Uniting
Development Needs of People with Conservation
Needs of Charismatic Primates Unveiled at
International Wildlife Conference
9th Meeting of the Parties
to the UNEP-Convention on Migratory Species
1-5 December
Rome, 1 December 2008
- Projects promoting super-efficient 'Rocket
Stoves', encouraging alternative livelihoods
to reduce poaching and federating successful
eco-tourism programmes across Africa are
among a range of initiatives to be promoted
under the Year of the Gorilla 2009.
The Year, launched today
by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II
of Monaco at the opening of a United Nations
wildlife conference, aims to boost conservation
of humankind's closest relatives and their
habitats by boosting the livelihoods and
incomes of local people.
The initiative also aims
to improve the management of national and
cross border populations of primates and
ones living in National Parks by strengthening
cooperation between range states and providing
improved support for rangers and other key
personnel.
Experts last week met
under the new Gorilla Agreement coordinated
by UN Environment Programme's Convention
on Migratory Species (UNEP-CMS). Here they
adopted a comprehensive action plan to support
the upcoming Year.
The action plan includes
a range of inspiring and transformational
projects available for backing by governments,
business, civil society groups and individuals.
Projects
Tests in the Democratic
Republic of Congo have found that locally
made 'Rocket Stoves' can cut charcoal and
wood use by up to 70 per cent. Expanding
the pilot to thousands of homes in the region
could help reduce pressure on gorilla forest
habitats; boost incomes and livelihoods
for local people and improve air quality
in local homes.
A second pilot project,
this time in Cameroon, is boosting alternative
livelihoods in order to reduce commercial
hunting of bushmeat-the Year of Gorilla
plans to expand the 'Apiarists for the Apes'
(an Apiarist is a beekeeper) programme to
more communities.
Rwanda and Uganda are
two countries generating significant economic
returns from ape-based eco-tourism. Indeed
tourism, linked to a significant extent
with Rwanda's Mountain Gorilla populations
now surpasses coffee and tea exports as
Rwanda's number one foreign exchange earner.
It is planned to dispatch guides and operators
from successful eco-tourism programme in
East Africa to countries such as Gabon in
order to boost the success of eco-tourism
initiatives in West Africa.
The Year of the Gorilla
(YoG) is a joint initiative of the UNEP-CMS,
the UNEP/UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization's Great Ape Survival
Partnership (GRASP) and the World Association
of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
His Serene Highness
said:" It is in the interest of the
international community and our honourable
task to save these unique natural resources
and the World Heritage Sites where they
live."
Renowned primatologist
and Year of the Gorilla 2009 Patron Dr.
Jane Goodall echoed Prince Albert II of
Monaco's sentiment saying: "It is time
for us to pool all of our resources toward
saving these magnificent creatures. I am
pleased to lend my voice to the Year of
the Gorilla 2009, a campaign aimed at ensuring
a future for this close cousin of humankind."
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and UNEP Executive Director, said:
"Flagship species such as the gorilla
can be a powerful catalyst for improved
conservation and the more intelligent management
of economically-important ecosystems. In
doing so, initiatives such as the Year of
the Gorilla can galvanize and re-vitalize
action on the ground so urgently needed
to reverse the rate of loss of biodiversity
while generating incomes and improving livelihoods
for local people and communities".
Robert Hepworth, Executive
Secretary of the CMS, said the initiative
came at a time of particular concern as
a result of the armed struggle in parts
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC).
"We are deeply
concerned about the current situation in
the region which threatens communities and
conservation efforts aimed at achieving
the wide-ranging targets of the UN Millennium
Development Goals as they relate to poverty
eradication and environmental sustainability."
"Without doubt
a special aim of the Year of the Gorilla
will be to bring recovery-focused projects
to the DRC once hostilities have ceased
and community-based conservation projects
can be fully resumed," he added.
Today the Year of the
Gorilla also announced luxury travel company
Abercrombie & Kent as its first sponsor.
Justin Wateridge, the
company's Managing Director, said:"Abercrombie
& Kent are delighted to be able to support
the Year of the Gorilla 2009 and in turn
help raise awareness for the plight of the
gorillas and much needed funds towards their
conservation".
Background
Current Situation of
Gorilla Populations
The CMS Agreement came
into force in June this year. It comes in
response to growing concern that despite
years of efforts by the UN, governments
and non-governmental organizations, the
plight of the gorilla remains cause for
serious concern.
Indeed many experts
are warning that without urgent action gorillas
will become extinct in the wild within the
next few decades.
Three of the four gorilla
species are listed as 'Critically Endangered'
on the International Union for the Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) Red List, putting them
at risk of extinction.
The populations of the
Mountain Gorilla in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda and
the Cross River Gorilla in Cameroon and
Nigeria number only 700 and 300 individuals
respectively.
The Eastern Lowland
Gorilla population in the DRC has plummeted
dramatically over the last 10 years with
probably only about 5,000 of the formerly
17,000 animals remaining.
The most numerous subspecies,
the Western Lowland Gorilla which occurs
in Angola, Central African Republic, Cameroon,
DRC, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic
of Congo, number perhaps as many as more
than 200,000 animals. Nevertheless these
populations remain threatened on several
fronts.
Key Threats
The main threats to
gorillas are hunting for food, with at least
one million tons of 'bushmeat' being extracted
each year from the Congo Basin forests,
alongside their use in traditional medicine,
capture of live infants as pets as well
as ensnarement in traps set for other species.
Habitat loss is being
accelerated through logging and slash-and-burn
agriculture. In addition, the region's abundance
in natural resources combined with the production
of charcoal and mining for gold, zinc, uranium
and Coltan - an ore used in electronics
such as mobile phones - is gradually destroying
gorilla habitat.
In addition, armed conflicts
can trigger the displacement of huge numbers
of people who then may use natural resources
unsustainably. On top of this, diseases
like Ebola can wipe out entire populations.
Conservation Action
Ecotourism, sustainable
timber harvesting and improved agricultural
practices can support reforestation campaigns,
anti-poaching efforts and implementation
of development projects. One focus will
be on the regions bordering areas protected
for gorilla conservation.
Developmental projects
that can also contribute include schools
and educational initiatives alongside ones
that cover water supplies and health care.
A wider educational
approach informing the public about the
value of intact ecosystems and the catastrophic
consequences of their loss envisages translations
of applicable wildlife law into the languages
of the communities sharing habitat with
the gorillas.
Research on the various
subpopulations and surveys on their numbers
will be promoted, and corridors should be
established to link otherwise separate subpopulations.
The Year of the Gorilla
invites individuals, conservation bodies,
corporate sponsors and governments to support
this unique global drive for gorilla conservation.
Specific projects to protect gorillas can
be found on the dedicated website (www.yog2009.org).
CMS and its partners
have committed themselves to developing
and implementing this Agreement. It provides
the gorilla range states, as well as the
other governments and organisations involved,
with a legal framework that will reinforce
and integrate conservation efforts.
Notes to editors
The Convention on Migratory
Species (CMS) 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 110 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. (www.cms.int)
The Great Apes Survival
Partnership (GRASP) is a strategic alliance
of UN agencies, governments, NGOs, foundations
and corporate sponsors. CMS is one of the
members of the international GRASP partnership
to stop the decline of great ape populations.
Mobilizing and pooling resources by providing
a communication platform for scientists
will improve coordination among NGOs. National
plans have helped great ape range countries
develop tailored conservation strategies.
(www.unep.org/grasp)
The World Association
of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the umbrella
organisation for the world zoo and aquarium
community. Its members include selected
zoos and aquariums, and regional and national
Associations of Zoos and Aquariums, as well
as some affiliate organisations, such as
zoo veterinarians or zoo educators, from
all around the world. (www.waza.org)
The world-renowned great
ape conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall (DBE)
will lend her voice to the YoG campaign
as the official campaign patron. Founded
in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues
Dr. Goodall's pioneering research that transformed
scientific perceptions of the relationship
between humans and animals. It also is widely
recognized for establishing innovative community-centered
conservation and development programs in
Africa. (www.janegoodall.org)
For More Information Please Contact:
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of
Media
