Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo was forced to be a child soldier in the armed conflict that has engulfed the Democratic Republic of Congo for the past few decades. <br /><br />Today, as a ranger he risks his life to protect Congo's critically endangered species. He's one of six recipients of this year's prestigious <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.goldmanprize.org%2Fprize-recipients%2Fcurrent-recipients%2F" target="_blank" target="_blank">Goldman Environmental Prize</a>. <br /><br />Pictured: Katembo during an anti-poaching operation in Virunga National Park.
Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo was forced to be a child soldier in the armed conflict that has engulfed the Democratic Republic of Congo for the past few decades.

Today, as a ranger he risks his life to protect Congo's critically endangered species. He's one of six recipients of this year's prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize.

Pictured: Katembo during an anti-poaching operation in Virunga National Park.
Emmanuel Kataya, courtesy of Rodrigue Katembo
As a park ranger at Virunga -- <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvirunga.org%2F" target="_blank" target="_blank">Africa's oldest national park</a> -- Katembo has one of the deadliest jobs. The park is a backdrop to one of the world's longest running wars, more than 160 of its rangers have been killed in the last two decades mainly by poachers and armed militias.<br /><br />Pictured here, a male elephant bathes and drinks water on the Northern shores of Lake Edward inside Virunga National Park. The park continues to dramatically lose its elephant population due to poaching.
As a park ranger at Virunga -- Africa's oldest national park -- Katembo has one of the deadliest jobs. The park is a backdrop to one of the world's longest running wars, more than 160 of its rangers have been killed in the last two decades mainly by poachers and armed militias.

Pictured here, a male elephant bathes and drinks water on the Northern shores of Lake Edward inside Virunga National Park. The park continues to dramatically lose its elephant population due to poaching.
Brent Stirton/Getty Images
Katembo's award is for the courage he showed in so far preventing oil exploration inside Virunga.<br /><br />The park is home to a quarter of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas. The size of a small country, Virunga covers more than 3,000 square miles rich with volcanoes, lush forests and mountain glaciers that tear through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda.<br />
Katembo's award is for the courage he showed in so far preventing oil exploration inside Virunga.

The park is home to a quarter of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas. The size of a small country, Virunga covers more than 3,000 square miles rich with volcanoes, lush forests and mountain glaciers that tear through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda.
Courtesy Roderigue Katembo
Virunga can also claim the world's largest lava lake, a roiling 250-meter wide cauldron of steam and smoke.
Virunga can also claim the world's largest lava lake, a roiling 250-meter wide cauldron of steam and smoke.
courtesy Virunga National Park
Conservationists say oil drilling in the park would have threatened the habitats of the park's critically endangered animals including elephants and lions. Environmental watchdog <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalwitness.org%2Fen%2Fcampaigns%2Foil-gas-and-mining%2Fprotecting-virunga-national-park-oil-companies%2F" target="_blank" target="_blank">Global Witness</a> feared it would have choked Lake Edward, inside Virunga's boundaries and the smallest of Africa's great lakes. <br /><br />The lake is at the heart of Virunga's ecosystem, and it's estimated that two hundred thousand local people depend on it for food and work.<br /><br />Pictured, a Congolese woman arranges fish into clusters to sell at her stand in the southeastern Kivu province.
Conservationists say oil drilling in the park would have threatened the habitats of the park's critically endangered animals including elephants and lions. Environmental watchdog Global Witness feared it would have choked Lake Edward, inside Virunga's boundaries and the smallest of Africa's great lakes.

The lake is at the heart of Virunga's ecosystem, and it's estimated that two hundred thousand local people depend on it for food and work.

Pictured, a Congolese woman arranges fish into clusters to sell at her stand in the southeastern Kivu province.
TONY KARUMBA/AFP/Getty Images
Pictured here, rangers destroy an illegal charcoal kiln while conducting an anti-charcoal patrol in the Kibati region of Virunga National Park, in 2008. <br /><br />There were eight active charcoal kilns in an area where the forest had been cut to the ground and trees burnt for charcoal production.
Pictured here, rangers destroy an illegal charcoal kiln while conducting an anti-charcoal patrol in the Kibati region of Virunga National Park, in 2008.

There were eight active charcoal kilns in an area where the forest had been cut to the ground and trees burnt for charcoal production.
Brent Stirton/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
"The park brings a lot of different kinds of services that are benefiting the community," Katembo told CNN. <br /><br />"For instance you have the protected fisheries where many fishermen are able to sustain their families and are able to have income generation."<br /><br />Pictured, a ranger looks out over Virunga.
"The park brings a lot of different kinds of services that are benefiting the community," Katembo told CNN.

"For instance you have the protected fisheries where many fishermen are able to sustain their families and are able to have income generation."

Pictured, a ranger looks out over Virunga.
Brent Stirton/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
In 2013, Katembo was arrested and held for 17 days. He believes it was because days prior to his arrest he had attempted to stop construction of a communication device in the park. Public outrage led to his release.<br /><br />Pictured here, Katembo meets with a group of widows whose husbands are among the park rangers killed in the line of duty, often at the hands of armed rebels and poachers.
In 2013, Katembo was arrested and held for 17 days. He believes it was because days prior to his arrest he had attempted to stop construction of a communication device in the park. Public outrage led to his release.

Pictured here, Katembo meets with a group of widows whose husbands are among the park rangers killed in the line of duty, often at the hands of armed rebels and poachers.
Goldman Environmental Prize
Katembo has loved wildlife since he was young. "All national parks are a reservoir of biodiversity in DRC, to lose the park will be to lose all the biodiversity of the area, impacting on the future of the next generations, " he tells CNN. "When protecting the park we also contribute to the fight against climate change," he adds.<br />Pictured here, a ranger protects an area of the forest in Virunga National Park where trees have been cut for illegal charcoal production.
Katembo has loved wildlife since he was young. "All national parks are a reservoir of biodiversity in DRC, to lose the park will be to lose all the biodiversity of the area, impacting on the future of the next generations, " he tells CNN. "When protecting the park we also contribute to the fight against climate change," he adds.
Pictured here, a ranger protects an area of the forest in Virunga National Park where trees have been cut for illegal charcoal production.
Brent Stirton/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images
Pictured here, the son of a Congolese park ranger, who had been working in the Virunga National Park, is lifted onto a truck, in November, 2008, as families leave a camp for Internally Displaced People (IDP) in the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma. <br />Park rangers and their families were relocated to a larger IDP camp during violent clashes amongst different militias. Its rangers are not immune to the conflict that has mired the country, and continue to pay the ultimate price for conservation.
Pictured here, the son of a Congolese park ranger, who had been working in the Virunga National Park, is lifted onto a truck, in November, 2008, as families leave a camp for Internally Displaced People (IDP) in the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma.
Park rangers and their families were relocated to a larger IDP camp during violent clashes amongst different militias. Its rangers are not immune to the conflict that has mired the country, and continue to pay the ultimate price for conservation.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Now as director of DR Congo's Upemba National Park, Katembo faces many of the same challenges he battled at Virunga. Here gold and emerald mining as well as armed poachers pose the biggest threat to the park's biodiversity. <br /><br />"We need to have the same kind of strategies in place to combat illegal mining exploration in the park and have the laws be respected like we did in Virunga," he says. "We need to have a support at national and international level.
Now as director of DR Congo's Upemba National Park, Katembo faces many of the same challenges he battled at Virunga. Here gold and emerald mining as well as armed poachers pose the biggest threat to the park's biodiversity.

"We need to have the same kind of strategies in place to combat illegal mining exploration in the park and have the laws be respected like we did in Virunga," he says. "We need to have a support at national and international level.
Courtesy Goldman Environmental Prize
He hopes to be able to develop ecological activities around the park's boundaries that will provide income for its local community. But due to lack of finance, there is only one truck to patrol over 4,000 square miles. <br /><br />Pictured, Rodrigue Katembo.
He hopes to be able to develop ecological activities around the park's boundaries that will provide income for its local community. But due to lack of finance, there is only one truck to patrol over 4,000 square miles.

Pictured, Rodrigue Katembo.
Goldman Environmental Prize