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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

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?

Ian Redmond, Year of the Gorilla Ambassador, has concluded his US lecture and fundraising tour. He started out on the West Coast, speaking in San Francisco, San Diego and the LA area and finished with a press event at the German Embassy in Washington DC.

Redmond’s talk is built around the fact that large mammals like gorillas and elephants are keystone species in habitats that provide ecosystem services like fresh water and clean air for the whole planet. Gorillas fertilize and disperse seeds through their dung, which regenerates the forests. Saving the gorillas will help preserve these ecosystems that directly determine human survival.

He also talked about his own experiences working with gorillas in Africa, showing videos of gorillas in the wild and describing his recent fact-finding mission to the gorilla range states.

According to Redmond, by 2030, only 10 percent of gorilla habitat will remain free of human impacts. Gorilla populations have had some recovery successes, but their numbers continue to drastically decrease. As YoG Ambassador, Redmond travels the world, talking with politicians, NGOs and addressing the public to promote the conservation of gorillas and to gather funds for projects.

We thank all organizations and individuals who helped to make this tour happen, in LA (see below) and elsewhere!!

Ian Redmond, Year of the Gorilla Ambassador, has concluded his US lecture and fundraising tour. He started out on the West Coast, speaking in San Francisco, San Diego and the LA area and finished with a press event at the German Embassy in Washington DC.

Redmond’s talk is built around the fact that large mammals like gorillas and elephants are keystone species in habitats that provide ecosystem services like fresh water and clean air for the whole planet. Gorillas fertilize and disperse seeds through their dung, which regenerates the forests. Saving the gorillas will help preserve these ecosystems that directly determine human survival.

He also talked about his own experiences working with gorillas in Africa, showing videos of gorillas in the wild and describing his recent fact-finding mission to the gorilla range states.

According to Redmond, by 2030, only 10 percent of gorilla habitat will remain free of human impacts. Gorilla populations have had some recovery successes, but their numbers continue to drastically decrease. As YoG Ambassador, Redmond travels the world, talking to politicians, NGOs and addressing the public to promote the conservation of gorillas and to gather funds for projects.

We thank all organisations and individuals who helped to make this tour happen, in LA (see below) and elsewhere!!

Washington/Bonn – The United Nations Ambassador for the Year of the Gorilla, Ian Redmond, has called for the inclusion of gorillas and elephants, as important components in African rainforests, in the upcoming climate negotiations in Copenhagen.

Large mammals, such as elephants and gorillas, are keystone species in their relevant ecosystems. Gorillas act as ‘gardeners’ in the rainforests of the Congo Basin, and protecting them helps prevent loss of flora that are ecologically dependent on them.

Gorillas are second only to elephants in the number of seeds they disperse each day in the forests of Africa. When eating fruit and seeds, the seeds pass through their system and are in this way prepared for germination.

UN Ambassador, Ian Redmond, who has just returned from a fact-finding mission across eight African gorilla range states said: “The gorillas and elephants of Africa are doing the world a service. UNEP has just succeeded in its Seven Billion Tree campaign, but I would estimate that the apes and elephants of Africa disperse some seven billion seeds every day! The full extent of the role they play in maintaining the health of their forest habitat – a central component of the Earth’s climate regulation -is still poorly understood.”

Fifteen years of armed conflicts in the Great Lakes region of Africa, accompanied by illegal exploitation of minerals to finance militias, led to a sharp increase in demand for bushmeat. In addition, rapidly growing urban populations accelerated deforestation through charcoal production. Consequently, gorillas and elephants have been poached in large numbers.

A dramatic decline in the diversity of vegetation can be observed in parts of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. As gorillas declined and elephants vanished from the montane area, the forest’s flora changed into denser, less diverse vegetation. Weed-like plants, which were formerly held in check by elephants and gorillas, have become much more dominant and are suffocating trees, thereby accelerating deforestation. Myrianthus fruit trees, whose seeds had formerly been dispersed especially by large mammals, are being killed by the Sericostachys scandens vines and if this continues may become increasingly rare.

By building nests, gorillas break off branches and create gaps in the forest canopy that allow light through to the forest floor enabling smaller plants to grow.

The survival of forests requires the protection of the animals in them as well as the trees. In the long term, deforestation is as much a consequence of over-hunting as of cutting trees for charcoal or timber.

Insights gained from encounters with senior government officials, ex-militia, park wardens, conservationists, poachers, loggers and farmers highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to conserve rain forests and gorillas in the Congo Basin.

Supporting existing national action plans to halt deforestation of gorilla habitat is one of the major objectives of the CMS Agreement on the Conservation of Gorilla and their Habitat during the Year of the Gorilla campaign.

Notes to Editors

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals works for the conservation of a wide array of endangered migratory animals worldwide through the negotiation and implementation of agreements and species action plans. With currently 112 member countries, many of them in Africa, CMS is a fast-growing convention with special importance due to its expertise in the field of migratory species. More information is available at: www.cms.int

The Year of the Gorilla 2009

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, declared 2009 the Year of the Gorilla (YoG). Partners in this campaign include the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), in cooperation with UNEP and UNESCO, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The initiative is part of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Its main objective is to raise funds, awareness and political will to implement the CMS Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and their Habitats, a legally binding treaty between gorilla range states.

For more information please contact:

Ian Redmond OBE, Ambassador, UN Year of the Gorilla, Chief Consultant, GRASP – UNEP/UNESCO Great Ape Survival Partnership, Mobile: +44-7769743975 or email: ele@globalnet.co.uk

Veronika Lenarz, UNEP/CMS Secretariat, Coordinator UN Year of the Gorilla) on +49 228 8152409 or email: vlenarz@cms.int

Daniel Karr, Consultant, UN Year of the Gorilla, email: dkarr@cms.int

Ian Redmond, a tropical field biologist and conservationist, spoke about the dangers of decreasing ape populations at a presentation hosted by the Department of Anthropology on Thursday. Several hundred students attended to hear Redmond speak about the importance of ape conservation and their impact on the world. Redmond’s presentation was titled, “Save the Gorillas to Save the World.”

Redmond detailed the impact of gorillas, both currently and if they become extinct, on the world. According to Redmond, by 2030, only 10 percent of great ape habitats will remain free of the impacts of human development in Africa. Only 1 percent of orangutans will avoid the same impacts in Southeast Asia. Gorilla populations have had some recovery successes, but their numbers continue to decrease.

Redmond explained that gorillas are essential to the survival of ecosystems in their home countries, as they fertilize and disperse seeds through their dung, which regenerates the forests.
Protecting gorilla habitats preserves forests, which in turn decreases the amount of carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere from a reduced number of trees and the harvesting process. Redmond concluded his talk by stating primates are keystone species in habitats that provide ecosystem services for the whole planet. Saving the gorillas will preserve ecosystems that directly determine human survival.

Ian is back in the UK, catching up with himself and preparing for his next journey, this time to the concrete jungles of LA, San Diego etc. to fundraise for YoG through a lecture tour.

As the regular reader of this blog will remember, Ian did numerous video interviews and collected other video material. Unfortunately, the files were too large to upload as he went, but we are now receiving them.

One of Ian’s first visits in the Dem. Rep. of Congo was to the Kahuzi Biega National Park, where he interviewed Head Ranger Radar Nishuli on the ever-volatile situation there and on what he thinks of the YoG.

Enjoy!

Year of the Gorilla enthusiast Laurel Colton organized an outstanding outreach and fundraising event at LA Zoo, California, on the 29th and 30th of August. This event was just one in a whole series of events Laurel has put together over the last months, and there is still more to come. It is enthusiasts like Laurel who make this campaign so lively, together with the support of CMS, GRASP and WAZA partners.

Together with a group of volunteers (thanks, guys!), Laurel assembled four infotables with a variety of information materials and fun activities for both kids and adults. Two of the tables were gorilla biofact-related and two were more gorilla conservation-related. Docents from LA Zoo gave talks to visitors about gorillas, the YoG, and the LA Zoo’s gorilla family group and bachelor group members throughout each day. The zoos enrichment team arranged for special icy treats (frozen tubcicles containing vegetables and fruits) to be given to gorillas to stimulate more activity in the heat of the day (and boy, was it hot!).

On Saturday, August 29th, Dr. Craig Stanford gave a lecture on gorilla biology and conservation, which was a great success, drawing in a crowd and helping raise 1300$ for gorilla conservation projects.

All weekend, visitors could see a replica of a gorilla skull, as well as hand and foot casts and prints up close. A map poster showed all four gorilla subspecies and where they live in Africa. Small kids could also “Groom a Gorilla” – large furry cut-outs of gorillas needed some insects and other debris removed from their “fur”.

The team also displayed a large YoG poster and a chart with the eight YoG-supported conservation projects. Two complementary conservation projects were specially featured – the Gorilla Organization’s fuel-efficient stoves program and the Virunga Fund’s biomass fuel briquettes program. The team felt these were probably the most eye-catching and practical programs to display for visitors. The zoo’s Eco Corp students (assisted by a docent) actually built a model of the fuel-efficient stove.

Thank you, volunteers (all of you)!A further acitivity was “Be A Gorilla Researcher”, with L.A. Zoo Research Volunteers guiding children (ages 8 and up) while the children could pretend they were researchers observing a gorilla, using a catalogue of basic behaviours to classify what the gorillas were doing. This activity showed the children how information about gorillas is obtained and how gorillas are studied in the field.

“Who Knows Whose Nose Is Whose?” was an activity teaching kids and adults to recognize the different gorilla species, and even individuals, by the shape of their noses, the “noseprint”.

“Guarding the Gardeners of the Forest” was a magnetic storyboard that allowed visitors to learn more about gorilla conservation. On magnets, images of all four gorilla subspecies, the natural/positive features of their habitats (e.g., foods they eat, vegetation, other animals that live with them, park rangers who protect them), and the major threats to their survival (e.g., deforestation, mining/coltan, charcoal trade, bushmeat trade, Ebola virus, warfare, human encroachment), were portrayed. Docents led visitors through the story by asking questions about what should naturally be part of gorilla habitat, then introducing the threats and talking about the consequences of these threats, and finally asking visitors how the problems could be resolved.

Gorillas are referred to as the “gardeners of the forest” because their presence helps maintain forest biodiversity. Gorillas disperse the seeds of many plants which they eat, some of which are endemic to their forest habitats. In addition, when gorillas build new nests each night, they clear away portions of the forest canopy, letting light in and encouraging new growth of seeds and saplings.

Last but not least, green gorilla hand stamps were also a big hit, as children LOVE to get an image of an animal stamped on their hands..

Thank you, Laurel, Craig, docents and team, great work!!!

One afternoon of the Great Ape Health workshop, August 21-23, was spent discussing methods to vaccinate apes against such deadly natural diseases as Ebola, or against diseases that humans might bring, such as ‘flu.  Many captive gorillas, we were told, are given an annual ‘flu vaccine as a precautionary measure but this has not yet been done to wild gorillas.

There is an ethical debate about whether this is an unacceptable level of intervention in a natural ecosystem, but the majority of those present seemed to agree that if human activities are causing the problem, humans should attempt to solve it.  And although Ebola might be natural, the repopulation of an area after an outbreak is more difficult since humans have fragmented the forest and in many places, bushmeat hunters will still kill any survivors.

Paradoxically though, Ebola seems to have a greater impact where gorillas are not hunted, because densities are higher and this enables the disease to spread more easily.  But vaccination of gorilla populations at risk from the advancing Ebola wave is now a serious option thanks to Peter Walsh and colleagues in a project called Vaccinape (http://www.vaccinape.org/).

They are working on oral vaccines for unhabituated gorillas (if they can find a bait that wild gorillas want to eat) and vaccines to be delivered by darts or so-called biobullets (biodegradable material with the vaccine inside) for gorillas who can be approached. Not only might this save whole populations of gorillas, it will greatly reduce the risk of Ebola outbreaks in humans – many of which have been traced back to someone handling or butchering an infected ape they found in the forest.

As such, it would seem to me that the costs of Vaccinape should be shared by human health agencies, because as Richard Preston graphically described in The Hot Zone if one of these emerging diseases mutates to be better able to survive out of the host’s body, enabling it to spread by droplet infection, H1N1 would seem like a walk in the park in comparison…

The links between human and gorilla health is the focus of a relatively new NGO, Conservation Through Public Health (www.ctph.org), that recently won the Whitley Award (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tDRbZ80OAY).  Founded by Uganda’s best know wildlife vet, Dr Gladys Kalema Zikusoka, it recognises that there is a three-way connection between human health, domestic livestock and wildlife. As people and their animals are increasingly living in close proximity to dwindling natural habitat, the health of the whole eco-system needs to be addressed.

A recent study of E. coli bacteria in gorilla dung, for example, found strains showing resistance to antibiotics (available without prescription in Uganda) that can only have come from the local human population. Gladys and her team work to improve treatment of people and livestock around gorilla habitat as well as the wildlife in that habitat, and introduce health measures to minimise the risks of cross-contamination.

After the workshop finished, Gladys and her husband Lawrence kindly hosted me for my last night in Kampala. Lawrence is a telecom specialist and is seeking to launch a new Gorilla Calling Card that would bring a sustainable source of revenue to expand this important work to other gorilla habitats.  We could have talked all night, but I had to finish reviewing Desmond Morris’s new book ‘Planet Ape’ for BBC Wildlife, and we all had an early start the next day.