Year of the Gorilla

Achievements
Here are snapshots:

• IGCP is helping to implement a transboundary 10-year plan formed by the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda to protect the gorillas and their habitat. Through this initiative, the three countries will work together to strengthen and harmonize their conservation policies and laws. They will also seek to leverage their resources to reduce threats to the gorillas and the Central Albertine Rift area as a whole.
• AWF and IGCP recently collaborated to open Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in Rwanda, an innovative high-end lodge formed through a unique partnership between IGCP/AWF, the local Kinigi community, and a private operator. The lodge is owned by SACOLA, a community trust that reinvests revenue in mountain gorilla conservation efforts and local community development project. The lodge is operated by Governors’ Camp, a first-class private operator. This year Condé Nast Traveler magazine featured Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge on its Hot List of destinations.
• Replicating the success of Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, IGCP/AWF recently opened Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge in southwestern Uganda. The lodge provides comfortable accommodations for tourists visiting this region’s gentle giants, which have only recently been habituated. The lodge is owned by the Nkuringo Conservation and Development Foundation, a community trust that will reinvest the income earned from the lodge in mountain gorilla conservation and the community. A private operator will ensure that the lodge is run efficiently and professionally.

• On an ongoing basis, IGCP’s ranger-based monitoring programs equip rangers to collect data that can be used to guide park management. The program, begun in 1997, is a key management tool for the three park authorities responsible for the conservation of the mountain gorilla. Using standardized data collection techniques, rangers gather extensive information on illegal activities, key species of fauna and flora, and habituated and unhabituated groups of gorillas. The data are then used to form appropriate responses to threats to mountain gorillas and the ecosystem in which they live. This approach includes a strong capacity building component and empowers field staff to manage park activities.

Virunga Heartland

The Virunga Mountains together with Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park form the core of the African Wildlife Foundation’s Virunga Heartland, a part of the Great Lakes region in Central Africa where Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda meet.

This area is the last remaining habitat of the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), one of the world’s rarest primates. 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 our planet. The region is considered one of the most important sites for conservation in Africa, as it boasts extraordinary biodiversity and many animals are endemic to the area.