Suggestions for gorilla in situ conservation support by EAZA zoos

Itombwe Reserve, Democratic Republic of the Congo

The status of Grauer's gorilla
A new report documents a catastrophic collapse of the the Grauer's gorilla population– due to a combination of illegal hunting around mining sites and settlements, prior civil unrest, and habitat loss. The results of the report (see link below) point to a 77 percent drop in gorilla numbers, from an estimated 17,000 in 1995 to just 3,800 individuals today. The subspecies is restricted to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Halting and reversing the decline of Grauer's gorilla will take considerable effort and will require more funding than is currently available. Artisanal mining must be controlled and the various armed groups that control mines disarmed. To accomplish this, it will be necessary to halt mining in protected areas, as it is known that miners subsist on bushmeat and hunt gorillas around their camps.
Three areas are now particularly crucial for the gorilla's survival: Kahuzi-Biega National Park, the adjacent Punia Gorilla Reserve and the remote unprotected Usala Forest which has no support currently. The Itombwe Reserve and the Tayna regions also support highly-important populations. It is critical to formally gazette the Itombwe and Punia Gorilla Reserves, which have community support but whose boundaries are not yet legally established.

The southernmost distribution of the Grauer's gorilla is in the Itombwe Massif; so far, this area is not protected effectively. The Wildlife Conservation Society has been trying to protect this extremely important gorilla habitat for decades. During the past years, the planning of the Itombwe Nature Reserve and the discussion of its boundaries with the local communities was the main activity. Now, as the boundaries are fixed, conservation activities can be planned. Deo Kujirakwinja sent a proposal with the most important and urgent activities and asked for help of European zoos. Many activities are necessary:

Objective 1: Support law enforcement activities in critical areas for Grauer's gorillas
Activity 1: Support law enforcement and adequate equipment to ICCN rangers for Gorilla patrols
• Ranger rations (patrol): $ 10,000
• Ranger bonus : $ 15,000
• Field equipment : $ 6,000
Activity 2: Capacity building for Itombwe staff
• Ranger training (data collection): $ 5,000
• Senior staff Training (Management and communities): $ 6,000

Objective 2: Finalize legal gazettement of Itombwe boundaries
Activity: Support community meetings and trainings
• Community meetings: $ 6,000
• Local staff training : $ 2,000
• Fieldwork for boundary documentation: $ 7,500
• Meeting to validate maps: $ 5,000

Objective 3: Support community interventions in Itombwe Nature Reserve
Activity 1: Support micro-projects in Itombwe
• Construction materials: $ 10,000
• Health center equipment: $ 10,000

Objective 4: Implement environment education and enhance political constituency for governing artisanal mining
Activity 1: Develop and implement environmental education program for Itombwe
• Environmental education program: $ 10,000
Activity 2: Support provincial mining Ministry to govern artisanal mining in Itombwe
• Workshop on mining code and laws: $ 5,000
• Training of mining officers : $ 4,000
• Field visits in Itombwe : $ 5,000
• Alternative activities for youth : $ 10,000

For details see the proposal below. Any support is extremely important and very welcome.
Contact: Deo Kujirakwinja, dkujirakwinja@wcs.org or Angela Meder, angela.meder@t-online.de

The Itombwe Massif
Map: WCS

The Itombwe Nature Reserve, representing Scenario 5 with some sections of the boundary
Map: WCS

Meeting to discuss the boundary validation with the residents of Obekulu village
Photo: Deo Kujirakwinja

Mountain gorillas: Virunga National Park, D. R. Congo

The Virunga National Park, is the Congolese part of the Virunga gorilla habitat. This park has been under severe threat for two decades now. Under the direction of Emmanuel de Merode, a very good website was developed and redesigned completely in March 2014. On this website www.virunga.org you also find information on the present needs and contact details.

Cross River Gorillas: Nigeria

The Wildlife Conservation Society has been supporting and managing research and conservation of Cross River gorillas in Nigeria and Cameroon. In both countries, gorillas are protected in several areas; the Nigerian protected areas are the Cross River National Park (Okwangwo Division), the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary and the community wildlife sanctuary of the Mbe Mountains. At the moment, funds for the following activities in these areas are requested:
1. Additional patrols for Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary.  Cost US$ 6,000
2. Conservation education at Afi, Mbe, Okwangwo.  Cost US$ 10,000
3. Field equipment for Okwangwo rangers.  Cost US$ 6,000
4. Annual training for Afi and Mbe rangers.  Cost US$ 4,000
5. Boundary demarcation/mapping at Afi.  Cost US$ 5,000
6. Production of a Cross River gorilla film/documentary.  Cost US$ 6,000
7. Purchase of additional camera traps.  Cost US$ 2,000
Contact: Andrew Dunn, adunn@wcs.org

Annual training of Mbe ecoguards and Afi rangers is essential to maintain morale, discipline and effectiveness in the field.
Photo: WCS

Teacher training workshop
Photo: WCS

Cross River gorilla game (pdf)

Photo of a silverback male from a camera trap in the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary
Photo: WCS

Western lowland gorillas: Loango National Park, Gabon

The 'Loango Ape Project' began in 2005 to establish a long-term project of habituated gorillas and chimpanzees in Loango National Park, Gabon to a) better understand their ecology, behavior, culture, demography, and health status and b) establish gorilla and chimpanzee tourism as a conservation strategy in collaboration with the Gabonese National Park Authorities. One group of gorillas and one community of chimpanzees are now semi-habituated. The presence of researchers has lead to a reduction of illegal activities in the area. Funds are urgently needed for the following activities (May 2015):
- radio communication system (euro 5,000)
- vehicle (euro 30,000)
- camera traps (28) (euro 5400)
- Gabonese field assistant salaries, equipment etc. (in total euro 28,000/year)
Contact: Martha Robbins, robbins@eva.mpg.de

Gorilla silverback in a tree
Photo: Josephine Head

Chimpanzee female in a tree
Photo: Josephine Head

The Loango ape team

Gorilla in Loango
Photo: Josh Davis

Gorilla in Loango
Photo: Josh Davis

Individual activities to support

If you have a certain amount of funds available and would like to support an individual activity exclusively, there are certainly opportunities.
Contact: Angela Meder, angela.meder@t-online.de