Western Lowland Gorilla

Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) live in the primary and secondary rainforests of equatorial Africa and are currently more numerous than mountain and eastern lowland gorillas combined. However, this subspecies is in great peril due to illegal hunting, disease and habitat loss. In order to protect the western lowland gorilla, WCS has been supporting conservation and applied research in Central Africa since the 1970s.  Projects have subsequently been established through nationwide programs in Gabon, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, which together harbor the largest populations of gorillas in Africa.

The Human Aspect
Western lowland gorilla habitat is sparsely populated by humans. Traditionally, indigenous forest groups have been able to share the forest in harmony with Western lowland gorillas. In recent years however, the expansion of commercial timber exploitation across the region has brought considerable demographic and socio-economic change. WCS is working with indigenous groups and the private sector to establish wildlife management programs at both the local community and government level.

Threats
Commercial hunting for bushmeat represents the most significant threat to western lowland gorillas across their range. Access routes created for the timber trade facilitate the transport of meat from remote forest areas to urban markets and increase local demand from people attracted to the area by economic opportunity. The threat of disease, specifically Ebola, is currently a major threat in the northern border area of Gabon and Congo. Ebola has the potential to eliminate the largest remaining populations of western lowland gorillas.

WCS Activities
WCS is working to reduce the threat of bushmeat hunting by supporting law enforcement programs in Congo, Cameroon and Gabon. Our conservation efforts incorporate education and outreach programs that focus on the bushmeat trade, and target both local communities and regional urban markets. This includes facilitating the development of alternative protein sources in larger logging towns. Gorilla health monitoring programs are also currently active in a number of sites, across Gabon and Congo, through collaboration between the WCS Field Veterinary Program and field staff. Working with ECOFAC- Odzala and CIRMF, steps are being taken to better understand the spread of the Ebola virus and mitigate its impact on western lowland gorilla populations.

Other activities include:
• Monitoring programs to assess trends in western lowland gorilla populations across their range
• Training of national researchers in standardized survey methods provided through WCS regional cross-cutting programs.
• Applied research on the population dynamics and group structure of western lowland gorillas at both Mbeli Bai in Congo and at Langoue Bai in Gabon.
• Studies of the behavioral ecology and habitat use of western lowland gorillas in Lope and Ivindo National Parks in Gabon, and in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in Congo.

Important Next Steps
• Developing national wildlife protection agencies operated by range state governments
• Developing integrated gorilla health monitoring and preventative human health programs across National Parks
• Developing western lowland gorilla ecotourism opportunities with regional and international partners, to stimulate economic incentives 

Western lowland gorillas often congregate in bais, or forest clearings, along wih other animals such as sitatunga and elephants.