Through its founding partner WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums), the YoG has secured the support of currently over 100 major zoos around the world. These zoos are crucial to educating and raising awareness of the deteriorating situation of gorillas and their habitat, as they are in a good position to reach the general public directly.
Many are also involved in field conservation and undertake fundraising efforts for various gorilla conservation projects.
Bonn – The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, will declare 2009 the Year of the Gorilla (YoG) on December 1st at its ninth Conference of Parties in Rome. Partners in this campaign will be the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), in cooperation with UNEP and UNESCO, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The Year of the Gorilla is part of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
Three of the four gorilla species are listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Gorillas are listed on Appendix I of the IUCN. The legally binding CMS Gorilla Agreement on the conservation of gorillas and their habitats in the ten African range states aims at securing the survival of gorilla populations in the wild.
The main threats to gorillas are hunting for food and traditional medicine, destruction of habitat through logging, mining and production of charcoal, the effects of armed conflicts and diseases like Ebola.
The YoG campaign will work for the implementation of the CMS Gorilla Agreement by supporting conservation action in gorilla habitat. Other aspects will be the funding and training of rangers, support for scientific research, development of alternative sources of income, e.g. ecotourism, as well as education and awareness raising. Interested parties will be given the possibility of supporting specific projects presented on the website (www.yog2009.org).
As part of the of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, will declare 2009 the Year of the Gorilla (YoG) on 1 December at its ninth Conference of Parties in Rome.
Partners in this campaign will be the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), in cooperation with UNEP and UNESCO, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
The CMS convention brokered the CMS Gorilla Agreement on the conservation of gorillas and their habitats in the ten African gorilla range states. This legal agreement aims to secure the survival of gorilla populations in the wild.
The YoG campaign will work for the implementation of the CMS Gorilla Agreement by supporting conservation action in gorilla habitat. Other aspects will be the funding and training of rangers, support for scientific research, development of alternative sources of income, e.g. ecotourism, as well as education and awareness raising. Interested parties will be given the possibility of supporting specific projects presented on the website (www.yog2009.org).
The book was developed to raise awareness amongst young people about the crisis facing mountain gorillas, and the need for everyone to help. Like it’s predecessor Owen and Mzee, “Looking for Miza” is already no. 1 in Amazons non fiction childrens books on monkeys and apes. This book was made possible through a collaboration with the ICCN and involved working with Diddy and Innocent, two rangers who are the heroes of the story. After spending time with them in Congo they both came to Kenya to help tie up ends. Both Diddy and Innocent were wonderful to work with and are recognized in the book along with others for their important contributions towards the story and photos. from is the editorial review on Amazon
“In a magical place called the Congo, in the beautiful forests and jungles of Virunga National Park, lives a young female mountain gorilla named Miza. She was just like any other baby gorilla, riding on her mother’s back, playing, taking naps. Then, one day, when Miza and her mother were out searching for food, Miza’s mother disappeared, leaving her baby alone and frightened. Miza’s father, a fierce silverback named Kabirizi and the leader of Virunga’s largest family of mountain gorillas, set out to find Miza. The Congolese rangers, who dedicate their lives to protecting the gorillas, were searching for Miza, too. Everyone was worried about her. Then something amazing happened: Kabirizi found Miza and brought her back to live with her family.
Virunga is home to roughly 380 mountain gorillas, just over half of the planet’s remaining mountain gorilla population. Miza and other mountain gorillas face an especially uncertain future. They are an endangered species, disappearing at an alarming speed. Without our help they could vanish completely.
Filled with lush photographs by award-winning photographer Peter Greste, LOOKING FOR MIZA is a powerful call to action. The fate of these majestic creatures is in our hands. This is Miza’s story. It’s our story, too. “
Children are signing the Kids Global Act Pact and leaving suggestions for solutions to the crisis on the Scholastic website here
Several news articles and blogs have noted that the launch of Looking for Miza will help to raise attention to the crisis facing mountain gorillas in Congo. We are also really pleased that the book will also raise funds. When we started the project to do the book with Craig Hatkoff, we had three important objectives
1. To raise awareness. This book is currently in English and will be translated into a number of languages including native languages in Africa where it will be distributed. The Scholastic Junior corp of journalists from Rwanda will be helping to deliver messages across East and Central Africa and to the rest of the world through the Scholastic website.
2. To help people get involved in Gorilla conservation. We saw how this can work in New York on Friday when children in in the USA and globally were involved in the launch of the book and submitted hundreds of ideas to the website. Scholastic will continue to provide opportunities for involvement through their website.
3. We also aimed to raise funds for Gorilla conservation and already US$ 150,000 has been set aside to support rangers in the Virunga National Park from the Owen and Mzee Foundation. This should help to support many rangers over a one year period.
The situation in eastern Congo seems to be worse than ever and it’s now a year since the rebels have been in control of teh gorilla sector. Miza, and her family are at great risk. According to this article on MSNBC fighting continues near the park as Nkunda tries to extend his area of control. Just last month four people were killed and several injured (18 of them rebels) . This may be why Emmanuel, Innocent and Diddy were unable to travel to New York to attend the launch of the book “Looking for Miza”.
Given the seriousness of the situation we are interested in your thoughts and ideas on how this children’s book can help to raise awareness, involvement and funds for gorilla conservation.