UN Security Council
2017

exploitation and trafficking of natural resources by armed groups, and the negative impact of armed conflict on protected natural areas, commending the efforts of the DRC park rangers and others who seek to protect such areas, encouraging the Government of the DRC to continue efforts to safeguard these areas, and stressing its full respect for the sovereignty of the Government of the DRC over its natural resources and its responsibility to effectively manage these resources in this regard, Recalling the linkage between the illegal exploitation of natural resource s, including poaching and illegal trafficking of wildlife, illicit trade in such resources, and the proliferation and trafficking of arms as one of the major factors fuelling and exacerbating conflicts in the Great Lakes region, and encouraging the continu ation of the regional efforts of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the governments involved against the illegal exploitation of natural resources, and stressing, in this regard, the importance of regional cooperation and deepening economic integration with special consideration for the exploitation of natural resources,