Mountain Gorilla Recovery
Rangers, vets and communities in Uganda, Rwanda and the DR Congo pulled mountain gorillas up from Critically Endangered (IUCN).
Image: Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons (mountain gorilla, Bwindi, 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0).
Last reviewed: 3 sources cited
Mountain gorillas went from about 680 to more than 1,000.
The known number of mountain gorillas rose from about 680 in 2008 to 1,063, the highest ever recorded (IUCN, GVTC).
Source: Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, Bwindi-Sarambwe census press release (Dec. 2019)
Explain Like I'm 10
- Mountain gorillas live in misty forests on volcanoes in Africa.
- Hunting traps and diseases had made them very rare.
- Rangers removed traps and vets cared for them, and now there are more.
The Five W's of the gorilla recovery
Who
Wildlife authorities of Uganda, the DR Congo and Rwanda, working through the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration.
Source: Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, Bwindi-Sarambwe census press release (Dec. 2019)
What
Anti-poaching patrols, snare removal, veterinary care and careful census counts.
Source: IUCN, Fin Whale, Mountain Gorilla recovering thanks to conservation action (Nov. 2018)
When
IUCN moved the subspecies from Critically Endangered to Endangered in November 2018.
Source: IUCN, Fin Whale, Mountain Gorilla recovering thanks to conservation action (Nov. 2018)
Where
The Virunga Massif and Bwindi-Sarambwe, about 792 km² of protected forest.
Source: IUCN, Fin Whale, Mountain Gorilla recovering thanks to conservation action (Nov. 2018)
Why
Poaching, civil unrest and human diseases threaten the gorillas.
Source: IUCN, Fin Whale, Mountain Gorilla recovering thanks to conservation action (Nov. 2018)
Connected Solutions
- Forest Elephants Protecting Central Africa's forest gardeners.
Impact Statement
Government solution · active
About 680 in 2008, 1,063 known today. Teamwork across three countries took mountain gorillas off the Critically Endangered list (IUCN, GVTC).
Source: Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, Bwindi-Sarambwe census press release (Dec. 2019)
Census teams collected samples from gorilla night nests and used genetics to tell individuals apart (GVTC).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
IUCN credits positive engagement from the communities living around gorilla habitat (IUCN).
Source: IUCN, Fin Whale, Mountain Gorilla recovering thanks to conservation action (Nov. 2018)
For Nature
The 2018 Bwindi-Sarambwe survey found 459 gorillas, the most ever recorded there (GVTC).
Source: Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, Bwindi-Sarambwe census press release (Dec. 2019)
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