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.