[RwandaLibre] AFP - 13 hrs ago: Ugandan gorillas under threat but tourist dollars protect

Ugandan gorillas under threat but tourist dollars protect

AFP 13 hrs ago
Emmanuel Leroux-Nega

Bwindi (Uganda) (AFP) - Powerfully pushing through thick jungle, the
mountain gorilla is fearless in the face of strangers on his
territory, but the endangered ape is unaware the family group he
guards survives by the thinnest of threads.

The gorillas here in Uganda's lush forests are protected by the
economic lifeline they create for remote communities from the tourist
dollars they generate, providing a key incentive for humans to protect
the giant animals.

The forest in Uganda's far southwest is home to an estimated 400
mountain gorillas -- roughly half of the world's population --
including several families that have been habituated to the presence
of humans.

But it is the income from tourism that is helping protect the animals,
which in the past were regularly hunted for their meat, and by farmers
to protect their crops.

"In order to protect this endangered specie we needed to show the
economic benefit of these gorillas," said Charles Tumwesigye, deputy
head of conservation for the government's Ugandan Wildlife Authority.

"Tourism started as a way of showing the people that gorillas can be
economically important, that we can earn revenue which can improve
your livelihood."

Uganda, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of Congo are the only
countries in the world where you can see the giant primates.

But the privilege comes at a high price , costing some $600 (450
euros) for a single, brief visit.

- No silver bullet -

Knowing the cash supports the gorillas "helps to swallow the pill,"
said Blaise Peccia-Galleto, a French tourist.

"We are willing to pay that kind of money because we know that a big
part of those resources are reinvested in the preservation of the
species," he said. "We also feel like we've experienced something very
exclusive."

Threats to the mountain gorilla –- including war, habitat destruction,
and disease –- were once thought to be so severe that the species
could become extinct by the end of the 20th century, but the
population has increased significantly in the last 30 years, largely
due to improved conservation efforts.

"People were stopped from entering into the forest, where they used to
get all their free wild game meat," Seith Byarugaba said, a tourist
operator organising gorilla trips and running a lodge.

"People are now happy because there is some revenue that comes from
gorilla tracking."

Conflict remains due to destruction of crops and property, and
competition for natural resources.

Habitat destruction and human population growth increasingly bring
locals into contact with the gorillas, resulting in the transmission
of human diseases and occasional animal attacks.

Ape experts this week warned that accelerated and unsustainable
exploitation of the earth's primary natural resources has become a
major threat to apes in Africa and Asia, with extraction of natural
resources -- including timber, minerals, oil and gas -- devastating
their prime habitat.

Experts at major United Nations environment conference in Kenya
predicted that at the current rate, human development will have
impacted 90 percent of the apes' habitat in Africa and 99 percent in
Asia by 2030.

A joint UN and Interpol report released this week warned that while
the greatest threat to apes is habitat loss, illegal trade in the
animals is "widespread," with more than 22,000 great apes estimated to
have been taken between 2005 and 2011.

Gorillas were reportedly sold to a zoo in Malaysia for $400,000
(295,000 euros) each, the report added.

But here in Uganda, income from tourists provides an incentive to
protect the gorillas.

- 'Improved my life' -

"Communities have been living with these gorillas for ages before
conservation started, some of them still look at those forest as
places where they use to access resources, like firewood, medicine,"
Tumwesigye added.

"So we thought it was very important that we worked with these
communities, show them that this is still their resource, these
gorillas are still for your benefit."

Armed rangers patrol the park, both to protect tourists after Rwandan
rebels murdered eight tourists in 1999, as well as to guard the
animals themselves.

But getting the local communities onside to support the gorillas is also key.

Tourism dollars have boosted the local economy. In addition to
spin-offs like hotels, souvenir shops, and jobs in the park,
communities receive 20 percent entry fees to the park.

"This business has improved my life," said Michael Kasule, who owns a
small shop selling gorilla carvings. "In the beginning I didn't have
anything."

It can be difficult to balance species survival against the needs of
an incredibly poor area.

Despite its protected status, the jungles of Bwindi are under constant
pressure from local communities.

Efforts are being made to mitigate these conflicts -- the creation of
buffer zones, income generating activities for the community, and
community health programms -- but there is still far to go.

But many argue benefits for the communities are still limited.

"The tourism industry is still outward looking, basically relying on
foreign visitors, and the benefits mostly go to outside owners," said
Samuel Nsingwire from The Gorilla Organisation, a conservation group.

While tourism is far from a silver bullet against poverty -- the
search for sustainable conservation practices maybe be the only way to
ensure that these communities and their gorilla neighbors continue to
share this remote jungle.

42 Comments

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RGS_Orlando, 3 hrs ago
Why? Why have the world governments failed to put a "shoot on
sight--all liability waived" on poachers? Why have the world
governments failed to assassinate ...
More

Rabbid Wolf, 3 hrs ago
These Majestic Animals are soon to be gone from our world just like
all the other animals we have eradicated from the face of this planet.
These Gorilla's, the ...
More

Kevdog, 7 mins ago
It's a truth that the only way to save some of these species is for
them to have economic value to the locals that makes it worthwhile to
them to do so. ...
More

Dreamasterr, 2 hrs ago
We are letting our closest living relatives go extinct. Actually
murdering them into extinction. We can continue to make excuses for
our behavior or we can at last take ...
More

Drake Iverson, 3 hrs ago
Death to poachers and traffickers. Quick, instant DEATH. PERIOD!

tom, 26 mins ago
I enjoy hunting, but shooting a gorilla would be like shooting a human.

David, 2 hrs ago
It has been and always will be about property rights. When people can
actually own the land and protect their assets, they do. When
governments own the land, politics ...
More

WALTER, 16 mins ago
Pay up or the gorilla gets it.

Stephen, 3 hrs ago
Score one for the gorillas!

Frank, 3 hrs ago
I am sure that if eco tourism was promoted in Africa that many people
from all over the world would go there and have wonderful vacations
and in the process the living ...More

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