Since 1991, the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) working closely with communities, governments and many local, regional and international partners across the mountain gorilla range, has recorded remarkable successes and overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges.
 

In a report released to commemorate World Gorilla Day: Over 30 Years of Impact in Mountain Gorilla Conservation, the IGCP - a coalition of three leading nature conservation organizations: Conservation International, Fauna & Flora and WWF - chronicles the milestones achieved over three decades of working in close collaboration with the three gorilla range countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

These efforts have contributed to an increase in the mountain gorilla population from about 600 individuals less than three decades ago to 1,063 individuals according to the 2019 Bwindi – Sarambwe mountain gorilla census. This remarkable bounce back has inspired renewed global conservation efforts to restore hope for the survival of these gentle giants of the mountains. Indeed, following this increase, their threat status was downgraded from ‘Critically Endangered’ to ‘Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2018.
 

“We have worked tirelessly for over three decades, innovating and adapting our approaches to support mountain gorilla conservation at the population and transboundary landscape levels, working to support and enhance the capacity of individuals and institutions across international borders,” said Wellard Makambo, IGCP Director. “This collaboration, across the three countries that are home to the world’s wild mountain gorillas, has enhanced social and political support for conservation, boosted tourism revenue-sharing among park-adjacent communities, strengthened community livelihoods and access to resources, and improved how effectively mountain gorilla parks are managed.”

Over the last three decades, IGCP in collaboration with protected area authorities and other partners has championed mountain gorilla censuses and various ecological surveys from planning, coordination and implementation, to the publication of results. This investment has allowed conservationists to verify population trends of gorillas and understand their ecology, and the threats they face, thus enabling more effective and targeted conservation, which is critical since they remain a conservation-dependent species.

“The fact that all other great apes - barring ourselves - are in steep decline, makes the recovery of the mountain gorilla remarkable," said Wendy Elliott, WWF Biodiversity Practice Interim Leader. "But more remarkable still is how this was achieved. IGCP, as a partner organization itself, focusses on deep partnerships with local communities, governments and many others, and this is where real success finds its roots. IGCP is living proof that conservation works, and that conservation done in partnership works best.”

IGCP has partnered with communities who are critical to mountain gorilla conservation, strengthened community livelihoods and access to key resources like fresh water, and supported communities to manage and reduce conflicts between people and wildlife.

"Conserving mountain gorillas is very important to us. Through the revenue sharing of proceeds from mountain gorilla tourism, schools have been constructed within our community," said Agnes Mukarubibi, a community member in Kinigi, Rwanda. "Growing up, I used to walk hours to school, but today it only takes my child five minutes. These benefits bring us closer to the mountain gorillas and are a reminder that protecting them is key as it benefits us too".

Despite many achievements over IGCP’s 30+ year history, the journey has not come without its challenges. Both existing and emerging threats - including poaching, habitat loss, political instability, disease and infrastructure development - continue to threaten the long-term survival of mountain gorillas and the people living alongside them.

 

“Mountain gorillas are a conservation success story because of IGCP, its effectiveness as a transboundary facilitator, its focus on people - centered approaches, and its ability to catalyze the global community to respond as one through the coalition," said Cath Lawson, Senior Programme Manager, Eastern Africa at Fauna & Flora.