The rates for mountain gorilla permits was increased by 50% across the board; the price for a permit for foreign residents will rise from 250 USD to 375 USD, and permits for Rwandan nationals will rise from 20,000 Rwandan Francs (RWF; slightly over 30 USD) to 30,000 RWF (about 50 USD).

The head of Tourism and Conservation at RDB Rica Rwigamba explained through the announcement, “We have seen a sustained increase in interest for gorilla trek as well as recognition that good conservation can truly contribute to growth of these species. Mountain Gorillas are the only increasing gorilla species population, which is evidence that responsible tourism and conservation go hand in hand.”

The permit allows visitors to experience a habituated family group of mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park for a period of one hour upon visual contact with the gorillas, and distance between mountain gorillas and people is kept at no less than seven meters. Only eight visitors are allowed per mountain gorilla group per day. The Rwanda Development Board has also committed to maintain the 5% contribution from each permit sold for communities around Volcanoes National Park through the country’s revenue-sharing programme.

“We hope that the increase of the price of a mountain gorilla permit will also increase the resources allocated to park management and community livelihoods,” said Eugène Rutagarama, Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna & Flora International, and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

While each country has the mandate to set the prices of mountain gorilla permits issued in their own country, these decisions are now taken in consultation with RDB’s counterparts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature or ICCN) and Uganda (Uganda Wildlife Authority or UWA) as well as partner organizations and private sector partners.

In comparison, Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) currently offers mountain gorilla trekking permits for 400 USD for foreign nationals, and gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda currently offers mountain gorilla trekking permits for 500 USD for foreign nationals. Mountain gorillas are only found in DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda and the total number for this critically endangered species is estimated at 780.

Katie Frohardt wrote about her impulse to touch a mountain gorilla in her reflection of her time with IGCP in the 1990s, “At one point when the snare had been removed, I found myself quite near to the right foot of the female gorilla. I remember looking at that foot, and being transfixed. Without even really realizing that I was doing it, I had reached out my hand towards her foot, and was just inches away from touching her. At that point, I remember José very gently touching my hand, and shaking his head. Of course, I had no gloves on, and he was preventing my misstep, and protecting the mountain gorilla. I remember him doing this with real kindness, and with a look that made me know that he understood what I had just experienced. That was my first real day with IGCP.”

So, while the video that has gone viral is quite mesmerizing, it raises a lot of fears in the conservation community. It certainly isn’t the first time that mountain gorillas have interacted with people outside of the park, and it won’t be the last. And there is no blame to be placed. The fact is that habituated gorillas leave park boundaries, having overcome their natural fear of humans.

The mountain gorillas of Buhoma, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, are now quite notorious for it, roaming through the tourist lodges like they themselves are guests. And tourists to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda are surprised to find that they might be visiting mountain gorillas outside of the park, in a farmer’s field or in a eucalyptus plantation.

A few months ago, gorilla groups monitored for research in Volcanoes National Park even spent the night outside of the park, forcing rangers to camp alongside them to protect and monitor them. And there are gorilla groups as well as a lone silverback that are also occasionally range outside of Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo, causing neighboring farmers grief and crop loss.

There are several other facts to keep in mind: Tourism is vital to the conservation of mountain gorillas, allowing for regular monitoring of mountain gorilla groups and allowing for veterinary intervention when necessary. Tourism also brings in much-needed revenue to fund park operations and community conservation activities as well as contribute to the national and local economies.

Here are the hard facts: Humans can spread diseases to mountain gorillas and disease outbreaks among mountain gorillas have been recorded in the past, including scabies and respiratory disease. Although it is hard to believe it when seeing the ease at which mountain gorillas can include humans in their social families, mountain gorillas are wild, even those in habituated groups.
So now you see the delicate balance that must be struck in tourism as a means for wildlife conservation. Tourist guidelines are in place within the region, a pivotal initiative for IGCP as an advocate for responsible mountain gorilla tourism. We advocate for managing, to the very best of our collective abilities, tourism that carries the smallest risk to people and mountain gorillas.

This is a phenomenon that won’t go away. It will take a constant effort on behalf of conservation organizations like IGCP, park rangers and managers, lodge employees and managers, as well as tourists to take the steps necessary to protect the critically endangered mountain gorillas. Behind the scenes, continued efforts are underway.

While rain falls like clockwork every afternoon throughout most of the year, Florence and her brother live in an area that is water stressed. People use whatever water source is closest and easy to access. That could be piped water at a community faucet, but more often than not it is surface water running in streams after the rain and in areas near Virunga National Park, those streams are many times within the park. Water becomes the focal point of health and sanitation, the workload of women and children, household economy and also conservation of the park and the mountain gorillas.

Tuyambaze, center in dark blue, helps put up the frame of the water tank alongside Annonciata Akobahoranye of Imbere Heza, right. Tuyambaze and his younger sister are no longer in school, but tend the potato fields and manage the household they share with their grandmother.

This past week, all IGCP staff based in Rwanda, DRC, and Uganda gathered in Bunagana, DRC, to launch ‘20 Tanks for 20 Years of IGCP’. It was an opportunity for our staff with experience in rainwater harvesting structures and community governance to take the first steps with community associations in DRC to construct household rainwater collection tanks. We also brought the expertise of four members of the Rwandan community association, Imbere Heza, who have built over a hundred similar household tanks near Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and all are functional, serving an average of 4 households apiece. We were also joined by Kanyamaharage, Community Conservation Warden for Virunga National Park.

IGCP staff transport stones for the foundation of a rainwater harvesting tank. From left to right- Beda- IGCP's conservation incentives coordinator, Augustin Basabose- IGCP's species coordinator, and Salvatrice- former IGCP conservation incentives officer. Ugandan, Congolese, and Rwandan respectively.

At the end of this campaign the goals are more than just the 20 household tanks, the goal is that there are Congolese community associations that are fully trained in the construction of the tanks, who can be mobilized to build many more. It is also the goal of this campaign to link the household rainwater harvesting tanks with communal rainwater harvesting tanks. From our experience in Rwanda, the affect that the communal rainwater harvesting tanks has on both communities and the park is increased when they are combined with satellite household rainwater harvesting tanks.

This communal tank built in Chanzu, DRC, will hold 75,000 L when complete. It is one of four communal tanks under construction near Virunga National Park by IGCP with funds from DGIS through the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration and in collaboration with the Congolese Wildlife Authority, ICCN. Chanzu is an area where entry to the park to collect water is common.

The launch that took place this week included the construction of two household rainwater harvesting tanks, which will be built by the members of Imbere Heza and members from several Congolese associations that are undergoing the training. These two tanks in particular were funded by contributions from IGCP staff, voluntarily deducted from our salaries throughout the year.

IGCP species coordinator and DRC country rep inspects a tank after two days of construction, the fresh cement being protected from the inevitable rain. It takes seven days to finish a household rainwater harvesting tank. This one will be finished before the new year.

As for Tuyambaze and his younger sister, they plan to start 2012 with more time to work in their fields and without having to pay the 2,000 Shillings a month for water, they hope they can earn enough to buy a goat, and send Florence back to school. We will be following up on Tuyambaze and Florence, as well as the other recipients of the household rainwater tanks and the four communal tanks in the coming year, and what the affect will be on entries into the park for water access. Many thanks to those of you who have donated to this very valuable project!

Additional photos can be found on the IGCP Facebook page.

Paulin with a rescued lowland gorilla who was poached from Maiko National Park last March. The gorilla, named Lubutu, was transfered in April to the GRACE long-term care facility for orphan lowland gorillas in DRC. Photo from the Gorilla Doctors blog: http://www.gorilladoctorsblog.org/field-blog/2011/4/27/gorilla-doctors-assist-with-confiscation-grauers-gorilla-orp.html.

His testimony was sent to us to celebrate 20 years of IGCP (or PICG for the Programme International de Conservation des Gorilles) as a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna & Flora International, and the World Wide Fund for Nature. Many thanks to Paulin for his time with IGCP and for taking the time to tell us about it.

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Aux gens qui vont lire ce témoignage, je leur dis avec Jean Jacques Rousseau : « N’attendez pas de moi ni discours savant, ni profond raisonnement, ni tentative d’argumentation ou conviction, juste du bon sens, le goût de vérité, la simplicité du cœur et le droit à l’erreur »

Le PICG est pour moi une expérience très enrichissante qui, pour le moment, marque mon parcours professionnel. Une expérience enrichissante en management d’une équipe composée pour beaucoup des personnes toujours motivées, des gens qui savent partager leurs connaissances et leurs passions.

La période passée au PICG est certes courte mais pleine de réussite car il m’avait été offert une chance de travailler dans une organisation humaniste (au-delà de sa vocation conversationniste) avec une équipe dynamique et dans une ambiance à la fois conviviale et studieuse. Un climat professionnel qui était extrêmement gratifiant car il m’avait donné un sentiment d’avoir gagné confiance de ceux qui ont parfois contribué à l’édification même de l’organisation.

Une vie permettant d’acquérir rapidement une vision globale des activités  de conservation et d’en découvrir la problématique et de maitriser beaucoup d’autres connaissances scientifiques et pratiques.

J’ai beaucoup apprécié cette expérience, notamment parce qu’elle m’a permis de perfectionner ma méthode de travail dans une approche adaptative et de découvrir une nouvelle conception de la conservation respectueuse de la nature, de l’homme et de la société. Grace à elle j’ai compris:

1. qu’en toute circonstance, il faut faire preuve de motivation et du bon sens.
2. les coulisses de la conservation
3. l’intérêt de notre investissement personnel dans notre noble métier de conservation pour garantir une satisfaction maximum
4. que mener des projets de changement, faire adhérer et évoluer les mentalités en faveur de la conservation constituent autant des défis que d’enjeux ;
5. comment différents programmes des différents pays peuvent s’intégrer sur le terrain et dans le concret par la simple motivation du management et du personnel à adapter les cultures pour travailler ensemble parfois même dans un contexte très difficiles

Il est évident que l’histoire de la vie professionnelle est sujette à l’erreur de mémoire mais qu’à cela ne tienne certains souvenirs nous ont marqué d’une empreinte indélébile. Notamment :

1. Une vie professionnelle humanisée
2. Des multiples rencontres avec des personnes passionnées par leur travail : les découvertes humaines aussi bien la rencontre des collègues que celle des habitants des différents pays visités
3. Une rencontre des cultures et les échanges transfrontaliers
4. L’aboutissement d’un projet majeur fédérateur sur lequel l’organisation avait travaillé pendant plusieurs années, Transboundary  Collaboration
5. La discrétion, la dimension sociale, le professionnalisme et une grande rigueur.

Que dire en guise de conclusion ? « OÙ QUE J’AILLE, JE SUIS UN MORCEAU DU PAYSAGE DE PICG »

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Au PICG j’avais presté de février 2003 à mai 2006 et mon dernier poste fut « Chargé de programme pour la RDC ». Actuellement je travaille à l’Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature en qualité de Directeur et Chef du Parc National de la Maiko.

Paulin Wilondja-As-Ngobobo

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When I reported to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for my voluntary work, I was given a list of activities that I was going to be involved in and one of them was the gorilla census since I was part of the monitoring and research department which was attached to the census. But actually it was not really a must that I was to participate because everyone thought that no lady could handle the terrain in Bwindi. I kept on pressing the head of the department until he included me on the list of the participants.

After confirming that, I was so excited and I started preparing myself psychologically. But this still didn’t take away all my fears because the words from the people around me just kept on ringing in my mind. “She won’t manage; they will bring her back here on a stretcher,” one of our colleagues had mentioned. I prayed to God so much that He would help show every that I was capable of participating in the census and indeed He did not abandon me.

Team members review the map and the plan before entering the forest.

On the night of 6th September 2011 we traveled to Ruhija, one of the outposts in Bwindi for training. The training was to equip us with skills that would enable us carry out the census in the right way. Before we reached the outpost, we stopped at a certain village (Mburameizi); one of the passersby asked a question that truly hurt me. “Are women also taking part in the census?” and one of us answered, “yes.” Surely this gave me moral to go and do the best that everyone else would live to commend.

The training went on well and after it every one was given a team. Our team was to work in the northern sector. The first few days when the census had just started, it was very hectic. By the third day of the census I had gained a lot of strength that it amazed everyone, including my teammates. Actually one them had said, “Harriet, I no longer consider you a woman, you are now a man.” This he said because no woman had ever had such zeal and stamina like I had.

Days became weeks, I would take GPS points, direct my colleagues with the compass, collect fecal samples and the other chores everyone else did. I became very experienced that at one point Dr. Martha Robbins, the field organizer of the census had mentioned making an assistant team leader. I bet because of the nature of gender some of my colleagues could not come to terms with that suggestion.

Harriet, Lawrence, and Ismael record census data.

I cannot say that everything went on smoothly, there was a day we encountered a wild gorilla group, and this group had probably seen us from a distance, so we approached it unknowingly. It charged us and we had no option but one of our colleagues had to scare shoot in the air. Harriet here I was, never in my entire life had I experienced a bullet at a very close range. This scared me a little, but still I didn’t give up. The other challenge was when it came to putting up a tent when we got into a new camp. At times I would book a place, but since I didn’t know how to build a tent, I would wait for the men and in the process of waiting the malicious ones would take over my area for the tent. I am naturally a calm lady, there was no need to fight back.

Of course I can’t forget the many stinging insects and plants that none of us dodged. The other challenge was falling down. This later became normal because at times the terrain was slippery that nobody would miss the fall. But at least God protected us from falling onto cliffs that at times had rivers underneath. I personally, am water phobic so each time I met a water source, I would be affected psychologically.

Apart from the challenges above, surely I can say that the census is one exercise that I will live to tell. First of all it gave me experience I wouldn’t have gained from anywhere else; at times seeing the gorillas face to face that so many are wishing to come across, I interacted with high profile people from whom I got various ideas and of course working as a team gave me lots of friends.

I thank my teammates for without them I wouldn’t have managed to come to the end of the census. That is Bakebwa Ismael, Raymond Kato, Alison Byamukama, Lawrence, Christopher Byaruhanga and David Lorika and the rest I may not have mentioned. God bless them all.

My last word to all ladies out there; if you are determined to do something, let no one else put you down. It is just the courage that you have that will make others know that you are able. Ladies as well as gents can do the same chores if given the chance…………!!

Harriet Kyakyo

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Question for you, Harriet: What can the collective we do the next time around to make sure more women have the courage (and support) to volunteer like you did?

Harriet’s response: Sensitization. The community’s attitude towards ladies participating in the census is negative. This does not encourage the interested parties (ladies) to involve themselves in census. So if the community a round us can be sensitized so they know that women as well as men can do the same work if given the opportunity. Mobilization. Many a times the ladies are not mobilized and probably have no idea about the activity. So if they are mobilized in time, am sure many will be ready to give a hand in the next censuses to come. For the recently concluded census the list of participants did not include any lady, until I volunteered to be part of the team. What does this imply?? Ladies probably didn’t get the information!!

I realized (from experience) that taking part in the census does not require only the very energetic, all it takes is a determined heart. So in this way i would advise the ladies not to have fear. Everything is possible when one is optimistic.

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Many thanks to Harriet for her courage, participation and candor. It was well received.

After visiting the Ometepe project run by FFI, I am reminded of the old days of the Mountain Gorilla Project (MGP) and the beginning of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP). The incredible passion of Salvadora, the Ometepe Project Manager reminded me those I saw into the eyes Annette Lanjouw and Katie Frohardt when I joined this team in 1997. Running an under-funded programme, you could see though how these women were (maybe naïvely) thinking of “moving mountains” to ensure that the status of mountain gorilla conservation changes at the best. But together with the people of the African great lakes, today mountain gorillas are thriving despite some recurrent threats. And I foresee the same for the people, primates and biodiversity of this island.

On my way to Ometepa Island.

The Ometepe island project has all ingredients to bring tremendous change into the life of the people of this island and to maintain the rich biodiversity of this island. Communities I met grouped into cooperatives have the right attitude and the good will to contribute to this evolution and the team led by the capable Salvadora will certainly will certainly make it happen. The direction they are heading to is clear; financial means to back them will be found. Salvadora and her team have already won their first battle, making the Ometepe island a UNESCO Biosphere.

Salvadora (left) with members of the community on Ometepe island.

Invited by Fauna and Flora International (FFI) for an exchange of experience with their team of Nicaragua in Central America, I landed into Managua , the capital of Nicaragua after 40 hours of flight. Together with the African Wildlife Foundation, AWF, World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF, FFI is a coalition of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), a programme I joined in 1997.

Flying over Nicaragua from Miami in the USA, I could see scenic views formed here and there by green hills comparable of those of Rwanda, my country. The quick speed of processing my entry visa impressed me. The FFI country representative, Mr José Ortega had probably cleared the path; we had no time to waste. We boarded into project cars driven by José Ortega and Salvadora, straight to the first National Park where we watched the smoke of an active Volcano.Then José led us to Granada, an old town built in the 16th century by Spanish, a major town of transit for ship during this period when the Panama channel linking the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean was not yet built. In the evening, we watched a very colorful ceremony of “Maria Virgin” gathering almost each resident of this small town.

A map of Nicaragua showing Lake Nicaragua.

The following day, the team drove us from the main land to the Ometepe Island through a very well organized ferry. Salvadora took the lead and guided us to 4 sites where she is building the capacity of cooperatives aiming to generate alternative livelihood to residents in return to them protecting a big chunk of forest serving as primates’ corridors. Having strategically identified a market for tomatoes, she has championed this crop by providing improved seed variety and small loans to farmers who are using organic fertilizers. The harvest is spectacular and one of the beneficiaries, Mr Nestor was proud of sharing his candid stories of how he started cultivating tomatoes just to access to easy loan but he found himself harvesting more cash crop than he had done in his entire life. Nestor is a joyful man making jokes at any opportunity. When I was introduced to him as a “gorilla manager”, he cautioned his community’s mates in the following words: “watch out, this gorilla man may take all of us to join them in the jungle of his gorillas because we look like them”! In the end of the visit, his young daughters hugged me warmly and offered me what they had in abundance, tomatoes.

One of Nestor's daughters offers me a tomato.

After a night at the TOTOCO lodge, a lodge run in the integral meaning of eco-lodge, we waked up to follow Salvadora in climbing the Maderas volcano. This was a unique experience. An ecologist with a passion for birds, Salvadora was probably in her best mood. At every 50 meters, she would stop us to watch an endemic or special bird. In addition, Mr. Gonzales couldn’t miss any opportunity to show us a good tree with both the Spanish and scientific name. All the way, we were ourselves under the keen watch of howler monkeys who will be interrupting our discussion on birds with their big noises as to remind that the forest inhabitants are more diversified than our interest seemed to. During the climb, in addition to numerous birds species and howler monkeys we saw during the day, I was impressed by the way local community utilizes without much harm the space of this forest for different purposes including coffee plantation and banana plantain. At the end of the visit to the forest, we had the surprise of meeting a land turtle before heading to the wonderful project aiming to protect marine turtles. But this is the story for the next post.

Salvadora birdwatching.

On the way back, during the long drive shifting to the Pacific Ocean coast, I spent time discussing with Salvadora her project. I was impressed by the project and the boldness of her initiatives. At the end of the day, when I could sense her fatigue of the long drive and the long day of English (her first language is Spanish), I tried to divert to a light topic by asking her if she was planning to do further studies to enhance her career growth and opportunity. In a lyric but more serious voice than ever, she said: “Eugene, you know, I have started doing a PhD from the last 2 years. But due to some circumstances coupled to the load of work, I have interrupted my PhD. My PhD for the next years will be how much meal I will put on the plates of the people of Ometepe Island and how the forest of the Ometepe Island will look like”. I couldn’t have any comment on these inspiring words.

It was in this vein that the International Gorilla Conservation Programme teamed up with CARE International in Rwanda and Uganda to take comprehensive steps in the mountain gorilla region to provide opportunities for people in a way that was equitable and conservation-responsible, through the EEEGL Project funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

A few weeks ago, I went on an evaluation field visit to a our joint project sites in Uganda and met with hundreds of beneficiaries of the project. While I have been well aware of the IGCP-side of the EEEGL project (construction of communal rainwater harvesting tanks; support to tourism-related community enterprise; launching and raising awareness about the Gorilla Levy tourism revenue-sharing scheme), this was my first glimpse of what this 5-year project as a whole has been able to accomplish. More than two weeks after returning from the trip (with time to reflect on the experience), I am confident in saying that what I found borders on transformative. And in that sometimes fuzzy or ’soft’ area where community development and conservation overlap, here there are crystal clear, tangible examples that it can be done where people and parks (and the gorillas) both emerge as winners.

Here are several integrated themes that I think have been the strength of the EEEGL Project- community empowerment, equitable benefits, and incorporation of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs).

Community Empowerment

The vision of the women of Bukazi village: a secondary school for girls, a clean and close water source, and a way to put money in their purses. Photo: Helen Ninsiima

Many tourists who come to the region and visit mountain gorillas ask where their 500 USD permit fees goes to. In addition to going to fund the protection of the national parks and the mountain gorillas through the national park service, a portion also goes back to communities living near the parks through what are called revenue-sharing schemes. In the mountain gorilla area of Uganda, the Bwindi-Mgahinga Conservation Area, there are three such schemes- traditional revenue-sharing, the Gorilla Levy, and the Bwindi-Mgahinga Conservation Trust.

But just merely having these schemes, doesn’t mean that the money gets put into the areas that the community needs the most. Communities have to submit proposals for these funds directly from the grassroots. This is not automatic. What the EEEGL Project has done is to build systems at multiple levels to ensure transparent, equitable distribution of these funds to projects that can have the most positive socioeconomic effect on the communities surrounding the parks.

Here’s how we (collectively IGCP and CARE) have done it- we’ve improved and clarified the revenue-sharing schemes, encouraging the development of a special Gorilla Levy, and raised awareness of such funds and how people can receive them. We’ve worked to support and empower civil society organizations and forums. These civil society organizations are now equipped to write better proposals to seek out funds, not just from revenue-sharing, but other sources as well. Personally, one of my favorite projects is the work to facilitate community-based mapping and planning.

Members of hte Ikumba Civil Society Forum. The civil society organizations that these people represent also have representation at the District of Kabale.

All of these interventions built and fed from one another, so that after five years, the EEEGL Project has made clearly visible transformations in the communities involved. The civil society forums and the communities who have gone through one cycle of community-based planning (and have seen tangible results within months) met with us with bright, exited eyes and plans on how they themselves were going to take the lead in development projects within their community, their Parish, their District. We saw it genuinely at all levels, and I’m inspired by it.

Equitable Benefits

In addition to revenue-sharing schemes, there are other benefits that communities get from mountain gorilla tourism. Through tourism-related enterprise, through something like the luxury lodge, Clouds, collectively owned by the citizens of Nkuringo and Nteko parishes through the Nkuringo Community Conservation and Development Foundation (NCCDF). Improved governance structures, with the inclusion of women, youth, and the Batwa, were further developed within many community associations and groups, like NCCDF.

There are also resource users groups in Uganda that are registered and allowed to collect certain materials and plants from the national parks as well as place beehives within the park. A participatory assessment of this practice (from the ecological and community perspective) was evaluated under the EEEGL project and a new set of guidelines put in place.

Registered resource users in Katunga near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Almost all are artisans gathering materials within the forest for basketmaking.

A poignant example of this came when meeting a resource user group keeping beehives within Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. They recounted the benefits of having members of the Batwa community in their group. “Before the Batwa would put their hives illegally in the park and even harvest honey from hives that weren’t theirs, thinking that everything in the park belonged to them. Now, we’re working together and everyone has their hives, legally, and there is no conflict,” one member said.

No matter what the benefit or enterprise work was accomplished through the EEEGL project, there was a very intentional emphasis on equity at all levels, to ensure that yes, benefits to the community from revenue sharing, tourism-related enterprise, and even resource user groups were accessible to all members of the community. Through this equity, even the most marginalized of the community are being able to access resources and benefits that allow them to raise their social and economic status, something that with continued vigilance by all involved, can translate into improved conditions for the next generation.

Incorporation of VSLAs

At almost every stop whether we were talking to beekeepers, potato growers, water tank users there was another thing that was in common- the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLAs). Supporting the development of these VSLAs has enabled community members to turn their income-generating activities into machines for further economic development. Members of the VSLA can invest as little as the equivalent of 10 US cents (yes, cents) a week and be able to earn a savings on that money over a year as well as have access to small loans when they need them.

Vasta Busingya, above center, has used loans from the VSLA she belongs to in Ryakasinde, Uganda, to help in her business activities such as retailing avocados and sorghum. She also makes sorghum beer. This coming year, when she receives her re-payment of shares with interest earned, she plans to buy a goat. She is one of three keyholders to the locked box in which her VSLA keeps their savings.

Most of the people I talked to had used the funds to pay school fees for their children (which are due every term in a lump sum) and to invest in their small businesses (trading dry goods, growing livestock, making sorghum beer, planting timber). In addition, funds raised from the collection of water from the communal tanks from those that can afford to pay, is linked doesn’t linger in an account or box, it gets put to use. Community members can apply for loans to fund the construction of their own rainwater collection tanks for their household.

Nelson Byomegabe, part of the Mushanje beekeepers group, which incorporated VSLA two years ago. He invests 2,000 Shillings a month and has taken out two loans- one to buy pine seedlings and one to pay school fees. He also uses the interest on his savings to pay school fees.

Ripple effects. Integrated activities. It leaves me feeling good about the work that we did alongside CARE International through the EEEGL project. What I’m left with a sense that real collaboration between the development sector and conservation sector can work and the power is when we work together in a concerted, intentional way. But the work is far from over.

I am also left with a sense that this type of project is just begging to be undertaken in the Democratic Republic of Congo near Virunga National Park, where the needs of people are dire and the opportunity to transform lives looms large.

IGCP is an organization built upon partnership, in that we have been a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna & Flora International, and the World Wide Fund for Nature for 20 years. Together, we are stronger and can accomplish so much. And that’s why the term ‘partnering’ is featured prominently in our mission statement and will continue to manifest itself in our work.

Here is a look back on the early years of organized mountain gorilla tourism in Rwanda and how it ultimately shaped her life, in Rebecca Lomax-Sumner’s words and with her photographs. Those photographs are not to be used without expressed permission from the photographer.

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Congratulations to IGCP for 20 years of protecting the Mountain Gorillas. The hard work of your dedicated staff has enabled these animals to survive and even thrive through very challenging times in Rwanda.

My introduction to Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) came in January 1983 when I realized a lifelong dream and traveled to Africa on a very special safari. This group was one of the first to go into Rwanda to see the Mountain Gorillas. Little did I realize how this trip would impact my life. On it, friendship became romance with Michael Lomax, a fellow tripper who would become my husband, even with no showers and just the very basic amenities of life. I also fell in love with a creature that has continued to fascinate me for almost 30 years.

After the flight into Kigali, we drove overland to Ruhengeri and to our hotel, the Muhabura. The next morning we drove to Volcanoes Park where we camped in very primitive conditions for the next five days. Strangely enough, there was a dirt hut close to the campsite where periodically a radio would blast out John Travolta music. The campsite had no shower, and as the week went on I really wanted to bathe. I remember another woman and I climbing up the side of the mountain to a stream one evening and washing as best we could in very cold water. The first morning we checked in at the park headquarters, which was actually an old Dutch colonial home with antelope and other game skulls hanging on the outside walls of the building. Inside the building I will never forget seeing gorilla skulls sitting on the mantle of the fireplace behind the desk, where we bought our permits to visit the gorillas. Our trip leader selected our guides from a group of men standing near the building, next to a diplated Volkswagen. Their only identification as guides was a green beret, which they very proudly wore.

Meeting with our guide before the trek. Photo by Rebecca Lomax-Sumner.

That morning we drove to the base of Mt. Sabyinyo and had an easy climb through a bamboo forest searching for the gorillas. The head guide went ahead of our group, looking for signs of night nesting, scat or recent feeding. Our group would follow and look for a sign left by the tracker. The sign was two crossed sticks on the ground indicating we were going in the right direction. Using this primitive method we were able to locate Group 13. As we approached the group, the guide emitted a long, rolling belch, which in “apespeak” signaled peaceful intent. Grunting and belching the guide moved forward, crouching on his haunches and ordering us to do the same. We looked down in order to avoid eye contact, a threatening gesture. We were treated to the sight of a silverback and two females feeding on wild celery and other plants. They were big, velvety black and smelly. You could hear bezores rumbling in their stomachs from all the roughage they had eaten. Young gorillas were playing in the trees in front of us. Other unseen gorillas were in the trees too, which was evidenced by one of them urinating from the nest onto the ground. Fortunately, none of us was under that particular tree. I was terrified when the silverback charged in my direction. I stood still, stared at the ground, and he stopped a short distance away. We were able to observe and photograph the group for about two hours.

The hike on Mt. Sabyinyo. Photo by Rebecca Lomax-Sumner.

A day later we climbed Mt. Visoke to find Group 11. This climb was very arduous, through mud, nettles and enveloping heat and humidity. On the climb, I remember our trip leader falling into a large clump of nettles and suffering greatly from the stings. We used the same tracking method as the previous climb: the guide preceded us and would leave the crossed stick sign for us to follow. It took nearly three hours for us to find the gorillas. We found a group of five, including two large males. Sadly, one male was missing a hand and another had a deformed hand. The guide told us these deformities were probably caused by the gorillas getting their hands caught in snares that people set out in the park to catch small game. Men from the park staff went out periodically and collected all the snares they could find. The guide grunted and belched the entire time we were observing the gorillas, which seemed to calm them. He was able to clear away bushes without disturbing the animals, so that we would have a clear view of them. The eyes of the gorillas were haunting, so human it was disturbing. The guide would sit very close to the gorillas so that we could take pictures of them together. At times, I saw him touch the gorilla, which was certainly a danger to the animal. Transmission of disease from humans to the gorillas is always a concern. We were able to watch them strip leaves from plants, eat them, and then eat the stalks of the plants.

Our guide in close proximity to the silverback. Photo by Rebecca Lomax-Sumner.

The infant gorillas were very playful, swinging from vines and trees and generally pestering the adults, just as human young do. After two hours we descended and ended our visits to the Mountain Gorillas. The last evening in Rwanda we were invited to a private meal with Rosalind Carr who was very involved with protection of the gorillas. It was wonderful to get an “insider” view of what was being done to protect them. Also, she served the best tilapia I have ever eaten in my life.

An infant looks at the visitors curiously. Photo by Rebecca Lomax-Sumner.

Every person on the trip was very touched and moved by the experience of seeing the gorillas. Some of us had read George Schaller’s “Year of the Gorilla” before traveling, but nothing could prepare us for the majesty and vulnerability of these animals. At that time the group working to save these magnificent animals was the Digit Fund, which was the financial arm of Dian Fossey’s Karisoke Research Centre. We wanted to visit the center, but were told it was off limits because it would interfere with their research. Most of the trip participants subsequently became supporters of the Digit Fund.

Michael and I were married in September of that year and over the years supported various groups, including FFI, that are guardians of these wonderful primates. Since his untimely death in 2001, I have honored his memory with contributions to FFI and MGCP to help protect the Mountain Gorillas. We had many discussions about the gorillas, and he was very emphatic that I continue to support their protection. To this end, I have become better acquainted with FFI and IGCP and enthusiastically support their work in Rwanda. I hope to return to Rwanda and visit again with these magnificent creatures.

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IGCP is very appreciative of her continued support to the conservation of mountain gorillas in the memory of Michael and their time spent together in Rwanda. Rebecca, we will be very happy to host you in Rwanda should the opportunity come, and we hope that it does.

All photographs are those of Anecto Kayitare/IGCP and are not to be used without expressed permission. Requests can be sent to info@igcp.org.

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This day of October the 29th, I woke up early, put on my boots and go for trekking in Susa Group for my story. Once in the group I look around to find Ruvumu the young female which gave birth recently, on 25/08/2003 her first baby. That date is unforgettable in the Rwandan history because; it was the first democratic presidential election since the aftermath and date during which was massively and peacefully elected the President Paul Kagame. From the four corners of Rwanda we could heard the “Intsinzi” song which means victory to mark a new era, that`s why trackers named the new gorilla baby “Intsinzi”. It was also a success for all the people dedicated for conservation, who jointly worked at different stages for a long term survival of the endangered mountain gorillas.

Poppy and her infant Isonga (2 years), Poppy is the mother of Kiki, Ururabo and Isonga (Susa Group). Info and photograph from 2003.

Susa is the biggest tourist Group with 35 individuals. At this beginning of rainy season, the bamboos are shooting up, and gorillas enjoyed to eat the bamboo shoots. It`s not easy for me to take good pictures of Ruvumu as she is facing her back to me and is carefully protecting her baby Intsinzi.

The whole group is healthy and seem to be in a very good condition this morning, they are moving from time to time in making nests through bamboo trees as well as eating their growing shoots which are many from end September up to November and from March to May in the year.

Bamboo

Apart from those bamboo shoots, mountain gorillas also enjoy much eating bamboo leaves. The main gorilla food is mostly composed of bamboo leaves and young shoots. However this food is becoming scarce in the park, in some places the bamboo zone has been converted to lands for agriculture. The few places where the bamboos still remain, it is systematically cut for fire wood, for building huts, making crafts and staking up crops.

When I come back from trekking, I ask myself if the Susa group, as well as other gorilla groups, will find, in a near future, as usual their “preferred meal” as the needs of using bamboos by communities surrounding the park are increasing.

Compound fenced with bamboo.

Baskets made from bamboo fibers.

Beans staked with bamboo poles.

We IGCP and Volcanoes National Park, together with other partners have started setting up some initiatives to encourage people to planting bamboo trees for their domestic use and assist their craftsmen to raise the value added of their products by improving the quality. We are also working to explore how to get substitutes and other raw materials to replace bamboo tree as well as we are reinforcing patrols along all the park sectors to discourage the bamboo cutting by population

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Since I wrote this in 2003, ORTPN has been restructured and a strong community based conservation programme put in place and assisted by IGCP, we hope to better solve and in a sustainable way, the Human-Gorilla conflict.

Has the gorilla conservation since then improved? Yes:

• The Susa group which is still the biggest in gorilla tourism groups has increased from 35 individuals in 2003 to nearly 50 individuals in 2011 now in two groups (Susa with 33 including two sets of twins; and Karisimbi with 17 including a birth on this very day November 15, 2011). The mountain gorilla population has increased in general, with a census of the Virunga massif population up to 480 in 2010, up from 380 in 2003.
• The security situation has much improved and conservation and environmental issues are today on the political agenda in Rwanda.
• The land management that evolves soil erosion control, reforestation and fertilisation programmes have got much support during the last years in Rwanda.
• There are no more houses in bamboo around the PNV.

However, it is important to recognize that mountain gorilla conservation still has many challenges (poverty, climate change, regional governance, gorillas exiting the park….) and conservation efforts will need to continue and evolve to face them.

I was privileged to be associated with IGCP from November 1999 to December 2008 and I made my contribution in different areas as Rwanda Programme Officer and later as Regional Transboundary Officer. I wish that Susa group and other mountain gorillas will not only survive but will thrive for the centuries to come, as well as the people of this region thrive alongside the gorillas.

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Click here to read an interview with Anecto conducted while he was still Rwanda Programme Officer.

The length is because it is impossible to cut out sections that include forging raging rivers, chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, and forest elephants. And that’s not to mention his need to at some point to ditch the trousers and walk the impenetrable forest in undershorts.

It was his first census of mountain gorillas and his first time in Bwindi, a job he eagerly volunteered for between September 24th and October 7th. The journal is in his own words and a reflection of what it is like to be in Bwindi for a period of 14 days.

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SATURDAY, 24th SEPTEMBER, 2011

We were transported to the point where we had to enter the forest heading to the camp to replace the existing teams. After 10 minutes, we reached where other team were waiting to be transported back from the field. Looking at them, I was excited to enter the forest and discover the whole forest and again it would be my first experience camping in the forest. On the other hand I was scared a bit since looking at those people, they were sweating as a result of hiking hills, so I knew it will be the same to me during the next 2 weeks I will be spending in that impenetrable forest. A little bit after entering the forest, we met chimpanzees, but unfortunately, we didn’t have an opportunity of watching them as they keep hiding since they are shy animals mainly when they are not habituated. We had a chance to be with Dr Fred from MGVP [Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project] as he was telling us some European history. He is a good reader and he entertained us all the way at the point that the journey became very short and less tiring. We reached the camp at 12 a.m and start to settle. After 15 minutes, the porters reached the camp. They were carrying food supplies, field materials and our luggage we had left at ITFC. The camp keepers started to cook lunch and waited for it discussing and planning for the work ahead us.

SUNDAY, 25th SEPTEMBER, 2011

The team uses GPS to find their place on the map to lead them in the right direction.

After 250 meters of walk, we heard a noise. We thought it was a gunshot and try to contact the nearing outpost to be informed about what happened and they told us that they did not hear it. We kept moving a while and suddenly heard a branch breaking down in the valley and we found out it was an elephant. We walked slowly and carefully avoiding to make some noise and disturb the elephant, but one team member assured us that elephant there are very shy and run away when they hear people but for precaution reason a bullet was put in chamber by a team member who had the gun in case of elephant attack, since they scare the noise of a gunshot.

The man was right because when we reached in the valley we found that the elephant had taken the opposite direction. We kept moving hiking sloppy hills and we were obliged to stop a bit to rest a bit and take some air. Along the way we were being confused by elephant trails thinking that they belong to gorillas but we had to check during a certain time to void to leave gorilla tracks behind. At 1 p.m, we stopped for 30 minute to have lunch which is made by peanut, chapatti and boiled eggs. After, we kept moving in the south-eastern direction. We found many chimps nests but no gorilla tracks. We were on our way back to the camp, after sloping a hill when we fell on gorilla trails. We checked very careful to be sure and we found they belong to the gorillas. We followed them down valleys and 3 hills, but no gorilla nests. We reached an area where we start to miss the trails and some of us to search the trails. After finding them, we realized that it was getting dark and we had to go back to the camp and come back to continue the searching at that point.

MONDAY, 26th September, 2011

Collecting fecal samples for genetic testing. From left to right, Sunday, Charles (author of this post), and Dr. Basabose.

We were surprised to find them [nests] in 50 meters from where we stopped yesterday. We start the sampling and after 1 hour, we were done and continue to follow the trails. We walked mountain and valleys following the trails until we lost trails. It was not normal that the gorilla group could have moved such distance we have covered. We thought we have left trails behind but not far. We sent some group members to check. After 30 minutes they came back but they had not found any sign. Suddenly we noticed some 2 confusing trails going up on the hill.

We divided into two and follow and them and after hiking that big hill, it was starting to get late and decided to go back to the camp and to start the searching at that point. We were almost on the main trail and we headed back to the camp. We reached the camp at 6:30 p.m. We had bath, then dinner accompanied with a bottle of beer given by Dr. Basabose.

TUESDAY, 27th SEPTEMBER, 2011

We followed the tracks for about 2 hours when we lost completely the tracks. We sent some experienced trackers of our team to look around, but no sign. We start wondering why that gorilla group has moved longer distance than the normal as we had been tracking them since yesterday and we found that it is not normal and thought we had left nests behind yesterday, but on the other hand, the area they were using has not food and sometimes we missed their dungs on their trails as the main track. We were about to abandon the search and start another recce trail when one team member came and told us that he had smell something like gorillas down. We started arguing whether to follow it or to leave it as we had to have a direct contact with the group and it is not advised as the gorillas we were following were a wild group and the direct contact could be dangerous. We decided to follow it anyway with precaution as it was the only chance we had to follow their tracks back to where they came from in order to reach their fresh nests. After a while we fell in the tracks and follow them about 1 hour and suddenly we reached the fresh nests. We were very happy to find the nests, but when we started counting the nests, we found 9 instead of 4 nests of gorilla group we were following. We realized that we have found a new group.

We counted anyway as we had a chance of falling on new and fresh nests. I removed my raincoat to avoid contaminating the sample as the rain water would fall in the sampling tubes. I started to do the fecal sampling carefully following the given protocol while others were measuring the diameter of dungs. After 1 hour we were done with sampling. We found 13 gorillas including 4 infants as they had slept with their mothers in the same nest.

WEDNESDAY, 28th SEPTEMBER, 2011

We did not find again gorillas, but instead we found old nests of almost over 1 week ago but we hope to find them tomorrow or in coming days as it was our main mission and we started to be impatient.

I have a great group as we get along very well and the way we take decision is a great one as it helped us very much in finishing our work.

FRIDAY, 30th SEPTEMBER, 2011

We left the camp at 8:30 a.m. After 1 hour, we reached the river we have crossed yesterday. The other managed to cross using a small log which is crossing the river, but I decided to step in the river given that the log was fragile and shaking and I was a bit heavier and I thought it would break and I could not maintain the equilibrium on that log. When I stepped in the river, the water level was reaching on my knees and my gum boots were full of water and I had to remove them to remove water and dry a bit my socks. We reached the last point we had planned at 3. p.m, ate our lunch and quickly headed back to the way back to the camp as time was rushing. We reached the camp at 6. p.m.

We encountered neither gorillas nor their fresh trails. What we found was old nest sites old of over one week and we hope that we will find them in other sectors we will be working in coming days. We did not use much energy; we walked slowly and we were having funny conversations as we proceeded and that helped us to tighten the team bonds and working spirit. On the other hand it was a way of managing the team energy as we will not have a rest day for each team members as others do since we are now 4 instead of 5 members as the other team member left because he had knee problem and we miss him.

SATURDAY, 1st OCTOBER, 2011

Today I saw for the first time the red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius). We saw about 12 individuals. They are very cute and very social by the way moms were handling babies, but they very shy as they ran away when they saw us. It was a great experience.

SUNDAY, 2nd OCTOBER, 2011

Our job of today consisted of covering South-western 4 boxes as we were expected to shift the camp to ITANWA tomorrow. We planned to do work with remaining 3 northern boxes tomorrow before shifting the camp. We had worked about 3 hours when we started hearing some sounds in the down valley. First, we expected that they were of gorilla mating or fighting. We stopped about 5 minutes to analyze the sounds as the sounds were still coming out. We thought again that it was a gorilla who got trapped in the snare as other members of the group become furious and shouting. We were about to go there, but realized that it was dangerous as gorillas were very aggressive; also we were dealing with wild gorillas. Later, we realized it was not gorillas rather chimpanzees as we didn’t hear the silverback charging or beating his chest or any other aggression behavior. Chimpanzees were fighting probably for food. This was supported by the fact that we encountered many chimps fresh nest on our way. We kept moving and covered the remaining 2 boxes and then headed back to the camp.

I fell down many time during the last days and I am having some pain in my knee and also i am having allergic reaction against the trouser of my rain gears, but I hope I will be fine tomorrow as I don’t want to give up the work I have started.

MONDAY, 3rd OCTOBER, 2011

Today we left the camp at 9 a.m. we had to cover only 2 remaining boxes in the north eastern of sector S. We have a new member in the team who came to replace the other one who had knee problem. He came to reinforce the team spirit and it will allow one team member to have a day off as it was not possible to send a team of only 3 members in the forest in case one would have taken a day off. We walked 30 minutes when we reached a furious river with strong current as it had rained the whole last night and it was impossible to step in the river. We cut one long tree and when it fell, it reached the other side of the river and we started crossing the river. When it came my turn, I got on the log and cross the river as riding the horse pulling my bottoms towards the other side of the river and it was not quite easy as the water current was pulling my legs which were completely in the water After reaching the other side of the river, we started hiking a very big and steep hill and we thought we would not finish it but fortunately after 30 minutes we were on the top and rest a bit as we were exhausted and then after we kept moving.

On our recce trail we found many snares as the area we were in was near the community land and we took time to destroy them. We reached the end point of our recce trail at 12:15 a.m, ate our lunch and then headed back to the camp using the same trail we had used coming. Suddenly, it started raining as usual but we kept moving though it was difficult as the whole place was slippery and my knee was very hurting mainly when hiking the hill. We reached the camp at 3.p.m and started to organize our stuff as we will shift the camp tomorrow.

TUESDAY, 4th OCTOBER, 2011

Today was the day for shifting the camp from KASINGA to ITAMA. Kasinga camp was the ugly camp you could imagine. There was very much mud everywhere and tents were built on a hill with a little slope. Getting sleep was quite difficult as we kept slipping on mats and found ourselves at the down part of the tent and even in the morning all the body was hurting. Shifting the camp was relieving somehow. However we managed it as it was strategically, the best place to camp considering the sectors we were working in and it was near the river.

We are now satisfied with the works done as the new tents are built on flat place and we can now sleep safely for the 4 remaining days. We had our dinner at 7:30 p.m; talk a bit before going to bed. Tomorrow will be a hard day as we have a big area to cover before we get replaced by other teams this Saturday.

WEDNESDAY, 5th OCTOBER, 2011

Today we woke up at 7 a.m and had the breakfast and start to plan with another team as we will be working in the same sector. After getting an agreement we left the camp. My team was to work in the eastern part of sector BB and another team in the western part. The part we had to cover was very big (7 boxes) and we thought we will not finish it on time. We were walking as faster as we could to avoid spending the night in the forest. We reached the end point at 1:15 p.m, had our lunch then headed back to the camp using a recce trail we had established from the south eastern to north eastern. On our way back to the camp, we encountered a trail which was confusing. First we thought it was for gorillas but as we were not very sure, we checked very well and we found later that it was for chimpanzees as they were feeding on ants since they were excavating in the tree roots in search of ants. I wish I could be there and watch them doing this. Chimps are very good at handling tools. They use small sticks to remove ants from the holes and eat them. This shows a high degree in evolution among other primate species. We kept moving until we reached the camp at 6 p.m.

THURSDAY, 6th OCTOBER, 2011

Today we left the camp a bit late at 9 a.m. My team and the other had to cover the remaining part of sector BB. We went in the same way until we separate after 500 meters. We took the northern part and the other team took the southern part where they expected to meet the gorillas tracks as they had found something like tracks yesterday on their way back to the camp. We had moved 500 meters, when my trousers (rain gear) started to burn me again, but this time it was serious and very painful. I tried to endure and walk other 500 m when I felt I could not go far. I decided to remove the trousers and stay with a short. It was a bit funny to walk in the impenetrable forest with short at the point that my colleagues started laughing at me saying that it was like I wa going to the beach!!!! I was a dangerous risk to take as I could have been bitten by a poisonous snake other get injured by thorns, but the way I was feeling the pain, I could not walk anymore.

No gorillas were found today. Tomorrow is the last day of our stay and we will have a hard work as we will be covering the part of sector AA which is hilly.

FRIDAY, 7th OCTOBER, 2011

Today was our last day of the census. We were all excited to finish the day and the idea of going back home as we need some rest after 14 days of a hard work in the forest. My team had to work in the difficult area of sector AA as the other team had worked in difficult areas during the last 2 days. The area we were working in is a small southern part of sector AA and we had to finish it since other teams to replace our teams will have to work in the all northern part.

We left the camp at 8:30 a.m. After 30 minutes of walk, we reached a big river, but according to the map we were not supposed t cross it. We argued a bit as the compass bearing showed us to cross it, but finally we decided to walk along the river bank and deviate a bit in the south after 1 hour of walk. When we reached almost in the middle of the journey, I started to feel strong pain in the muscles beneath the right knee, but I tried to ignore it as I thought it was a temporal pain and we had we had a long way ahead us till to the camp. We walked 1 km, when the pain started to increase mainly when we were hiking hills as the area we were working in was full of sloppy hills. We stopped a bit and my team mates helped me doing some massage with a pain reliever.

After that, we kept moving but unfortunately, the pain refused to disappear. I had no other choice, so I kept moving with other trying to keep up with other though I was trying to endure the pain and I told them to keep on the same speed and that I would tell them to slow down when I fell badly. I didn’t want to be some kind of luggage to them. We kept moving and after 2 hours, we hit the main big trail going to the camp. I felt happy to be back again and my hope to get back to the camp safely come again even if I could get back to the camp using my bottom, I was relieved that I would get there anyway. We reached the camp at 5 p.m, had a bath, after the dinner and started to make reports on maps, drawing the all the trails we have used during the whole 14 days and arranging datasheets.

I was very happy that I finished the work and it was well done. However, I felt sad I haven’t seen any gorilla with my eyes to compare with all experience I had with mountain gorillas from PNV as I have told that they are a bit different. Another thing is that we didn’t find many gorilla nest as the objective of the census, but I hope that the middle teams found many as all old nest found were pointing that gorillas were heading in that area.

This census was very beneficial and very instructive and has provided me with some professional experience, mainly using the compass, GPS and maps to find the orientation in the forest. I say sometimes that if I find myself in the middle of Amazon forest with the compass, GPS and the map, I can manage to find my direction out of the forest. For that I am very grateful to Dr Basabose for the initiation. Team working spirit and leadership qualities have been fostered during this census as I was leading the team and took some decisions in hard circumstances which produced good outcomes.

I hope that the results of this census will find an increase in the gorilla population of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. To prove the hard effort invested in the conservation of this charismatic primate species during the last 5 years.