The western species of gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) consists of two recognized subspecies Gorilla gorilla gorilla (western lowland gorillas) and Gorilla gorilla diehli (Cross River gorillas). The taxonomic status of gorilla populations in Ebo/Ndokbou (Cameroon) and in the Maiombe Forest (Cabinda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo) awaits clarification.
The western gorilla Gorilla gorilla is found in Cameroon, mainland Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni), Gabon, Republic of Congo, Cabinda (Angola), Central African Republic (CAR), Nigeria and possibly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The core population had until recently an almost continuous distribution in suitable habitat from southern CAR to the Congo River and west to the coast. Small outlying populations remain on the Nigeria-Cameroon border at the headwaters of the Cross River and in the Ebo/Ndokbou forest in Cameroon, just north of the lower Sanaga River. The species may also persist in the Maiombe region of Democratic Republic of Congo contiguous with Cabinda.
Two subspecies are currently recognized. G. g. gorilla occurs in Cameroon (south of the Sanaga River), south to the Congo River mouth, and east across the Sangha River, to the Oubangi River. The subspecies G. g. diehli occurs in a small area on the Nigeria-Cameroon border, extending a short distance on either side of the border in the forests on the upper drainage of the Cross River. There are estimated to be approximately only 300 individuals remaining of this subspecies.
What are western gorillas?
The low land gorillas are a species of gorilla sub divided in to the Western Low land gorilla and the cross river gorilla.
The western low land goes by the scientific name Gorilla gorilla gorilla while the cross river gorillas goes by the scientific name Gorilla gorilla diehli.
In this article we will address facts for both gorilla species separately.
Get to Know the Western Gorilla
The vast majority of the world’s gorillas live in the forests of central west Africa, not in the mountains of east Africa. Western gorillas occur in the lowland tropical rain forests of central west Africa. Gorillas occur throughout the forested parts of Gabon, Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic with outlier populations in the Cross River region on the border of Nigeria and Cameroon, and in Cabinda, Angola and south-western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Conservation Strategy for Western Gorillas
A conservation strategy is a series of inter-related activities that are required to address the threats faced by western gorillas. The intensity of threats varies between populations: some such as the Cross River gorillas of Nigeria and Cameroon are already critically endangered while others remain less immediately threatened for the moment. The alarming thing is that despite increased conservation investment over the past decade, populations are declining throughout the range of western gorillas and given this, no populations can be considered as safe over the long term.
Dwindling Populations of the Western Gorilla
The population of the western gorilla has declined rapidly over the past decade. Published estimates usually range between 90,000 and 110,000 individuals, with the population spread across the lowland tropical forests of Western Equatorial Africa, but this figure is outdated and now considered to be grossly exaggerated. The true figure is likely to be substantially lower with declines of up to 50% estimated to have occurred in the remaining western gorilla strongholds over the past decade. The commercial bushmeat trade, combined with epidemics of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever is the driving force behind this alarming decline in numbers.
Conservation of the Western Gorilla
Current conservation efforts do not adequately address the cause of the major decline in western gorilla populations. Immediate improvements in law enforcement could dramatically reduce the impact of the commercial trade in bushmeat on western gorillas. The hunting of western gorillas is already illegal in all range states, but in many places these laws are not being enforced. Furthermore, extensive resources are required to identify appropriate conservation actions in the face of the spread of Ebola.
Priority Areas
In May 2005, a workshop was held in Brazzaville to establish a strategy to counter the decline in Great Ape populations across western equatorial Africa, and to identify partners and donors who might contribute to the implementation of this strategy.
The expert group included biologists, veterinarians, protected areas managers, government officials and representatives of national and international non-governmental organizations.
As part of this strategy, a list of priority areas for Great Ape protection was developed. These priority areas were selected according to criteria such as population size, size of available habitat, and the importance of different sites for biodiversity in general.
This process resulted in a list of sites that were considered to be either ‘Exceptional Areas’ or ‘Important Areas’, while a third category (‘Priority Areas for Surveys’) identified a list of sites which are believed to be very important for ape conservation, but for which population data does not exist. Surveys are thus an urgent priority in these areas.