WWF's Draw the Line Virunga campaign - in pictures

A villager shows his support for the WWF Draw the Line campaign, which has received more than 500,000 signatures worldwide. WWF says oil exploration would pose a 'new and unacceptable level of risk' to Virunga’s environment and communities Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

A view from the fishing village of Kavanyongi on the northern shores of Lake Edward, in Virunga national park. The park is the size of a small country, straddling the equator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

The Bageni gorilla family. Virunga is home to one-quarter of the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas, which have been a source of tourism revenue in peaceful times
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

Jungle surrounding Mikeno Lodge, an upscale lodge located in the park. Virunga's rainforests, volcanoes and rare and beautiful wildlife are attracting increasing numbers of tourists
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

The park boasts a wide range of wildlife including African icons like lions, elephants, hippos, chimps and the okapi
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

A member of the Bageni gorilla family. Soco’s plans to explore for oil are not only threat to Virunga - civil unrest and wars have put pressure on local people, wildlife and resources for many years
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

A bull elephant bathing and drinking water in Ishango on the northern shores of Lake Edward
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

A new camp is being constructed for visitors to the gorilla sector of the park
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

Virunga is home to huge numbers of unique birds
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

Lake Edward, in Virunga’s internationally important wetlands, is crucial for local livelihoods and food
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

Villagers tend to their nets in the fishing village of Kavanyongi. According to WWF, oil operations could lead to the loss of fishing jobs or revenue to an industry that employs 27,000 people in the developing country
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

A villager looking at fish in Vitshumbi fishing village on the southern shores of Lake Edward
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

Fisherman working in Vitshumbi fishing village on the southern shores of Lake Edward. More than 50,000 people depend on Virunga’s natural resources for their food, fuel and fresh drinking water
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

Villagers collecting water in Vitshumbi fishing village on the southern shores of Lake Edward. From road-building, pipeline-laying, and of course the potential oil spills and pollution of land and water, WWF says the oil development could have serious negative impacts on wildlife, habitats and people
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

Men bathing in the Semliki River as it flows into Lake Edward, Ishango. There are 30 possible impacts on Virunga’s people, plants, animals, air and water, conservationists say. Environmental risks to Africa’s most biodiverse park include habitat loss, invasive species, poaching and pollution
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

Local village family eating a meal of 'Fou Fou' (cassava and fish) in the west Lake Edward village of Lunyesenge
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

Newly installed Congolese Conservation Authority hydroelectric plant in its finishing stages at Mutsora. WWF says there are much safer, more sustainable, financially viable development alternatives – including potentially lucrative eco-tourism and hydropower
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon

A new soap factory that uses palm oil made possible by newly installed electricity lines in the Congolese town of Mutsora
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images/WWF-Canon