UNESCO Removes DR Congo Park From Endangered List

KINSHASA, D.R.C. - The Democratic Republic of Congo scored a key heritage victory on Monday as UNESCO removed one of its nature reserves from a list of threatened sites, the U.N. agency said. 

UNESCO praised the country's conservation efforts and the government's commitment to ban prospecting for oil in Salonga, the vast central African country's largest public park.  The World Heritage Committee cited "improvements towards its conservation state" in its decision, according to a statement Monday.  "Regular monitoring of the wild fauna shows that the bonobo (ape) populations remain stable within the territory despite past pressure, and that the forest elephant population is starting to come back," the statement said.