Author: admin

Melinda Hershey, a fourth-year health education undergraduate student, is spending her final quarter at UC interning in Uganda with an organization called Conservation Through Public Health. During her ten weeks in Uganda, Melinda will conduct sanitation and family planning surveys throughout the Bwindi area, and develop materials to complement these efforts.

She is primarily working with the Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) group located at a camp in Bwindi, meeting members of the community and working with them on issues that affect public health and population, like sanitation and family planning.

CPTH began as a conservation effort aimed to protect the world’s largest population of mountain gorillas in the Ugandan region. When it became clear that this area, also one of the most impoverished nations in the world, was experiencing the transmission of deadly diseases between animals and humans, the focus turned to improving public health and hygiene. They soon saw the benefits not only to the region’s population, but also to protect a sustainable source of income from gorilla tourism.

Melinda has already reported back to her UC professors this summer with a wealth of interesting experiences. “I traveled to Queen Elizabeth National Park to participate in a fact-finding mission about an Anthrax outbreak among hippos. This is a huge problem because there are not enough resources to dispose of the hippos, therefore causing a threat to the local human population as well.”

Melinda’s fieldwork began in July in the Mukono district, visiting the homes of community members. “I checked several elements of hygiene within their homes (latrines, showers, water storage) and also spoke to them about family planning. They speak a local language (Rukiga) so I had a translator with me to interpret,” says Melinda. She has also visited two schools to speak with them about hygiene and family planning issues. “This community has an overwhelming need for better hygiene and sanitation education and resources, and they still have a lot to learn about appropriate methods of family planning. Hopefully we will be able to gather some good data to make a case for funding more endeavors.”

Melinda also noted that she had the opportunity to meet a local medicine man and see his office. She also witnessed the making of banana gin, called Waragi, being made while she was out and about in the community.

Aside from learning about Uganda’s health, Melinda hopes to absorb as much of the unique culture as possible. You can learn more about the mission of Conservation Through Public Health at www.ctph.org.

Large primates, and especially the largest of all, the Gorilla, have always generated inspiration and fascination for the people of all continents.

We welcome the fact that some gorilla populations are the object of concerted conservation and restoration efforts. However gorillas as a whole remain in danger of extinction, and continue to face severe threats. The main threats are the destruction or modification of their habitat by deforestation; woodland exploitation; increasing demand for arable land and energy (charcoal); and the development of infrastructure such as forest roads. Hunting and trading in wild bushmeat are an important problem for the western plains gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla). Viral epidemics and unstable political climates are also among the threats to which all gorilla populations are exposed today.
height=

Many national and international, governmental and non-governmental organisations, are working to multiply conservation actions and efforts to attempt to remedy this critical situation. These initiatives include anti-poaching campaigns, reforestation efforts, development of eco-tourism, implementation of development projects in the regions bordering the areas protected for gorilla conservation and programmes of rehabilitation. Many of these organisations, and the governments involved are now part of GRASP, a partnership between governments, international institutions (notably UNEP and UNESCO), NGOs and the private sector whose objective is great ape conservation.

CMS itself is a GRASP partner and we have agreed that CMS main contribution in the next few years will be to facilitate the negotiation and application of a CMS Agreement and Action Plan to support gorilla conservation.

For gorillas, CMS aims to establish the legal structure necessary to make all the initiatives durable and to integrate conservation actions in collaboration with the 10 States covered by the distribution range of the gorilla: Angola, Cameroon, Republic of Central Africa, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda, for the conservation of gorillas and of their habitat. For more then 20 years, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) has been developing and implementing regional agreements under the terms of Article IV of the Convention. These agreements are one of the main conservation tools of the Convention.

The UNEP/CMS Secretariat is working MoP1 for Gorilla.CMS UNEP.Nov.2008. Click to enlarge. height=with the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, in partnership with the GRASP UNEP/UNESCO Secretariat, and in consultation with the gorilla range states and the other partners of GRASP, to developp this Agreement, and initiate its implementation via a regional, transborder Action Plan. CMS and its partners have engaged themselves to develop and implement this Agreement, and to provide the gorilla range states, as well as the other governments and organisations involved, with a legal framework that will reinforce and integrate conservation efforts.

Through this Internet work site, you have now access to all documents in preparation, on which we would be very glad to have your comments and suggestions. These documents in preparation include “Gorilla Agreement”, which will be associated with conservation status reports for the 4 taxa, as well as a first draft of a regional Action Plan for Gorillas and their habitats. In drafting these, the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences and its partners, are basing their work on the existing action plans, including the national and regional plans developed within the GRASP framework; they will, among other things, concentrate on the development of standard data collection, analyses and diffusion, in consultation with CMS, GRASP and its partners, and the range states.

This working website should allow the whole scientific and nature preservation communities to take part in the elaboration of the better documents possible. We expect your comments and suggestions. The documents are available from the entry point « working group », on the website. Don’t forget to sign up.

We hope you will agree that such an Agreement, as well as the projects which will result from it, will contribute to promoting the long term survival of gorillas, their forest habitat and dependent human populations. This should in turn make a tangible contribution to the 2010 targets for biodiversity, and allow the States concerned to combine conservation and long lasting economic development.

This coming Saturday is the annual Great Gorilla Run in London, UK. Hundreds of people dress up as gorillas and run around the city to raise money for our projects out here in Africa – it is an amazing event.

Three years ago I was given the fantastic opportunity to travel to London and take part in the Great Gorilla Run – it was one of the best days of my life!

When I was told that I was going to London It was difficult to imagine what it would be like. And when I was told that I would be running 7kms around London dressed in gorilla suit … well, that was another point. I think my neighbors still remember seeing me running through the streets of Gisenyi, my town in Rwanda, as I trained for the Great Gorilla Run.

September arrived and I travelled more than 6000km to reach London. I was really excited to see what this town, which I have heard so much about, was really like!

The D-day arrived, and I met all the other gorilla runners at Minster Court and started putting on my gorilla suit. I was happy to wear number 700, the number of mountain gorillas living in the world at the time.

Until then, I was confident with my training, my thoughts were to win it. However, I realised that this was not going to be an easy run. As I waited at the start it was so strange seeing many different people excited about dressing as gorillas and trying to imitate their behaviours by either eating a banana, roaring or charging!

Each time, I was wondering what would happen if they saw real gorillas. Or, if those gorilla statues at Minster court were real gorillas seeing them!?! Surely they would be delighted to see a human struggling to become a gorilla!!

Once the kick off was given, I started running following others and holding a collection bucket, which I was using to collect money from viewers enjoying the Sunday sun! I can remember being stopped by a couple, probably, they wanted to check if I was a real gorilla and to prove this I charged!!! They ran away but immediately came back and put some coins into the bucket before wishing me success!

Although I had studied the map of the run, I couldn’t locate myself between the high buildings. It was difficulty to see the sky and the sun which is how we traditionally find our way in Rwanda. I was simply following others!!

I can not remember how many bridges I crossed, I could not even remember how long it took me, what I remember is that I did it, it was amazing and raised I collected £75 in my bucket during the run!!

Catastrophic decline, precipitous loss, decimation”— these are the words used to describe the current situation for apes in the wild. Illegal hunting, habitat loss to mining, logging and agricultural conversion, disease and the pet trade all threaten the fragile existence of apes and their habitats. It is estimated that if current trends continue unabated, some species or sub-species of apes will be extinct in as little as one human generation (20 years). Some gorilla populations are among the hardest hit.

The Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Ape Taxon Advisory Group Conservation Initiative represents a collective effort by zoos to help conserve wild populations of apes – together. the numerous AZA zoos can raise a significant sum for this end. Launched in early 2010, the primary aim of the Initiative is to increase the amount and duration of zoo support for in situ ape conservation.

The UNEP/CMS Gorilla Agreement and the numerous priority sites and activities outlined in its Action Plans stand to benefit from the funds provided by AZA members, and we very much encourage the submission of gorilla project proposals. With all gorilla subspecies facing severe threats, and especially Eastern Lowland Gorillas and Cross River Gorillas coming increasingly close to extinction, there are good chances for such projects to be awarded funding.

Specific goals of the initiative include:

• Provide multi-year support (minimum three years) for high priority ape populations and sites.
• Increase the number of zoos contributing to the in situ conservation of apes.
• Increase the presence of the zoo community in ape conservation.
• Encourage law enforcement and in situ education through the support of sanctuaries.
• Provide zoos with resources to convey ape conservation messages to the public and promote their support for in situ conservation.

Funds are generated by contributions from supporting zoos; these funds are placed into a general fund that is equally distributed among projects selected for support.

To find out more about the program and how to submit project proposals, please go to http://www.clemetzoo.com/gorillassp/ConservationInitiative.html

Following a recent airlift of orphaned gorillas to a regional sanctuary, UN Peacekeepers in DR Congo are planning a new gorilla rescue airlift next month. The operation, planned for mid July, is part of a wider effort to combat the illegal cross-border trade in baby gorillas, which has intensified in recent years with the proliferation of armed groups in the region. The first rescue mission was conducted on 27 May, when four Eastern Lowland baby gorillas, seized from poachers, were flown to safety by UN helicopters to a sanctuary in Kasughu in North Kivu, DRC. The second airlift will involve another six babies. Together, the orphaned gorillas are hoped to form a new “family” of ten. The ultimate objective is to rehabilitate the gorillas and to reintroduce them back into their natural environment.

A recent publication by UNEP and INTERPOL, supported by a series of scientists, highlighted that perhaps less than 5,000 Grauer’s gorillas may remain in the wild, down from over 17,000 in the mid 1990s. The gorillas are at great risk due to the conflict in Eastern DRC, illegal logging, mining and habitat destruction, as well as threats from diseases or direct killing by militias as a result of park rangers attempting to halt the illegal burning and cutting for charcoal in gorilla habitats (UNEP, 2010).

The project is co-coordinated by MONUC, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, the Pan-African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP) and other partners, using strict protocols to reduce disease transmission and stress. The UNEP Great Ape Survival Partnership GRASP played a catalytic role in making this cooperation possible.

Further good news for gorillas and local communities emerged at last Saturday’s 2010 World Environment Day, hosted by Rwanda. Schoolchildren and villagers across Rwanda will receive solar power and more than $85,000 will go to gorilla conservation as part of the event’s lasting legacy. Rwanda organized a vivid celebration in the Volcanoes National Park that brought together Hollywood star Don Cheadle, the Rwandan President Paul Kagame, environmentalists and businesses alongside 30,000 people. The former YoG Ambassador and newly appointed Ambassador for the UN Convention on Migratory Species, Ian Redmond, was also present, as he had been for last year’s Kwita Izina.

As a result of the thousands of activities organized around the world by individuals, communities, NGOs, businesses and governments, UNEP’s WED Legacy fund drive has raised a total of US$50,000, with all the funds going to the Volcanoes National Park. In addition, more than US$35,000 was generously contributed to the WED Legacy Project by UNEP partners inspired by the initiative.

Kinigi, Northern Province: With names coming from longtime foes DR Congo and Uganda, the ‘Hotel Rwanda’ movie, and the whole world community, the 2010 “Kwita Izina” ceremony clearly gives Rwanda a new face on the global platform. As RNA reports from Kinigi, there were more than just gorillas at stake. The whole world named a gorilla in Saturday’s “Kwita Izina”, an annual event where new born mountain gorillas are given names. The event was held at Kinigi in Musanze district, and was also attended by the President of Rwanda, Gen. Paul Kagame.

Hollywood star and guest of honor, the Oscar-nominated US actor Don Cheadle, announced that the name chosen by Internet users across the globe was “Zoya.” Zoya refers to life and light in several languages: it means “shining” in India, “alive” in Greek, and “twilight” in Iranian. Hundreds of people around the world voted for the name by text message, website, and even Twitter.

The name selected by children across the planet and given to another baby gorilla was “WakaWaka”, which means “to light up” in the Swahili language, another guest of honour, acclaimed wildlife photographer Luo Hong, said.

Kwita Izina

Kwita Izina means “naming”, a long held tradition in Rwanda where new born children are given names. The Rwanda Development Board copied this tradition and extended it to naming the new born mountain gorillas every year. Musanze hosts a gorilla-naming ceremony every year, but Rwanda never takes the ceremonies for granted. Rather, each year’s event is a sigh of relief that the animals being named actually exists.

Counting the newly-named, there about 750 mountain gorillas in the world. More than half live in Virunga forest, which straddles Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the rest live in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park that lies about 35 kilometres away.

Mountain Gorillas are Endangered Species
In 1963, the legendary zoologist Dian Fossey visited the mountain gorillas that she would later help to protect even till death. Biologists at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) began cataloguing species that face extinction. They put together a “Red List” which puts Rwanda’s mountain gorillas into perspective.

Since the list was put together, over 800 species are known to have perished entirely. The list chronicles the difficulties of keeping over 17,000 other species on the planet though they are at serious risk of disappearing.

Rwanda’s mountain gorillas are a tiny part of that picture. And the list is far from complete. Conservation International, a respected research and advocacy agency in Washington, D.C estimates that one species dies every 20 minutes. While thousands of species have been kept alive in recent decades, millions of others have silently perished.

Humans play a huge role in the destruction of species. We destroy and pollute habitats, over-hunt, over-fish, and contribute to global climate change, which many species can’t adapt to.

This year’s World Environment Day is meant to show how this can change, and Rwanda is seen as a leader in that regard. In attendance alongside Cheadle and Luo Hong, was UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, who called Rwanda “a pioneer in green economic growth with a true commitment to a cleaner development model”. He said UNEP had “joined forces with partners to contribute to gorilla conservation and provide hundreds of solar lights for Rwandan villagers and schoolchildren”.

WAZA, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is one of the three main partners of the Year of the Gorilla 2009. Altogether, 109 zoos supported the YoG, especially through educational and outreach activities aimed at the full spectrum of visitors, from kids to interested adults, but also through fundraising for projects and the hosting of conferences and lectures.

With the year now drawing closer to its end, WAZA has compiled a selection of events and activities undertaken by WAZA members. This is of course only a fraction of the events that took place at WAZA zoos and wildlife parks, but it should nevertheless give you an idea of WAZA’s contribution to reaching out and informing the general public on gorillas and the threats they face.

At the epicenter of the long-running civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo lies Virunga National Park, Africa’s oldest national park in the border triangle of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is home to more than 200 of the only 720 Mountain Gorillas remaining in the world. Here, a small but dedicated force of forest rangers risk their lives to save one of the world’s greatest and most vulnerable species.

The Year of the Gorilla is an official supporter of the documentary “Return to Virunga: The Battle to Save the Mountain Gorillas”, which follows the rangers as they return to Virunga after having been banished by rebels from the park for more than a year. What will the rangers, led by their intrepid new warden, find when they return home? What does the future hold for Congo’s mountain gorillas? Can these great apes still be saved?

Year of Gorilla Ambassador Ian Redmond said during the World Forestry Congress, recently held in Buenos Aires, that protecting animals and stopping bushmeat trade are not a matter of choice, but are actually an essential part of forest preservation. He stated: “Forests don’t have biodiversity, they ARE biodiversity. If we take out the animals, we are removing a key element of the forest life cycle”.

Animals are crucial for seed dispersal, as many plants can’t germinate without first passing through the digestive tract of species such as gorillas, elephants or birds. According to Redmond, 75% of forest depends on animals to maintain species richness and the natural cycle. More biodiversity, Redmond emphasized, also means a bigger capacity of the forest to overcome with adverse situations, such as changes in rain patterns that can occur as a result of global warming.

Hunting for bushmeat contributes strongly to the extinction or significant reduction of some species, among them gorillas. At the same time, in a number of tropical countries bushmeat is also an important source of protein for people. “In at least 62 countries, wild animals and fish constitute a minimum of 20% of the animal protein in rural diets”, says a bushmeat study by the UN Biodiversity Convention. In Central Africa alone, 30% to 80% of the total protein ingested by farmers comes from hunting.

Redmond explained that in places where there is a market for this meat nearby, it stimulates hunting. “The trade in bushmeat is leaving the forests empty. My hope is that some explicit statement about it would be made by countries if they decide to include a payment for the carbon store in the forests in the new climate deal”.

A new agreement to control global warming will be discussed at a United Nations summit this December in Copenhagen. One of the key points being negotiated is a mechanism to reduce deforestation in developing countries through financial incentives for forest protection from developed nations, called REDD (Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation).

Deforestation is highlighted by a global community of scientists as responsible for about 20% of total CO2 emissions, which they say is the main cause of the increase of temperatures. “It’s represents 5.86 billion tons of carbon dioxide, as much as is emitted by the United States or China per year”, says Tina Vahanen, from the UN REDD Secretariat.

2009 is definitely the year of the gorilla at La Palmyre Zoo. After the opening of its new apes exhibit in spring, followed by the birth of a delightful baby gorilla at the end of June, the zoo started its Year of the Gorilla photo contest in early summer. Visitors were invited to send in photos for the contest and donated 5€ per photo entered in the competition. Participants had the opportunity to compete in 2 different categories (gorilla pictures taken in zoos or in the wild). Results and winning pictures can be found on the zoo’s website.

Also, an information stand located just in front of the new ape enclosure offered a variety of information as well as selling different gorilla products such as T-shirts, cuddly toys, wooden gorillas from Rwanda, posters, postcards, newspapers for kids etc… Finally, a giant gorilla moneybox collected more than 2,000 euros!

Visitors showed a clear interest for gorilla conservation issues. Several large panels installed near the stand allowed people to inform themselves about the Year of the Gorilla campaign, as well as learn more about the gorilla subspecies, the threats they face in the wild and the different ways of becoming active for their protection.

In all, La Palmyre zoo, amember of YoG-partner WAZA, collected €13.000. The money will be used to support community-based anti-poaching activities in the Mbe Mountains of Nigeria and Cameroon, helping conserve the last remaining Cross River Gorillas.

Background information on the supported projects
With only 250-300 individuals remaining, the critically endangered Cross River gorilla is the most threatened taxon of ape in Africa. They are found only in a small mountainous area straddling the border between Cameroon and Nigeria, where hunting has reduced the population to perilously low levels. They survive only in the most rugged areas, protected by their own adaptability and by the relative inaccessibility of the region and/or where local communities have strong local beliefs favouring their protection.

As the human population continues to grow, and as development has led to new road building and an increased demand for farmland and forest produce (including bushmeat), the gorillas’ status has deteriorated further. To conserve them, it is of particular importance to involve local communities. Funds provided by La Palmyre Zoo will be used exclusively for community-led activities in Nigeria and Cameroon.

“Support for community-based anti-poaching in the Mbe Mountains, Nigeria”
Project Manager: Andrew Dunn, Wildlife Conservation Society
Rising to heights of 900 meters the Mbe Mountains function as a critical link in the forest landscape between the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary to the west and the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park to the east. Surrounded by nine communities with an estimated population of approximately 11,000-12,000 people the Mbe Mountains are also an important local watershed. For many years, the local communities surrounding the mountain resisted efforts by the federal government to have their land annexed as part of Cross River National Park.

WCS has been supporting gorilla monitoring in the Mbe Mountains since 2002 but it soon became apparent that direct conservation intervention was necessary to safeguard the gorillas. In 2005 a small team of nine eco-guards from surrounding villages was recruited to help protect the area. These guards are based at two simple camps high on the slopes of the mountain from where they patrol the area on a daily basis, collecting data on gorilla nest sites and feeding trails. By reinforcing existing community rules and regulations regarding wildlife management on the mountain, their presence also deters poaching.

“Support to the Gorilla Guardian community-based protection and monitoring network in Cameroon”
Project Manager: Aaron Nicholas, Wildlife Conservation Society
The situation in Cameroon is somewhat different to that in Nigeria because Cross River gorillas occupy a number of sites which are found outside of established protected areas. While a major focus for conservationists and government is the creation and improved management of protected areas within the Cross River gorilla range in Cameroon, the availability of resources and political will to formally protect all Cross River gorilla sites does not exist at present.

The ‘Gorilla Guardian’ community-based protection and monitoring network was established in 2008 in collaboration with traditional authorities in 6 remote villages in Cameroon (Ashunda, Bachama, Mbu, Nga, Takpe and Awuri). Each of these communities claims traditional ownership rights to nearby unprotected forest areas where important groups of Cross River gorillas are known to occur. The guardians have a remit of working with their communities (and especially local hunters) to promote the conservation of the Cross River gorilla, encourage respect for wildlife laws and to start collecting basic monitoring information related to the gorillas in their area.