Mountain Gorilla

The world recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the discovery of mountain gorillas by western science. Today only around 700 live in the afromontane forests of the Virunga Volcanoes, along the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in Uganda’s nearby Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. WCS has been supporting mountain gorilla conservation since 1959, when George Schaller initiated research and surveys of mountain gorillas in Rwanda and DR Congo.  Since then, we have continued to support monitoring of these remaining populations, and have developed ground-breaking conservation initiatives based on ecotourism and habitat protection.  While mountain gorillas remain highly endangered, thier resurgence stands as a powerful example of what committed conservation efforts can accomplish.

The Human Aspect
Bwindi and Mgahinga are small islands of forest, surrounded by some of the highest rural population densities in Africa. Local communities live in poverty, struggling to meet their basic livelihood needs. Wars and insecurity in the region have had a major impact on both the forests and the local people.  The forests have suffered from considerable human impact in the past, in the form of timber extraction, gold-mining, encroachment and poaching.  Much has been done in recent years to improve forest protection and management, but the small size of the remaining forests, coupled with the intense pressure from the surrounding population, still presents considerable challenges to the park managers.  The long-term future of the mountain gorillas will depend on our ability to find ways to reconcile local development needs with conservation goals.

Threats
Immediate threats to mountain gorillas include illegal use of forest resources, demand for land, fires, and human-wildlife disease transmission. In addition, past hunting and logging still has an impact on the forest, with greatly reduced canopy cover and few large herbivores left.  This legacy raises serious questions about the ability of these forest islands to regenerate and secure the long-term survival of mountain gorillas.

WCS Activities
WCS is working with local partners, developing a multifaceted solution to the threats and challenges faced by the mountain gorillas and their forest habitats, based on applied research, protected area management, local capacity building and transbounary collaboration. 

• Key research focusing on gorilla conservation includes the impacts of tourism and human-gorilla conflict, as well as basic ecology and habitat requirements.  We also examine the long-term viability of the gorillas’ forest habitat, and the interactions between the forests and the surrounding communities. 
• Working closely with protected area managers to ensure that the results of this research and monitoring are actually used to reinforce the conservation of the gorilla population and their montane forest home.
• Building the local capacity, which will ensure the long-term conservation of the gorillas and their forest habitat. The Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC) is a national institution, part of Mbarara University, and has played a significant role in conservation research and training since its inception in 1991.  WCS is playing a key role in developing ITFC as a strong Ugandan institution, as well as providing training opportunities in practical conservation research for local graduate students, many of whom, now occupy key positions in conservation in Uganda.
•The Albertine Rift Program is also using a transboundary approach to work with park management authorities in all three of the mountain gorilla range states to coordinate monitoring and research activities.

Important Next Steps
• Complete mapping of mountain gorilla habitat in Bwindi.
• Increase our understanding of the impact of human disturbance on the gorilla population.
• Continue long-term monitoring of population dynamics, and ecological changes in the forest habitat.
• Test new ecosystem approaches to conservation, setting conservation programs and priorities more firmly in the wider development context.
• Assist national governments in developing and implementing mountain gorilla conservation action plans.