Mountain Gorillas in the Post-Rio Era

Mountain Gorillas in the Post-Rio Era

Ursula KarlowskiUniversity of Rostock

Republic of Uganda

tropical highland climate

Area: 236.860 qkm - equivalent to the size of former BRD; 18% lake and swamp area (circa 40.000 qkm)

Capital city Kampala ca. 1,8 Mio. inhabitants

Population: approx. 27 Millions, growth rate: 3,5%

Head of State: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni since 29.01.1986 after civil war, elected in 1996, re-elected for 5 years on 12.03.2001, and again for 5 years on 23.02.2006

Ruling party: National Resistance Movement (NRM)

vegetational zones potential forest cover

Albertine Rift montane forests

Victoria Basin forest savanna mosaic

Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands

East Suadanian savanna

Northern Acacia-Commiphora bushland and thickets

Lake

forest

UGANDA

N

national parkforest reserve

Lakes

Intern. boundary

5 km0

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L. Bunyoni

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1

2

RWANDA

D.R

. CO

NG

O

UGANDA

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3KISORO

L. Mutanda

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3

1 - Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

2 – Echuya Forest

3 – Mgahinga Forest

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Parc National des Virungas

Parc National des Volcans

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Muside Sabinyo Gahinga

Visoke

Karisimbi

Mikeno

Muhavura

Virunga Conservation Area

Dr. Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey‘s grave in Karisoke, Rwanda

Mountain Gorillas Gorilla beringei beringei

• appr. 380 individuals live in the Virungas

• 28 family-groups, plus 11 solitary males

• the subspecies is CRITICALLY ENDANGERED according to the IUCN Red List

http://www.wildlifedirect.org/gorillaprotection/

Photo: Jörg Hess

Current Numbers and Geographic Ranges of Africa's Great Apes

Approx.Species andSubspeciesNumbers

Approx.Range (km²)

Robust chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) 200,000 838,000

Western chimpanzee (P. t. verus) 40,000 48,000

Nigeria chimpanzee (P. t. vellerosus) 5,000 20,000

Central chimpanzee (P. t. troglodytes) 62,000 270,000

Eastern chimpanzee (P. t. schweinfurthii) 96,000 500,000

Gracile chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) 40,000 120,000

Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) 94,000 445,000

Western lowland gorilla (G. g. gorilla) 94,000 445,000

Cross River gorilla (G. g. diehli) 200 300

Eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) 17,000 15,000

Mountain gorilla (G. b. beringei) 380 400

Grauer's gorilla (G. b. graueri) 17,000 15,000

Bwindi gorilla (G. b. subspecies?) 300 200

Virunga Volcanoes (Uganda)

4000

3000

2000

afroalpine vegetationafromontane cloud forestbamboo forestcultivated landericaceous zoneHagenia-Hypericum forestmontane grassland & scrubregeneration zone

Muhavura

GahingaSabinio

4000 m

3000 m

2000 m

East West

Afromontane and afroalpine archipelago-like floristic region

altitudinal zonation of vegetation

• Afromontane Cloud Forest (2300 - 2600 m)

• Bamboo Forest (2600 - 3000 m)

• Hagenia-Hypericum Forest (2900 - 3300 m)

• Ericaceous Zone (3300 - 3500 m)

• Afroalpine zone or ‘Paramo‘ (3500 - 4127 m)

Afromontane Cloud Forest 2300 - 2600 m

Impatiens niamniamensis

Balsaminaceae

Impatiens apiculata

Balsaminaceae

Epipactis africana

Orchidaceae

Bamboo Forest2600 - 3000 m

bamboo:

Sinarundinaria alpina

Poaceae

bamboo shoots: favourite staple food for mountain gorillas!

Thunbergia alata Acanthaceae

Hagenia-Hypericum Zone 2900 - 3300 m

Hagenia abyssinicaRosaceae

Hagenia abyssinicaRosaceae

Ericaceae-Heath 3300 - 3500 m

Erica arboreaEricaceae

Polystachya kermesina

Orchidaceae

Afroalpine Communities 3500 - 4127 m

Dendro-Senecio

Dendro-Lobelia

Giant Rosette Plants: Dendro-Lobelia and Dendrosenecio Woodlands

Giant Lobelia

Chamaeleon rudis

confusing boundary changes

nature conservation at Mgahinga Forest

Gorilla Sanctuary

1930 - 1964

Mgahinga Forest Reserve

1941 - 1951


1951 - 1977

Gorilla Game Reserve

1964 - 1991


1977 - 1991

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

1991 up to now

phase 1 the struggle

against poaching and forest

destruction 1989 - 1992

prevention of further forest destruction

hold up poaching

Photo: John Kahekwa

poaching

Cephalophus nigrifrons

prevent cattle grazing inside the reserve

phase 2wildlife conservation

under a new legal status:Mgahinga Gorilla Nationalpark

1992

the former and the new boundary

remember – the old boundary from 1964

Gorilla Sanctuary

1930 - 1964


1941 - 1951

ammunition cleanup

tree nursery using indigenous seeds: Hagenia abyssinica, Bersama abyssinica, Tabernaemontana johnstonii

The first tourists on gorilla visit

phase 3the post Rio-Era

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~danov20d/site/history.htm

USAID funded Project starts

• A Project called „development through conservation“ (DTC) starts to work in the villages near the national park

• their aim: to improve the living conditions of the population

• their tool : „sustainable“ resource use inside protected areas

Nature Conservation Project

protection of wildlife in the national park

Development Assistance Project

use of resources in the national park

conflicting priorities

natural regeneration shall lead to an enlargement of the bamboo forest

removal of bamboo rhizomes and stems




development of eco-tourism and revenue-sharing with local communities

harvest of natural products as tool for local development




income-generating through build-up of infrastructure (Ranger, Tourists, Researcher, park administration, local market)

use of natural resources




?


forest regeneration in degraded areas



use of natural resources inside the degraded areas

Multiple use in the National Park

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1000 m

Herbalist

Herbalist

Herbalist

Herbalist

Herbalist

Herbalist

Herbalist

HerbalistHerbalist

Herbalist

HerbalistHerbalist

Bee Keeping

Bee Keeping

Bee Keeping

Bee Keeping

Bee Keeping

Bee Keeping

Bee Keeping

Bee Keeping

tree felling

tree fellingtree felling

tree felling

water collection

water collectionwater collection

water collection

Bamboo production

Bamboo production

Bamboo rhizome removal

Bamboo rhizome removal

Herbalist

Implementation of sustainable resource use principles

into Managament Plans:conflict about bamboo

photo: Ulrich Karlowski

– 20 % of the area becomes a multiple use zone

– within this zone the aim of natural regeneration of vegetation is subordinate to resource use

– activities comprise amongst other things:• harvesting of bamboo rhizomes and stems

– no mentioning of recovering ... you cannot harvest what has to grow first ...

The first management plan (1994 – 1998)

– again, a strip along the northern boundary is allocated as „Multiple-Use-Zone“

– „within this zone, limited and strictly controlled access to specified Park resources may be granted to lacal community members. ...“

– „... the Multiple-Use-Zone is currently recovering from past disturbance and may, at the moment, not be able to supply alll the types or quantities of resources desired by local communities ... .“

The second management plan (1996 – 2000)

„ ... The ultimate objective will be to eliminate plant resource harvesting for propagation purposes (i.e. bamboo rhizomes) from the Nature Protection/Tourism Zone by 1997 and to arrive a long term elimination of any extraction of medicinal plants and basketry making resources.“

The second management plan (1996 – 2000) continues:

correction of aims – the new management plan for 2001 - 2011

review of the multiple use programme

“Since most of this area has been previously encroached and is just regenerating, extractive resource use should be allowed only if ecological assessment recommends so. “

correction of aims – continued ...

“Resource access in both parks shall only take place where an assessment has been completed. The assessment shall determine the availability of the resources within the specified area, the amount of off-take ... that will be sustainable, and the ability of park management and the community to effectively control access and use.”

correction of aims – continued ...

“There is high demand for bamboo among communities. However, the collection of bamboo rhizomes needs careful study especially as it is found further in the parks than the integrated resource use zones. On-farm planting by communities should be encouraged through availing rhizomes during the suitable planting seasons. Sustainable use shall be ensured through use of specific days or seasons for collection under the supervision of park staff.”

<

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<

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Kanungu camp

Rushaga camp

Ndego camp

Kitahurira camp

Nteko camp

Buhoma

Ruhija

5 0 5 10 15 Kilometers

Administrative zoneIntegrated Resource Use zoneTourism zoneTourism/Integrated Resource Use (overlap)Wilderness zone

Park boundary< Outposts

International boundary

N

<

<

<

<

<

<

<

Kanungu camp

Rushaga camp

Ndego camp

Kitahurira camp

Nteko camp

Buhoma

Ruhija


Administrative zoneIntegrated Resource Use zoneTourism zoneTourism/Integrated Resource Use (overlap)Wilderness zone

Park boundary< Outposts

International boundary

N

<<

<

<

<

MGNP Ntebeko OfficeMuhabura Outpost/campsite

Shelter

Shelter

Nyakagezi outpost

Administrative zoneIntegrated Use zoneTourism zoneWilderness zone

Park boundary< Outposts/Shelters


N

<<

<

<

<

MGNP Ntebeko OfficeMuhabura Outpost/campsite

Shelter

Shelter

Nyakagezi outpost

Administrative zoneIntegrated Use zoneTourism zoneWilderness zone

Park boundary< Outposts/Shelters


N

conservation of endangered species through

protection of their habitat

resource use by local communities inside protected areas


photo: Ursula Karlowski

http://www.wildlifedirect.org/gorillaprotection/DSCF0059.JPG

résumé

stake holders have a heavy responsibility, to find a sound solution to this ongoing conflict, which will last forever:

the conflict between exploitation and conservation of nature

a solution is of particular importance in this case, where a highly endangered species is concerned.

résumé

achievement of local aims shall not counteract global objectives

extinction is forever (Golden Monkey, Mountain Gorilla, ...)

gorilla-tourism income could run dry

regular ecological assessment is necessary

Michael Succow: intrinsic values versus profit:

If we acknowledge the intrinsic values of all living beings a new era could begin and could be the driver for a new humanism, in which not only the interaction of man and nature but also between humans could be humanized.

References:

Butynski, T. & Kalina, J. (1993): Three new mountain national parks for Uganda. Oryx Vol 27 No4 October 1993.

Karlowski, U. (2006): Afromontane old-field vegetation: secondary succession and the return of indigenous species. Afr. J. Ecol., 44, 264–272.

Sucker, K.-J., Karlowski, U., Okongo, K., Karlowski, U., Meder, A. (1994): Wildlife conservation and ecological sustainability of resource use in: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Information for the Management Plan. Analysis provided to the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, and others. Kampala, Kisoro, Bonn, Düsseldorf.

Uganda National Parks (1993): Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Draft Management Plan 1994 – 1998.

Uganda National Parks (1996): Mgahinga Gorilla National Plan Management Plan 1996 – 2000.

Uganda Wildlife Authority (2003): Bwindi / Mgahinga Conservation Area General Management Plan 2001-2011. Kampala

http://www.berggorilla.de/english/frame.html

http://www.solarviews.com/eng/earth.htm

http://cumuseum.colorado.edu/Exhibits/Traveling/Fossey/details.html


Succow, M. (2002): Ursprüngliches erhalten. Über Deutschlands Verantwortung für die biologische Vielfalt. Naturschutz heute – Ausgabe 2/02 vom 26. April 2002.

If not stated otherwise, all photos by Ursula Karlowski and Klaus-Jürgen Sucker.


Mountain Gorillas in the Post-Rio Era

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