In 1979, Sir David Attenborough famously came into contact with a mountain gorilla family. He said that it was “one of the most memorable experiences of his life,” but that it was “tinged in sadness” because his encounter was with “the last of their kind.”
At the time, there were only 600 mountain gorillas left on Earth. Their future looked bleak – they are unable to live in captivity and were classified as critically endangered. But due to conservation efforts, the mountain gorilla population has rocketed back to 1,000 and the species is now considered “endangered,” rather than “critically endangered.”
The secret ingredient behind this accomplishment? Tourism.
Dr. Gladys Kalema Zikusoka, first vet for the Uganda Wildlife Authority and founder of the charity Conservation Through Public Health, said that carefully-managed ecotourism has been greatly beneficial to conservation efforts, but only when the money earned goes to locals.
About 40,000 visitors per year pay $600 each to visit the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park to get the chance to encounter the native mountain gorillas. 20 percent of the profits generated by these visits go back into local communities. According to Dr. Zikusoka, gorilla tourism has greatly benefited the local economy.
Through the revenue from gorilla tourism, the local authorities are now able to enforce stronger restrictions on poaching in the park. Poachers that are caught are sent to jail, while those who stay out of poaching will be helped with finding jobs in the park.
Because the protection of gorillas also involves the protection of the entire forest habitat that they live in, thousands of other species have also been helped by their conservation.
Of course, this method of conservation is not without issues. Tourism can disrupt animal habitats and the local culture. The small plots of land on which the gorillas roam have become increasingly less suitable as the population grows and the gorillas come in contact with and fight each other.
However, the future is bright for conservation efforts as long as we put in sufficient effort to protect this planet. The U.N.’s head of biodiversity, Elizabeth Mrema, says that “We’ve been told by scientists we only have this century to solve the biodiversity crisis. There is no planet B.”
At the time, there were only 600 mountain gorillas left on Earth. Their future looked bleak – they are unable to live in captivity and were classified as critically endangered. But due to conservation efforts, the mountain gorilla population has rocketed back to 1,000 and the species is now considered “endangered,” rather than “critically endangered.”
The secret ingredient behind this accomplishment? Tourism.
Dr. Gladys Kalema Zikusoka, first vet for the Uganda Wildlife Authority and founder of the charity Conservation Through Public Health, said that carefully-managed ecotourism has been greatly beneficial to conservation efforts, but only when the money earned goes to locals.
About 40,000 visitors per year pay $600 each to visit the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest national park to get the chance to encounter the native mountain gorillas. 20 percent of the profits generated by these visits go back into local communities. According to Dr. Zikusoka, gorilla tourism has greatly benefited the local economy.
Through the revenue from gorilla tourism, the local authorities are now able to enforce stronger restrictions on poaching in the park. Poachers that are caught are sent to jail, while those who stay out of poaching will be helped with finding jobs in the park.
Because the protection of gorillas also involves the protection of the entire forest habitat that they live in, thousands of other species have also been helped by their conservation.
Of course, this method of conservation is not without issues. Tourism can disrupt animal habitats and the local culture. The small plots of land on which the gorillas roam have become increasingly less suitable as the population grows and the gorillas come in contact with and fight each other.
However, the future is bright for conservation efforts as long as we put in sufficient effort to protect this planet. The U.N.’s head of biodiversity, Elizabeth Mrema, says that “We’ve been told by scientists we only have this century to solve the biodiversity crisis. There is no planet B.”
