Mountain Gorilla Conservation

The Virunga Heartland features the last remaining habitat of one of the world’s rarest primates, the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei). This charismatic animal is the flagship species for the conservation of the entire array of wildlife and habitat that make up this unique part of the planet.

AWF has been working to protect mountain gorillas for several decades, funding important research and working to ensure the survival of the mountain gorilla since the late 1970s. This important work has continued in spite of extraordinary circumstances. The human suffering during the Rwandan civil war of the 1990s was incalculable, but without the intervention and continued support of AWF and its partners, the victims of war might also have included the mountain gorilla. Thanks to the bravery and dedication of park rangers - some 70 of whom lost their lives - the Virunga mountain gorillas survived the war and the more recent conflicts in the DRC.

In fact, the population of mountain gorillas has grown in the past decade. The first census of the Virunga population in 15 years showed an increase of 17 percent in the gorilla population in the Virungas. Together with the 320 living in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, the total number of mountain gorillas is now approximately 700. In 2004, the unprecedented birth and survival of gorilla twins provides all involved in gorilla conservation with a renewed sense of hope.

Despite reasons for optimism, death and extinction are constant threats for the mountain gorilla. Historically, mountain gorillas have been threatened by poaching, loss of habitat from population pressures, civil unrest and spread of disease. And as human populations get closer to gorilla habitats, the gorillas are at greater risk of contracting human diseases, from flu-like problems and pneumonia to ebola.

Fortunately, conservation efforts initiated by the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna & Flora International and World Wide Fund for Nature, have helped to ensure that the gorilla population will endure. Through a variety of methods, including transboundary collaboration, ranger-based monitoring, community development, anti-poaching activities and habitat conservation, IGCP and its conservation partners are helping the mountain gorillas to make a comeback.

IGCP, in collaboration with AWF, works with local people to benefit both the gorillas and the community. One program teaches hygiene and sanitation to improve health while another works with the locals to develop new business opportunities. One of these initiatives is the community gift shop in Rwanda, which sells locally made handicrafts and food items. As much as 80 percent of the profits will go to fund other community projects while the remaining 20 percent will be reinvested in the shop. AWF is also working with the local people and the private sector to design and construct a community-owned tourist lodge that will substantially benefit the local people who share their backyards with gorillas and other wildlife.

Funding research to protect these magnificent animals and conserve their homeland is vital. Despite the good news of a growing population, mountain gorillas are still critically endangered. We must not be complacent. The slow rate of reproduction among mountain gorillas makes the challenge of keeping the population stable a difficult one. With continued international cooperation and funding, AWF and its partners will continue to protect this fragile species.