a war zone into a blueprint for peace and prosperity
through nature. In this episode, he speaks about:


Translating theory into electricity, jobs, cocoa, and peace

Why peace in eastern Congo requires economic dignity

How illegal charcoal and cocoa trades fund violence


Creating 21,000 green jobs and Congo’s first chocolate
factory

Building the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor — the world’s
largest protected tropical forest reserve

How quiet, principled leadership can move mountains —
literally



“They weren’t killing the gorillas for the meat... They were
killing them because the forest had become too valuable.”


This is not just a story of conservation — it’s a masterclass in
quiet leadership, moral clarity, and systemic change in one of
the most fragile yet vital places on Earth.


More: Virunga National Park - World Economic Forum - Host