Page 12 - aruba-today-20220425

A12 science
Monday 25 april 2022

Program helps Congo families protect

endangered gorillas

in the boundaries of nation-
al parks in Rwanda, Ugan-
da and Congo, allowing
researchers to cooperate
with park managers to pro-
tect the species.
Most Grauer's gorillas don't
live inside national parks
— and it's not feasible to
expand the parks to fully
cover their habitats.
"Grauer's gorillas exist ex-
clusively in a country that
has suffered really extreme
This photo provided by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund shows a degrees of instability for de-
Silverback and infant Grauer’s gorillas in Kahuzi Biega National cades," said Richard Bergl,
Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo on April 17, 2014. a primatologist and direc-
Associated Press tor of conservation at the
North Carolina Zoo.
WASHINGTON (AP) — De- ditional lands. The Fossey "When there is violence
cades of conservation ef- Fund has helped communi- happening, it's very chal-
forts have stabilized the ties in eastern Congo com- lenging to maintain the
population of endangered plete that paperwork and infrastructure of a nation-
mountain gorillas in east- entered into agreements al park," he said. "But the
ern Africa. But the number with families to provide as- communities will be there
of Grauer's gorillas — a less sistance and training for regardless of political insta-
furry, lower elevation-dwell- the sustainable manage- bility. If you have their sup-
ing animal — has declined, ment of their lands. port, you have a chance."
largely due to habitat loss On Friday, it announced Community interests vary,
and hunting. that 307 square miles (796 but in general there is an
On Friday, the nonprofit square kilometers) had incentive to protect their
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund been added to the pro- lands from being pillaged
announced that more land gram. The addition means by outsiders, whether
in eastern Democratic Re- 919 square miles (2,379 they're illegal mining opera-
public of Congo where square kilometers) are now tors or commercial hunters,
Grauer's gorillas live will fall being watched over by said Dirck Byler, vice chair
under a community-pro- about 20 families. of the great apes specialist
tection initiative. The community can de- group for the International
The critically endangered cide what activities should Union for the Conservation
species has lost an estimat- be allowed on their lands, of Nature, the scientific
ed 60% of its population in and to try to enforce those body that designates spe-
the past two decades, and choices. The Fossey Fund cies as endangered.
an estimated 3,800 to 6,800 provides education and "Most of these communi-
individuals remain. funding. ties want to maintain their
Most Grauer's gorillas now Community members are forests as they've been in
live outside national parks, trained and then hired the past," used for subsis-
and protecting them will "to conduct the science tence hunting and plant
be difficult in a region fac- needed to monitor the harvesting, said Byler, who
ing sustained human con- biodiversity of the forest has worked extensively in
flicts. Their rainforest homes — biological inventories, Congo.
are being cleared for ag- gorilla tracking, plant bio- Community-based con-
riculture and mining, and mass for estimating carbon servation schemes have
the gorillas are sometimes capture," said Urbain Ngo- been effective in slowing
hunted for food or trapped bobo, director of the non- or reversing the decline
by snares intended to profit's Congo programs. of endangered species in
catch other animals. This model differs from the other regions, such as the
A 2016 law allows commu- approach used to protect Nigerian mountains where
nities in Congo to apply for the mountain gorillas. They cross river gorillas live and
rights to manage their tra- live almost exclusively with- the savannah of northwest-
ern Namibia where endan-
gered rhinos live, Bergl said.
"The wildlife there would be
gone if it weren't for com-
munity involvement and
management," he said. "If
we're going to be success-
ful, it's going to be because
of efforts to support the
communities to manage
their forests."q