Gorilla Journal - berggorilla.org · Another Mountain Gorilla Killed in the Virungas During June and July 2001, there was an increase in fighting between the military of the rebel

Journal of Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe

Training in Spe-cies Identificationfor Kahuzi Guides

Activities againstthe BushmeatTrade

Bushmeat Tradeand Primate Con-servation aroundCross River Park

GorillaJournal

No. 23, December 2001

Continuing Ex-ploitation ofCongo's Re-sources

BERGGORILLA & REGENWALD DIREKTHILFE

2 Gorilla Journal 23, December 2001

CONTENTSDemocratic Republic of Congo 3Another Mountain Gorilla Killed 3Training in Species Identificationfor Kahuzi Guides 3News from Kahuzi-Biega 3Two Gorillas Born � more than7000 Killed 4Continuing Exploitation ofCongo's Resources 4Socio-economic Study aroundKyavirimu 5Donations 7This Is What We Have Done �Thanks to Your Support! 7Uganda 8Trip to Uganda 8A System to Support Monitoring ofGorillas and Illegal Activities 9The Life of Reuben Rwanzagire 11Rwanda 12Beetsme Is Dead 12A Tribute to Mathias Mpiranyaand the Trackers of Karisoke 12Amendment 13Gorillas 14Activities against the BushmeatTrade 14Bushmeat Trade around CrossRiver Park 15Conservation of Great Apes onthe Periphery of the Dja Reserve 18Reading 21News from the Internet 23Our New English Website 23

Edem A. Eniang is working as aresearcher in the Cross River NationalPark.

Valery Kasereka Bishikwabo isthe chief warden of Kahuzi-Biega Na-tional Park and the director of the "In-tegrated Nature Conservation Projectin Eastern D. R. Congo" (ProjetPNKB-GTZ). He has a masters de-gree in regional land use and develop-ment at Université Laval of Québec/Canada. He has been involved in theconservation of Kahuzi-Biega for thelast 10 years.

Dr. Angela Meder observed thebehaviour and development of captivelowland gorillas for 10 years. Todayshe works as a book editor. Since1992 she has been part of the Board ofDirectors of Berggorilla & RegenwaldDirekthilfe.

Dr. Mathias Orgeldinger studiedthe behaviour of siamangs in zoos formany years. Now he is working as afree-lance journalist, specializing inscience.

Paluku Vasangavolo Pavasa is asociologist and an independent re-searcher. He is the coordinator of thelocal NGO CADAK (Coordination deActivités de Développement Autourde Kyavirimu) in Kivu, D. R. Congo.

Dr. Klaus Schmitt is a TechnicalAdvisor with the GTZ Project "Advi-sory Services to Uganda Wildlife Au-thority". He has been working in re-search and nature conservation pro-jects in Africa for more than 15 years.

Iris Weiche began her work withprimates, in the wild and in zoos, in1990. Since 1994 she has been activefor Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkt-hilfe, and in May 1997 she joined theBoard of Directors.

Dr. Liz Williamson studied goril-las in Gabon from 1984 until 1990.She was involved in gorilla surveys inCongo/Zaire and Cameroon in 1994and 1995. Until the end of 2001 shewas the Director of the Karisoke Re-search Centre.

Authors of this Issue

Kanyunyi A. Basabose works forthe CRSN at Lwiro. Since 1994, hehas been researching the ecology ofgorillas and chimpanzees in Kahuzi-Biega. In 1996, he took part in thegorilla census.

Dr. John E. Cooper is a wildlifeveterinarian and specialist patholo-gist, at present based in the UK butinvolved in teaching and projects inAfrica and elsewhere. From 1993 to1995 he and his wife lived in Rwandawhere he was Director of the CentreVétérinaire des Volcans (now theMountain Gorilla Veterinary Project).

Margaret E. Cooper is a Britishlawyer who has published widely onanimal and conservation legislation.She has lived with her husband inEast and Central Africa, including twoyears with the mountain gorillas inRwanda.

Jef Dupain established the bono-bo research site Mpako (1994) andIyema (1995) for the Royal ZoologicalSociety of Antwerp. He was active inZaire/D. R. Congo until the end of1998, and is still trying to continue inthe bonobo area. In 2000, he expand-ed his activities in Cameroon. He iscurrently Coordinator of RZSA for insitu projects in Central Africa.

Organization Address:Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfec/o Rolf BrunnerLerchenstr. 545473 Muelheim, GermanyFax +49-208-7671605E-Mail [email protected]:http://www.berggorilla.orgBank Account:Account number 353 344 315Stadtsparkasse MuelheimBank code number 362 500 00

Gorilla Journal 23,December 2001Editor: Angela MederAugustenstr. 122, D-70197 StuttgartFax +49-711-6159919E-mail [email protected] and Proofreading: AnnDeVoy, Bettina and Andrew GrieserJohns, Colin GrovesDesign: Edwin Artho, Angela MederProduction: Gentner-Verlag, StuttgartCover: Augustin Kanyunyi Basabosewith his training course during abotanical excursionPhoto: A. Kanyunyi Basabose

D. R. CONGO


Training in SpeciesIdentification for KahuziGuidesThe rangers protecting a national parkshould be the ones who know mostabout the park's fauna and flora. Unfor-tunately, this is not always the case.The Kahuzi-Biega National Park is acase in point. Until recently, the train-ing of tourist guides focussed on thegorillas, the greatest attraction of thepark. However, tourism should be de-veloped further, as soon as visits canbe resumed, to include the entirefauna and flora. A good knowledge ofanimal and plant species is also re-quired for the exact documentation ofobservations during patrols.

To address this, Augustin Kanyu-nyi Basabose proposed to train parkstaff in ecology and species recogni-tion. Together with other experts hefounded the Kahuzi Biodiversity Train-ing Group. Within the framework ofthis project, a group of 3 lecturersrepresenting various disciplines con-ducted a seminar for 12 park staffmembers in June. The course lasted21 days in total and was partlyfunded by Berggorilla & RegenwaldDirekthilfe.

In the first phase, participantslearned the basics of taxonomy, bio-geography, rain forest ecology andanimal and plant morphology. In thesecond phase, the experts conductedmodules on their specific areas of ex-pertise: the ecology of the Kahuzi-Biega forest, plants and mammals.Endangered and endemic specieswere introduced in particular detail.Some of the sessions took place in-side a training building; some wereconducted in the field, where partici-pants practised their newly acquiredknowledge. For example, in one exer-cise they collected plants to identifythem later in the botanical laboratoryof the CRSN (Centre de Recherche enSciences Naturelles) Lwiro.

The lecturers developed detailedand richly illustrated training materialsfor this course. Augustin KanyunyiBasabose included the materials, to-gether with documentation on thetraining course, in a report. Thecourse contents themselves are pre-sented on over 108 pages (in French).This seminar will not be the last. Todate, the focus has been on plantsand mammals; future courses of theKahuzi Biodiversity Training Groupwill cover other interesting topics. Fi-nally, the documentation is to be re-vised in such a way that other nationalparks will be able to use it for similartraining courses.

News from the Kahuzi-Biega National Park

The exploitation of the coltan reservesin the Kahuzi-Biega National Park is aserious threat to the biodiversity ofthis protected area. In the beginning of2001, the price for coltan had reachedUS$ 100 per kilogram. At that time,approximately 15,000 people were in-side the park and 69 quarries wereoperating. In June, the price for coltanstarted falling drastically. Currently,prices are between US$ 1 and 10,depending on how much tantalum theore contains.

It is not known whether this dra-matic drop in price has had an impacton the situation in the lower part of the

Another Mountain GorillaKilled in the Virungas

During June and July 2001, there wasan increase in fighting between themilitary of the rebel forces in the De-mocratic Republic of Congo, Rwandaand Uganda with militia groups ineastern Congo. Much of the fightingtook place in the forested Virunga Vol-canoes. Rugendo, the dominant sil-verback male of one of the gorillagroups on the Congolese side of theborder, was shot dead during clashesbetween the military and Interahamwemilitia groups on July 15, 2001. Hedied only about 40 m from the parkboundary.

Rugendo had been habituatedsince 1986 and was visited by hun-dreds of tourists. His body was takento Rumangabo, the park headquar-ters, for examination. His remains willbe buried there, with those of the othergorillas killed during the war. His son,Sekwekwe, who is also a silverback,has taken over leadership.From a press release by the AfricanWildlife Foundation

Photo: W. Mugisha

A delegation from the southernpart of the Parc National des Vi-runga receives ranger equipmentfrom our storage. From left toright: Kambale (ranger), Nkakasi(monitoring and research), Gara-fura (secretary) and Muhindo Mesi(Conservateur Mikeno Sector).

During the theoretical part of thetraining

D. R. CONGO


park. Two mines were closed, thelevel of air traffic in the region hasdeclined and the number of foreignersin the area has decreased. However,the local population and the armedgroups who settled in the park duringthe coltan boom are still there. Ofcourse, they are now looking for alter-native ways of making a living. Themining of gold has recently intensifiedin the region, seemingly as a substi-tute for coltan. The park is at risk fromextensive cultivation of agricultural ar-eas inside the park, deforestation ofand fishing methods that permanentlydamage lakes and rivers.

It is rumoured that several gorillababies, chimpanzees and parrots arein the possession of private individualsin Bukavu. It should be mentioned thatelephant meat is no longer availableanywhere, but this may merely be anindication that the elephants of thelower part of the park have met thesame cruel fate as the elephants ofthe mountainous part (the latter wereall massacred between 1997 and1999).

The people who are currently insidethe park know that they will be drivenout sooner or later, so everyone istrying to take anything of value withthem � and as much of it as possible.They are currently building up stocksof forest products in order to continueselling them after they have beendriven out. This massive exploitationof the natural resources is currentlythe biggest threat to the fauna andflora of the Kahuzi-Biega NationalPark. It is urgent that the people wholive in the area of the park be resettled,and assisted in developing livelihoodsthat do not rely upon exploitation ofthe park's resources.

The good news is that the illegalcontracts on land utilisation in thearea of the Kahuzi-Biega corridor,which were given to 12 farmers, wereannulled. This finally affirmed the cor-rect legal position of the ICCN (Institut

Continuing Exploitationof Congo's Resources

In November 2001, the UN publishedan addendum to the April report of theUN panel of experts on the illegal ex-ploitation of natural resources andother forms of wealth in the Demo-cratic Republic of Congo. The panel"confirmed a pattern of continued ex-ploitation carried out by numerousstate and non-state actors, includingrebel forces and armed groups, con-ducted behind various facades in orderto conceal the true nature of the activi-ties". Although the effect of the earlierpanel's report and the withdrawal ofUgandan troops gave the impressionthat the exploitation activities hadbeen reduced, the facts on the groundshow that they are, in fact, continuing.

Uganda and Rwanda have commit-ted thousands of troops in support ofthe Congolese rebels fighting Presi-dent Joseph Kabila. Angola, Zimba-bwe, the Central African Republic andNamibia have also deployed thou-sands of troops to fight alongside thegovernment to counter the rebel ad-vance. It was interesting to note thattroops were deployed or stationedwhere there were rich natural re-sources. The UN panel concluded thatthe troops were used as a tool bygovernments to grab as much as theycould of the natural resources of theDemocratic Republic of Congo.

According to the report, a wide ar-ray of interests has ensured that thewar remains a self-financing and self-sustaining affair. While parties to the3-year conflict in the country mayhave been originally motivated by se-curity concerns, they have remainedin Congo largely for economic gain.

The Congolese people are notamong the beneficiaries of this activ-ity; the panel states that the exploita-tion of human resources by all partiesto the conflict has resulted in "flagrantand systematic violations of the funda-

Two Gorillas Born �more than 7000KilledTwo gorilla babies were born inthe mountainous part of the Ka-huzi-Biega National Park. Thenumber of the gorillas living thereis estimated to be around 130.The two habituated gorilla fami-lies of Mugaruka and Misheberetogether include 52 animals.

However, the two newborngorillas are a minimal increasecompared to the tragic loss of somany individuals during the lastfew years. It is estimated that ofthe 8,000 gorillas who lived in thepark some years ago only about1,000 will survive the war. Weshould do our best to ensuretheir survival.

Congolais pour la Conservation de laNature). In August/September 2000,the South Kivu governor's office de-ployed a mission to determine thepark borders, in order to put an end toa conflict between the park and farm-ers who had settled illegally inside thepark. After the mission had finished itswork, it came under attack. Nine peo-ple were killed and one person is stillmissing. Subsequently, their refer-ence marks were found on the ground.From these data, the exact position ofthe farms in relation to the park couldbe determined. The responsible au-thority informed the farmers con-cerned that their contracts were an-nulled, although one problem still re-mains: 4 farmers have alreadyreceived their registration papers. TheBukavu Court of Justice is due to con-duct a hearing in which the annulmentof these papers is to be undertaken,but the court has not made any state-ment on this case for a year.

Valery Kasereka Bishikwabo

D. R. CONGO


mental rights of the Congolese peo-ple", the panel reported.

The 38-page report can be down-loaded at http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/letters/2001/1072e.pdf

The fall in coltan prices is forcingrebels in eastern Congo to seek alter-native means of revenue, according toa report by Refugee International.Profits from the exploitation of coltanhave been a major source of incomefor the Rwandan-backed Rassem-blement congolais pour la democratie(RCD) rebel movement that controlsmuch of the region.

Although the price of coltan hasdropped dramatically, many people ineastern Congo are still working incoltan mines. For them, it is still moreprofitable to sell coltan than beans orother crops from their fields. Others,however, have lost their job, and often

they see no other alternative for surviv-ing than to exploit other resources(e.g. wildlife) or to join rebel groups.

Socio-economic Studyaround Kyavirimu

Kyavirimu (also called Tshiaberimu) isa protected area located within theParc National des Virunga. Apart fromvarious plant and animal species, themost popular attraction of the moun-tain is the gorillas. The word Kya-virimu, in the local language Nande,means "mountain of spirits".

All the educated people of NorthKivu, especially those of the areaaround Beni and Lubero, are worriedabout the cruel and systematic de-struction of the ecosystems of Kya-virimu and the Parc National des

Virunga. There have been some at-tempts to intervene, but the two warsin the eastern Democratic Republic ofCongo (1996 and 1998) made the situ-ation more difficult. The wish to saveand protect the ecosystems of Kya-virimu led a group of nature lovers tomake investigations in the surround-ings of Kyavirimu. They wanted to findan answer to the question: Why isKyavirimu still being destroyed de-spite national and international inter-ventions, and how can its ecosystemsbe saved?

In 2000, we carried out the inquiryin Kyondo, Kyavinyonge, Magheriaand Masereka as well as small vil-lages that contribute to the pressureon Kyavirimu. The large settlementsexert direct pressure on the protectedarea. We visited these places within aperiod of 30 days. Our visits were very

Details about the villages

Kyondo Kyavinyonge Magheria Masereka

Distance from Kyavirimu 16 km 19 km 8 km 7 km

Population 17,000 22,000 13,000 13,000

Comments The population lives Lies on Lake Ed- Agricultural people; Agricultural peoplefrom agriculture; city ward, the population many local who respect thewith electricity and lives from fishery; initiatives authority of theiracceptable living con- border crossing point chief; many localditions; traffic junction to Uganda initiatives

Institutions, services 6 primary schools 2 primary schools 4 primary schools 4 primary schools5 second. schools 2 second. schools 2 second. schools 3 second. schools1 inst. for higher educ. 1 health centre 5 pharmacies 5 pharmacies1 general hospital 10 pharmacies 1 health centre 1 health centre12 pharmacies 3 health posts 1 market 1 dispensary3 dispensaries 1 market 1 theatre 1 multi-functional36 shops, 1 market 2 theatres 10 shops hall6 theatres

Use of Kyavirimu firewood; boards for boards for dugout firewood and wood firewood and woodhouses; bushmeat canoes; firewood for boards; search for boards; searchconsumption; search and charcoal; wood for arable land for arable landfor arable land for fish smoking gold mining gold mining

hunting hunting hunting

D. R. CONGO


delicate because of the security situa-tion and the economic difficulties. Wedid not cause suspicion because weknew the area very well and the popu-lation was sympathetic.

In general, about 75% of the popu-lation are Catholic, 20% Protestantsand 5% others, e.g. Islamic. They allbelieve in the spirits of Kyavirimu. Allthe settlements list the following astheir most important problems: notenough fertile land; no means of masscommunication; no drinking water.

As we wanted to obtain the opinionof the whole society, we interviewedpeople from all the different groupswithin the population: members of reli-gious groups, intellectuals, traditionalchiefs, people active in development,administrators. The questions weposed were:1. How many gorillas and plant spe-

cies exist on Mount Kyavirimu?Replies: Many; difficult to tell; there is

high-quality wood for boards; thereare wild animals that can be huntedin times of malnutrition; many me-dicinal plants.

2. What are you looking for on Kya-virimu?

Replies: Fields that are still fertile;gold; we visit our ancestors; meat.

3. Are there any settlers on Kya-virimu?

Replies: Of course; you know themeaning of the word Kyavirimu;many people that have to hide; thatis the secret of our ancestors.

4. Why do you destroy Kyavirimu?Replies: Because we are kept force-

fully from communicating with ourancestors; we go and get back theland/fields that were confiscatedlong ago; we cannot suffer from pro-tein deficiency if wild animals areclose; we are poor but gold is closeon Kyavirimu; we are looking forhigh-quality wood for boards; we donot have enough firewood, boardsand charcoal � near a forest thathas no importance.

5. How does Kyavirimu benefit or howdid it benefit you since it was incor-porated into the park?

Replies: Nothing; always political har-assment; a little money for cropsfrom our fields; you see our pover-ty for yourself; we are angry andstressed since our children werekilled and buried on the mountainbecause they were mining for gold,and we want revenge and compen-sation; nothing, because our an-cestors are angry since we do notvisit them freely any more.

Others replied: If we want to visit ourancesters, do we have to ask forpermission? We do not alwaysconsult the official chiefs but thetraditional chiefs.

There are moderate people as well asvery radical ones. Their answers makeus understand their frustration and an-ger regarding the political manage-ment of Kyavirimu. There is a gapbetween conservation policies andcultural values regarding the conserva-tion of Kyavirimu. From these findings,we conclude that Kyavirimu is threat-ened from within and without.

Activities that threaten Kyavirimuwithin the protected area:� Gold mining,� Hunting of small animals and

snares for small animals,� Tree felling (production of charcoal

and boards),� Agriculture (search for fertile fields),� Make offerings to the ancestors.Threatening activities outside of thepark:� Selling and buying gold,� commercial production of boards,

charcoal and firewood,� Trade in wild animals.It is not only the large settlements inthe surroundings of Kyavirimu that de-stroy the ecosystem, but also thosefarther away (e.g. Butembo with about250,000 inhabitants, Beni with about180,000 inhabitants and Lubero withabout 21,000 inhabitants).

What Can Be Done?Some associations and local organi-sations in Kyondo, Kyavinyonge, Ma-gheria and Masereka know about thedanger that threatens Kyavirimu. Theyare trying to mobilize people and in-crease the public awareness amongthe active members of developmentorganisations working close to Kya-virimu. 13 of them are part of a networkof these associations and develop-ment organisations called CADAK(Coordination de Activités de Dé-veloppement Autour de Kyavirimu).Their aims are:� Include all these organisations in a

conservation program to supportsustainable development aroundKyavirimu,

� Public awareness campaigns tostop the destruction of the WorldHeritage site, since the populationis already aware of its importancefor local cultural values,

� Support the member organisationsin realizing their aims.

CADAK's priority activities are:� Intensive conservation awareness

of important local people,� A planning seminar,� Planning for each association,� Global planning for all the organisa-

tions,� An assessment of all the associa-

tions and organisations.It is important to very actively includethe population in the surrounding areain conservation politics and the pro-tection of the ecosystems. But it isalso important that researchers ex-plain their findings to the population.They hardly know anything aboutKyavirimu's resources, plants or ani-mals.

Therefore, public awareness cam-paigns are extremely important. Forthis purpose, all the partners and peo-ple working for development need tocooperate and share their experi-ences.

Paluku Vasangavolo Pavasa


This Is What We Have Done �Thanks to Your Support!

� In our Kisoro store we keep equipment for rangers which isdistributed to national parks as required.

� The population profits from this activity as well: some of theclothes are produced by a local co-operative.

� We regularly support the conservation magazine Le Gorillewhich is distributed around the Kahuzi-Biega National Park.

� Scientists and conservationists from African countries aresupported, e.g. with technical equipment for their work.

� In addition, we fund important and urgent individual projects,such as the continuing education of rangers, awareness cam-paigns for the population and the reconstruction of destroyedbuildings.

All of this has proven very successful and will continue. Butthis is not enough. A lot has changed over the last few years� and today our support is needed more than ever!

Victims of WarOver the last few years, millions of people have died in the Great Lakes region because of the war and itsconsequences. Countless others have lost their means of existence. According to a FAO report on worldhunger, the number of malnourished people in the Democratic Republic of Congo has increased between1990�1992 and 1997�1999 by almost 30%. The situation has deteriorated further since then. In order to survive,people have to raid the natural resources.

BERGGORILLA & REGENWALD DIREKTHILFE

Complete chaos now reigns in the regions ravaged bywars. The structures of society have been destroyedand aid organisations have given up their projects.Children are no longer able to go to school. But theyare the ones who have to protect their natural heritagein the future!

Therefore, we want to support schools in theGreat Lakes region. However, we cannot do thison our own: we are lacking both funds and expe-rience. We are, therefore, looking for donors andexperts who are experienced in this form of hu-manitarian aid.

If the gorillas and their habitat are to be conserved forthe future, we will have to support the people evenmore. In addition to hunger, lack of education is a greatproblem. Only people who know the significance of anintact natural habitat will treat it with respect.

The magazine Le Gorille isdistributed for free. It informsthe population living close tothe Kahuzi-Biega NationalPark about the park and itsconservation. We will fundthe next edition.

The future of Africa's gorillas, its nature and its people has to besecured! Please help us to achieve this goal!

Please send your donation to:Rolf BrunnerBerggorilla & Regenwald DirekthilfeLerchenstr. 545473 Muelheim, Germany

UGANDA


Trip to Uganda

In July2001, Juliana Ströbele-Gregorand I travelled to Uganda in order tomeet representatives of the Ugandangovernment and partner organisa-tions. I submitted a Memorandum ofUnderstanding, a written document ofofficial cooperation, to Robbie Robin-son, the Director of the Uganda Wild-life Authority (UWA). Since the begin-ning of 2001, Ugandan authoritieshave increasingly required the sub-mission of such a document from or-ganisations active in Uganda. The bu-reaucratic procedures required forsupport to reach the projects remain acritical point in the Memorandum. Oneimportant issue is that custom dutiesare currently payable on equipmentimported into the country. Other or-ganisations have the same problem.Unfortunately, we have not yet re-ceived any information that would indi-cate that these duties will be waived infuture. Another issue is that the Me-morandum of Understanding guaran-tees the provision of a certain number

of rubber boots per year for both gorillanational parks.

In discussions with GTZ (GermanTechnical Aid) representatives, welearned that funds from German au-thorities for direct nature conservationmeasures will be steadily decreased.The World Bank has also reduced itscommitments, so that the UWA nowdepends on support from conservationorganisations. GTZ representativeKlaus Schmitt told us about the bio-monitoring project MIST (page 9).

We also met with Samson Werikheof the Wildlife Clubs of Uganda, whoare active in environmental education,and with Helga Rainer from the IGCP(International Gorilla ConservationProgramme). IGCP is in the processof trying to attract funds to buy landadjacent to the Bwindi ImpenetrableNational Park. This land in the imme-diate vicinity of the Nkuringo gorillagroup's range is currently cultivated.We visited the area. Crops are fre-quently raided by at least some of thegroup's 19 members. Crop-raiding go-rillas are driven back into the forest by

Habitat of the Nkuringo gorilla group in Bwindi. The gorillas and otheranimals frequently leave the park to raid fields. Photo: Iris Weiche

people trained specifically for this pur-pose. However, as this is an uphillstruggle, it has been decided to createa buffer zone by purchasing additionalland. Eight rangers are responsible forthe Nkuringo group. After our visit, wedonated 8 backpacks, raincoats andsweaters to those rangers. All 80rangers of Bwindi Impenetrable Na-tional Park received sweaters pro-duced in a cooperative in Kisoro.

Unfortunately, we had bad luckwhen we tried to visit the gorilla groupin Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Onone occasion, they had migrated overthe border into the Congo shortly be-fore our arrival and on the other occa-sion, no stand-by permits were avail-able. However, the behaviour of therangers and the accompanying sol-diers was correct and pleasant. Weconsider it an appropriate develop-ment that the national park's officehas been moved from Kisoro directlyto the border of the park.

During a short visit to Rwanda wevisited the Sabinyo group. Because ofthe security situation, there were onlya few tourists on the visitor lists. Many

The ranger Silver (in the middle),responsible for the Nkuringogroup, receives equipment fromour storage. Photo: W. Mugisha

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soldiers and rangers accompanied us(a total of 3 tourists), but they keptback when we encountered the group.Here, too, regulations were strictly ob-served. We were very happy to be thefirst tourists to see a newborn thatwas only 3 days old. The group, whichconsisted of 12 members, including 2silverbacks, was very relaxed. After awhile, the young mother came into theopen, laid down on her back and af-forded a good view of the baby clingingto her stomach.

I also had a meeting with ClaudeSikubwabo who suggested a coopera-tion in the new IUCN Peace Park Pro-ject. We told him that the Berggorilla& Regenwald Direkthilfe would provide4 bicycles for the rangers of the Sa-rambwe area. They have since been

handed over by our assistant WilliamMugisha. We will also provide moreequipment for the rangers in thesouthern part of the Virunga NationalPark (Mikeno Sector), Congo. Al-ready, 14 raincoats and 41 sweatershave been handed over from our store.Additional equipment will arrive soonfrom Germany.

I had a conversation with a repre-sentative of the Tayna Gorilla Reserve,Mr. Likanga, on the progress of theecological survey conducted therefrom July to September. Forty peoplehelped to survey mainly large mam-mals (such as gorillas, chimpanzees,elephants and okapis). The projecthad started as an initiative of the sur-rounding communities and is thereforewidely accepted by the approximately1,000 people living around the reserve.The initiative seems to be going welland we will continue to follow itsprogress with great interest. I handedover US$ 100 to Mr. Likanga as acontribution to the boundary demarca-tion. In addition, the staff received 10raincoats, 10 sweaters, t-shirts, onetent and other pieces of equipment.

We visited St. Gertrud's School inKisoro and talked about possibilitiesfor cooperation there. Environmentaleducation is an important way to in-

crease the acceptance and support ofprotective measures in communitiesbordering the park. We would like tostart up German�African class orschool partnerships in our project ar-eas. Mother Superior Petronella ex-plained that she would like to plant ahedge around the school plot with thehelp of the science teacher and ourassistant. Bee-keeping is also plan-ned and possibly the construction of agarden for medicinal plants. Thesemeasures can demonstrate ecologi-cal relationships and the benefits ofconserving nature to young people.

Iris Weiche

A System to SupportMonitoring of Gorillasand Illegal Activities

MIST is a spatial Management Infor-mation System which has been un-dergoing development since 1997 bythe Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)as part of a GTZ project � AdvisoryServices to the UWA. It has beendesigned to provide managers andplanners at all levels with up-to-dateinformation for planning, decision-making and evaluation. The intendedusers of MIST have been involved inthe design of the information systemfrom the start and their informationneeds have determined what data arecollected, the methods of analysisand the types of output.

Iris Weiche and William Mugishain front of the Virunga Volcanoes

Photo: Juliana Ströbele-GregorRangers after paramilitary trainingin Buhoma Photo: William Mugisha

During the meeting with Claude Sikubwabo Kiyengo (middle): ChrisOryema, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (left), and William Mugisha(second from right). Photo: Iris Weiche

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MIST has been developed as auser-friendly client/server applicationwhich is easy to maintain and update,thus contributing to sustainability. Itprovides information generated by theprocessing of data and also by givingaccess to files which are kept in acentral archive on the UWA server.The program can be completely con-trolled by clicking on map items, pagetabs, list entries and buttons of theMIST query wizards. All users haveeasy access to the central databasefrom their workspace through a localarea network (LAN) or through datatransfer by e-mail or disks to the data-base on their computer.

Data Collection by Rangers andtheir Use for MonitoringIn UWA ranger patrols are used tocollect monitoring data because atpresent UWA has neither the man-power nor the finances to carry outscientific monitoring programs bydedicated staff.

Data sheets, based on the informa-tion needs of managers and plannersand standardized for use throughoutthe country, have been developed withsupport from the GTZ project. Theyinclude data sheets for ranger law-enforcement patrols for recording ob-servations on key wildlife species andillegal activities. The data sheet formonitoring gorilla groups developed byIGCP for use in Rwanda, Congo andUganda has also been included inMIST. The only modification is thatUWA uses Global Positioning Sys-tems (GPS) for geo-referencing of alldata collected by rangers.

Data collection by rangers canbe either systematic or opportunistic.Systematic data collection includesgorilla group monitoring and monitor-ing of the numbers of indicator spe-cies such as the fish eagle along wa-terways. Opportunistic data collectionis carried out during law-enforcementpatrols by rangers, who take GPS

readings for each observation (wildlifeand illegal activities), but at leastevery 30 minutes. This enables notonly the production of accurate distri-bution and home range maps, but alsothe calculation of the distance coveredby each patrol with reasonable accu-racy, which in turn enables the calcu-lation of distance-related indices. Indi-ces provide measures of relative den-sity and can be used in comparisonsfor monitoring without the need for ex-pensive baseline data. Examples fordistance-related indices are snarescollected per kilometre patrolled andcosts per kilometre patrolled.

Planned ActivitiesThe data entry is not only time con-suming but also a source of mistakes.Most data entry in MIST is thereforedone by selecting items from look-uptables which are stored on the centralserver. For geographic coordinatesthe project is in the process of replac-ing data entry with data download fromthe GPS. Thus, wardens will be able

to download the waypoints (i.e. date,time and coordinates) from the GPSdirectly into the MIST data entryscreens for gorilla monitoring and datacollected by law-enforcement patrols.

A stand-alone PC version of MISThas been developed for use in theprotected areas. These will get ac-cess to MIST through direct dial-in tothe server at UWA Headquarters us-ing either the mobile telephone net-work or the land-line telephone. Dataimport/export will be handled by MIST

Rangers testing MIST in theMurchison Falls National Park

The border between Uganda and Rwanda � Mgahinga Gorilla NationalPark and Parc National des Volcans � on the Virungas

Photo: Juliana Ströbele-Gregor

UGANDA

and data transfer will be done by e-mail. The existing network will soonbe extended to include Bwindi andMgahinga National Parks.

Rwanda and the Democratic Re-public of Congo are using the samesystem for the monitoring of gorillagroups and a similar system for datacollection by ranger patrols. Effortsare currently under way to agree ondata exchange and ownership be-tween the three countries. If all man-agers of the gorilla parks of theVirunga Volcanoes had access todata from the three countries, theycould make informed decisions basedon up-to-date information on gorillamovements across international bor-ders and cross-border patterns of ille-gal activities.

Here MIST could play an importantrole in giving all managers fast andeasy access to up-to-date regionaldata through data transfer via e-mail.Easy data import/export is possibleby means of a custom-made applica-tion program which will provide therequired outputs at the click of a but-ton without being dependent on acomputer expert.

Klaus Schmitt

The Life of ReubenRwanzagire

Roveri (Reuben) Rwanzagire was aForest Guide in Uganda and in the late1950s and early 1960s served astracker and advisor to many who vis-ited the mountain gorillas on slopes ofMgahinga in the Virunga Volcanoes.His contribution to a better under-standing of mountain gorillas and towhat would now be termed "gorillatourism" was detailed and recorded byWalter Baumgärtel, proprietor of theTravellers' Rest, a small hotel in Ki-soro, South West Uganda, in hisbooks Up Among the Mountain Goril-las (1976) and Unter Gorillas (1977).

Walter Baumgärtel died in Europein November 1997. His life and workwere described in an extensive Obitu-ary and Tribute to him by P. V. Tobiasand H. S. R. Glaser (South AfricanJournal of Science 95, March 1999).

The fate of Reuben Rwanzagire re-mained uncertain until late in 2000when, following our enquiries, a friendfrom Kisoro reported that he was nolonger alive. We had always hoped tomeet Reuben as part of our study onthe history of mountain gorilla re-search. Notwithstanding this disap-pointment, we made a trip to Kisoro inApril 2001 and stayed at the Travel-lers' Rest. The hotel has recently beenattractively renovated as part of a jointproject between the Diocese of Kisoroand the Austrian Government. Withthe assistance of local contacts, welocated Reuben's home where hisfamily still lives. We met his widow


and were shown the spot near hishouse where he is buried; his grave ismarked simply by lava boulders. Thenext day Reuben's son came, bringingwith him a photograph and a certifi-cate. The photo depicted the presen-tation to Reuben of a Certificate ofHonour "in recognition of the loyal andvaluable service rendered by him tothe Uganda Protectorate". The awardwas made in 1962 by the last Gover-nor of Uganda, Sir Andrew Cohen onbehalf of Queen Elizabeth, and de-picts Reuben, in a suit, surrounded byBritish and Ugandan dignitaries.

This was a moving and memorablevisit to Kisoro and we felt pleased thatwe had been able to honour a manwho played a key role in the study ofmountain gorillas. It is, we feel, impor-tant that those early pioneers, particu-larly Africans, are not forgotten.

John and Margaret Cooper

Reuben Rwanzagire's son with John Cooper, displaying his certificate

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Beetsme Is Dead

In June 2001, the body of the malemountain gorilla Beetsme was discov-ered by Karisoke field staff. The formerleader of a group of 25 gorillas hadbeen missing from his group for sev-eral days. As his body showed noobvious signs of injury or illness, it ispresumed that he died of naturalcauses.

Beetsme was first observed byDian Fossey in 1975, when he wasabout 10 years old. He joined an es-tablished gorilla group. When DianFossey found out that he was a male,she was surprised, because she hadnever observed a blackback male tojoin a strange group, and exclaimed"Beats me!" � this was subsequentlytransformed into "Beetsme".

When he reached maturity, Beets-me became the dominant silverbackof his group and fathered a number ofoffspring. With advancing age, how-ever, he lost his leadership position toa younger male named Titus, wholeads the group today. Beetsme hadknown Titus for many years and thetwo formed a strong bond.

Even after Titus took over, theyworked together to help maintain theintegrity of the group. At times, Tituswas observed confronting intrudingsilverbacks, while Beetsme remainedbehind with the females, keepingthem together. Today, this group in-cludes several other young silver-backs and juvenile males.From a press release by the DianFossey Gorilla Fund International

A Tribute to MathiasMpiranya and theTrackers of Karisoke

Rwanda is best known for DianFossey, the mountain gorillas, and forthe genocide of 1994. Less wellknown is the hell to which the popula-

tion was subjected during 1997 and1998 ("Rwanda: The Insurgency in theNorthwest". African Rights, London.1998). During that time, the Intera-hamwe took over the volcanoes whenthey were forced out of refugee campsin Zaire in 1996. They used the goril-las� forest home as a base from whichto subjugate the local population. TheVolcanoes National Park was closedto tourism, the government parkguards and guides suspended anti-poaching and monitoring of four gorillagroups for a full 2 years, and thou-sands of people were killed.

The Karisoke trackers were unableto enter the park for 14 months, butused their initiative to negotiate mili-tary escorts to monitor three gorillagroups which had been studied fromKarisoke for three decades. It is notonly the hard work � long hours inphysically strenuous high-altitude ter-rain and a formidable climate � whichmakes the attitude of these menunique. It is the extent to which theyrepeatedly risk their lives.

Conservation in Rwanda is not onlya constant battle against poachingand other illegal activities, but for adecade there has been civil war in andaround the volcanoes. The rugged ter-rain on the forested slopes provides arefuge where rebel groups are difficultto locate. Many gorilla trackers�homes were looted as they wereknown to possess raingear, rubberboots, and other equipment useful toinfiltrators hiding in the forest. To try tocombat the risks they were facing, in1999 the park staff underwent agrueling period of paramilitary trainingto be able to protect the gorillas andthemselves.

We began 2001 with optimism, an-nouncing a 10% increase in theVirunga mountain gorilla populationsince 1989. Insecurity has preventeda full census, so we used knowledgeof known individuals monitored by theprotected area authorities in Rwanda,

the Democratic Republic of Congoand Uganda, the Karisoke ResearchCentre and the International GorillaConservation Programme to producea minimum count of 359 individuals.This gave us great hope that the goril-las are surviving in the face of so muchadversity.

Events took a turn for the worse inlate May, as the Great Lakes conflictcontinued to stir, and several groupsof rebels entered the Virungas in anattempt to return to Rwanda. It was agreat shock to learn of the killing forfood of at least one silverback gorilla,shot on June 1. Eating primates isagainst Rwandese culture and one ofthe rebels was so afraid that his com-patriots had be driven to such des-peration, that he handed himself overto the authorities. Those capturedsubsequent to the killing admitted tohaving shot a second silverback. Thegorillas were solitary males, so ouronly consolation is that these deathswere not disruptive to group life. (Thekilling of silverbacks in groups usuallyleads to disintegration of the groups,as was seen with Group 13 in Rwandaand more recently in the Kahuzi-Biega

Mathias MpiranyaPhoto: Liz Williamson

RWANDA

National Park). After the killing wasbrought to light, protection of the goril-las was greatly intensified with enor-mous support from the Rwandese gov-ernment.

The security situation remainedprecarious for more than 3 months,during which time the Karisoke track-ers monitored the gorillas irregularly,having received instructions not to visitgorillas when soldiers were unavail-able to accompany them. On August20, they went to work without a mili-tary escort, having been assured thatthe area they were entering was safe.Nine trackers were on the gorillas� trailwhen they were surprised by a smallgroup of rebels. Mathias Mpiranya, al-ways the strongest and the bravest,was in front.

As he prepared to fire, rebels shothim in the chest and he died instantly.

Born in 1962, Mathias began work-ing for the Mountain Gorilla Project in1980, and participated in gorilla ha-bituation for the newly initiated tour-ism program, before he became anexceptional member of the Karisokestaff in 1991. He was strong as ahorse, hard working, brave and gentle.In 1998, his wife was shot dead withtheir baby on her back. Mathias wasleft with four children to care for andremarried last year. His bereaved wifenow has four dependants who are noteven her own children. Mathias� lossis devastating, a terrible waste of awonderful person. He was a source ofstrength and courage to us all, and wemiss his calm good humor and hissmile.

Mathias� death has been madeharder to come to terms with by insidi-ous insinuations that he was acciden-tally killed by one of his colleagues incrossfire. Mathias was one of the realheroes of conservation, the ones whorarely receive recognition. Nowhereelse have I encountered such extraor-dinary dedication. The motivation todo their best in their jobs, their loyalty

to the mountain gorillas and the con-servation ethic begun by Dian Fossey,has developed and grown over morethan 30 years working as a team.With little formal education, the Kari-soke staff have learnt about the biol-ogy of the montane forest and its in-habitants by assisting many studentsin their field research. And their enthu-siasm has been fired and maintainedas they have recognised the impor-tance of the Volcanoes National Parkand the vital ecological role of themontane forest to the human popula-tion living in this region. I wish to ex-press my enormous admiration forthese remarkable men, whom it hasbeen a personal education to workwith and a privilege to know, and towhom we are greatly indebted.

Liz Williamsonemail: [email protected]

Amendment to myarticle in the GorillaJournal 22

I would like to apologize for a mistakeI made in my article "Visit to theMountain Gorillas in Rwanda" in theJune 2001 issue of the Gorilla Journal.I failed to inform Chris Whittier aboutmy upcoming account in the above-mentioned journal which includes anunofficial statement, and not any for-mal report, of our personal communi-cation (Chris Whittier is, by the way,not an official representative of theMountain Gorilla Veterinary Project,but a visiting veterinary researcher col-laborating with them).

I wrote that the few soldiers andporters usually stay at a distance fromthe gorillas and that only the visitorsand guides approach the gorillas towithin a few meters. I added the com-mentary that this is not always en-forced. I myself did not observe thisexception to the rule during the twogorilla trackings in the Parc National

Guhonda, the older silverback ofthe Sabinyo group. In August2001, the younger silverback,Ryango started to fight him.

Photo: Iris Weiche


des Volcans. If it occurs, it is due tothe security situation in the Virungaswhich necessitates military escortsthat cause additional logistic chal-lenges, but ensures the safety of thevisitors. Thus, it is sometimes noteasy to enforce all park regulations.

This is understandable, and theguides cannot be blamed. I agree withChris Whittier (who never criticizedthe work of the guides during our con-versation) that all parties in Rwandaare doing an admirable job of ensuringthe welfare of the mountain gorillasand keeping the staff properly trained.I would like to add an excerpt of myarticle in the June 2000 issue of theGorilla Journal which demonstratesmy admiration for the work of the parkpersonnel: �Guards and guides taketheir work seriously and feel responsi-ble for the animals.�

October 2, 2001Cyril C. Grüter, Zürich (Switzerland)

GORILLAS


Activities against theBushmeat Trade

The bushmeat campaign initiated bythe European Association of Zoo andAquaria (EAZA) is approaching its cli-max. In the summer of 2001, many ofthe member zoos redoubled their pub-licity efforts. The collection of signa-tures for a petition addressed to politi-cal decision-makers in Europe and Af-rica terminated on 31 October. Withmore than 1.9 million signatures, ithas been very successful. The exhibi-tion "Gorillas in the Cooking Pot",which had been designed with consid-erable input from Berggorilla &Regenwald Direkthilfe, was placed onthe internet (http://www.bushmeat-kampagne.de) by us.

This was done on the occasion of apress conference of VDZ (the Asso-ciation of German Zoo Directors) inearly September. Panellists includedpoliticians and representatives of zoosand conservation organisations. Otherconservation organisations such asthe Jane Goodall Institute and the In-ternational Fund for Animal Welfare(IFAW) were also present. Questionswere invited from the press after thepanellists had made short state-ments.

The lobbying of politicians contin-ued in the European Parliament inBrussels on 6�8 November. The hand-ing over of the petition with more than1.9 million signatures was combined

with a big press conference and apublic hearing. The bushmeat ex-hibition was shown too. Its Englishand French versions have also beenplaced on the internet by Berggorilla &Regenwald Direkthilfe (http://www.bushmeat-campaign.net). IFAWhas funded the lobbying required be-fore and during the EAZA campaignas well as the English and Frenchversions of the exhibition on theinternet. In cooperation with other or-ganisations working to solve the bush-meat problem (e.g. UNEP), an EAZAdelegation will travel to concerned Afri-can countries early in 2002 to handover the petition.

The funds generated by renting outthe German exhibition "Gorillas in theCooking Pot" currently add up to morethan DM 13,000. As agreed with otherparticipating organisations, fundswere shared between various natureconservation organisations. The WildChimpanzee Foundation (WCF) andthe Royal Zoological Society of Ant-werp/Jef Dupain received DM 2,000each. WCF will use this money tosupport environmental education in itslong-term project in the Taï NationalPark, Côte d'Ivoire. Theatre plays anda newspaper aim to help create anawareness of the problem among thehuman population living in the vicinityof areas with threatened chimpanzeepopulations.

Jef Dupain is in the process of set-ting up a conservation project in

Cameroon in cooperation with the lo-cal population (page 18). This areaborders the Dja Wildlife Reserve andcontains chimpanzees and gorillas,among other species. The money willbe used for the employment of localrangers.

Roland Wolf, representative ofRettet den Drill/Pandrillus also re-ceived DM 1,000. Mainly active in Ni-geria, this organisation runs an or-phanage and a breeding station for thethreatened drill. Project leaders LizaGadsby and Peter Jenkins have alsobeen running environmental educationcampaigns for a long time.

In agreement with Karl Ammannand Rettet den Regenwald (Save theRain Forest), DM 5,000 have beenmade available to fund the next issueof the magazine Le Gorille for theKahuzi-Biega National Park.

Iris WeicheThere are several other initiatives inprogress to try to solve the great apesbushmeat problem. In November/De-cember a mission of the UNEP pro-gram GRASP (GReat Apes SurvivalProject) visited African countries todiscuss action plans. Each countryconcerned already had already nameda national focal person for GRASP.

In October, the ad-hoc committeeof the IPS (International Primatologi-cal Society) discussed with UNESCOrepresentatives the possibility ofdeclaring the great apes as WorldHeritage Species. The aim is to

On the panel: Marianne Holtkötter (Stuttgart Zoo), Ulrich Schürer(VDZ), Uschi Eid (German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation)Konrad Schwaiger (ACP EU Commission), Koen Brouwer (EAZA), IrisWeiche, Karl Ammann Photo: Michael Reibenspies

Discussion with the press andmedia Photo: Michael Reibenspies

GORILLAS


appoint a Special Envoy and nationalambassadors for the great apes inhabitat countries. During that discus-sion, however, it became clear thatthe concept has to be developed furt-her. Its implementation is a complexprocedure and will take some time.

Bushmeat Trade andPrimate Conservationaround Cross River Park

Bushmeat generally refers to meatderived from wild animals (from wildlifesources), which is normally con-sumed in place of meat from domesticor livestock sources. The supply ofbushmeat from wild sources no doubtserves as the only possible measureto bridge the gap between livestockproduction protein supply and humanpopulation growth. Wild animals ofvarious sizes, both vertebrates and in-vertebrates, form parts of the diet ofpeople across the globe.

In Subsaharan Africa, the propor-tion of wild animal meat in the totalanimal protein supply is exceptionallyhigh. Thus, communities living nearrain forest in Nigeria obtained as muchas 84% of their total animal proteinneeds from bushmeat. Forest mam-mals account for between 20 and 90%of the total animal protein consumedin Benin Republic, Cameroon, Ghana,Cote d�Ivoire, Liberia and Nigeria.However, wild animal meat demandstended to a large extent to focus onlarge game species such as ante-lopes, large primates, large rodents,etc. The preference for bushmeat hasbeen attributed to the higher proteincontent and the fact that bushmeatcontains less fat than domestic ani-mal meat and supplies iron, vitaminsA and B, etc.

The traditional inclination of ruralpeople of the Cross River NationalPark area towards bushmeat can beexplained as a matter of attitude.

Based on years of studying and fol-lowing bushmeat trends and tradearound the park, this author has seenthat the bushmeat phenomenon tran-scends current public or popular opin-ions about the issue. The issue (bush-meat trade and consumption) is ascomplex as the rain forest itself andthe motivation for the trade and con-sumption as diverse as the speciesinvolved in the trade.

Major Bushmeat MarketsMany bushmeat markets exist inCross River State, Nigeria, and inmany other cities within adjoining

states in southern Nigeria. But themost popular markets can be found inObanliku, Obudu, Boki, Ikom, Ugep,Biase, Akamkpa and Calabar LocalGovernment Areas.

A majority of these markets areweekly markets, which operate onseparate days of the week on a rota-tional basis. In each of these markets,full bushmeat sales do not go onthroughout the duration of the mar-kets. The present strategy involvesthe sale of bushmeat as soon as theday breaks. At this time, the buyers(mostly women) who have gatheredfrom several locations, especially from

The Cross River National Park and adjoining reserves in CameroonMap: Astrid Varrasquinho; original map: Edem Eniang

GORILLAS


densely populated cities such as Uyo,Aba, Port Harcourt and Calabar, andthe middlemen (mostly men) whohave returned from several huntingsites across the state and fromacross the international border, en-gage in the brisk trade in black marketstyle. It is the middlemen that haveeither direct contact with the huntersor through village collectors.

Trade PatternsThe traders restrict their sale ofbushmeat to the early hours of the daybefore officials of the law enforcementagencies begin their day�s job. Move-ment of bushmeat from the interior tothe markets etc. is mostly carried outon weekends, especially Sundays,and also public holidays, when offi-cials are less vigilant or are likely to be

away from their duty posts. Others gothrough odd routes, e.g. rivers, bushtracks and farm trails.

Beyond the recognized bushmeatmarkets, other avenues for trade andconsumption include, but are not lim-ited to, roadsides (especially alongmajor highways), restaurants, drink-ing parlours, hotels, bushmeat barsand joints, bukerterias (these are spe-cial make-shift restaurants or eatingplaces usually constructed of semi-permanent materials or bamboos,ramshackled in nature, where the op-erators serves bushmeat as majorcomponent of their trade), etc.

Another serious situation is thecross border trade where hunterscross over to less protected forests inCameroon to hunt and poach animals,which are then brought into Nigeria for

sale. The sequence of trade showsclearly why it is possible to obtainvarious kinds of bushmeat in any townin southern Nigeria irrespective of itslocation or whether such animals stillexist in these areas or not. Therefore,to the superficial observer, wild ani-mals seem to be inexhaustible. Thismakes it difficult even for enlightenedNigerians to accept the fact thatbushmeat and indeed primates arebeing exterminated from their nativehabitats.

Animals TradedPrior to the 1990s, it was possible tosee almost any mammalian speciesof reasonable size traded in majormarkets. Recently, even reptiles,birds, amphibians, fishes and insectshave not been left out. It is simply thefact that the word "bushmeat" refersmostly to those animals generally ac-cepted by the largest number of peo-ple while others are just consumed asdelicacies. Furthermore, recent sur-veys have shown that certain speciesare traded for reasons beyond proteinsupply. Therefore, some species havebeen traded for ritual and fetish uses,medicinal and concoctive uses, sou-venirs and decorative functions as wellas the pet trade (if the animals werebrought alive to the market).

It has been observed that there is atraditional attachment of the generalpopulace to meat from wild sources.This factor and the relative scarcity ofbushmeat have led to higher prices ofmeat from wild sources than meatfrom domestic sources. The in-creased vigilance of park officials hasalso led to a relative scarcity ofbushmeat even in known bushmeatmarkets. Interestingly, a few areasaround the park do not actually haveaccess to other sources of animal pro-tein and hence depend on bushmeat,while in other areas people simply rel-ish bushmeat in spite of available al-ternatives.Bushmeat trade in the Oban Hills region

GORILLAS


national parks in Nigeria and else-where in West Africa � is grosslyhampered by lack of funds, so thatmany projects are not successfullyexecuted without undue delays andfrustrations. Hereby, it would be a wel-come relief if well-meaning organisa-tions with clear motives come to as-sist or sponsor some park manage-ment activities, projects as well asprovision of kits, equipment, technicalsupport and so on.

Research. There is a serious needfor increased research activities in allareas of the park, and to date, re-search activities have not been con-ducted in certain important areas ofthe park except for few casual studyvisits by some visiting scientists. Nolong-term well-organized research hasbeen undertaken in recent timeswithin the park and in other nationalparks. Currently, the members of theBiodiversity Preservation Group(BPG), formally Primates Preserva-tion Group, have continued to main-tain a research presence in some keyareas of the park in both Divisions.The members of the group have beenengaged in primate surveys, notablyCross River gorilla surveys in theOkwangwo Division and the MbeMountains, and Preuss�s red colobusmonkey surveys in the Ikpan ForestBlock of the Oban Division. However,

Park Protection and ProblemsRangers as a Paramilitary Outfit.The abrogation of Federal MilitaryGovernment Decree No. 36 of 1991and its replacement by Act No. 46 of1999 brought about the NationalParks Service (NPS). This develop-ment led to the NPS having a similarstatus to other paramilitary institu-tions in Nigeria, for example the Nige-rian Immigration Service, NigerianCustoms Service and the NigerianPrison Services, except that the NPSofficials are not equipped with firearms(military rifles, pistols etc.). Save forthe above, the rangers have receivedmodern training in paramilitary tech-niques, tactics and survival strategies.This new development has led to amore efficient Ranger Force in theCross River National Park and alsotheir new and smart service uniformshave motivated the rangers in recentmonths. Furthermore, apart from theranger equipment donated by Berg-gorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe, thePresident of the Friends of the Goril-las Inc. of California, USA (SuzanneKingston) donated protective boots,uniform materials, computer softwareand accessories as well as office sta-tionery to assist the park in protectionactivities.

Persistent ProblemsPoaching and Encroachment.Rangers have made a number of ar-rests in connection with poaching andother illegal activities within and out-side the park�s core zone in both divi-sions. A number of illegal farming andnon-timber forest product extractionactivities have also been observed.There is, however, an increasingawareness of conservation laws andprotected forests and animals withinthe park, so it is worth noting that thepark has not recorded any confirmedincident of gorilla killing in the last5 years. Also, the very fact that tradein bushmeat occurs around unholy

hours of the day and in unusual loca-tions is an indication of the impact ofthe protection activities of the park. Itis a common practice these days forany stranger visiting any bushmeatjoint to be told that there is no meat onsale for fear of arrest by rangers. If aknown person makes the same re-quest, he will be served his choice.

Boundary Demarcation. In someareas, the park�s boundaries are notclearly marked. Some communitymembers, especially in the park sup-port zones, claim ignorance of theboundaries between community for-ests and the park as an excuse forpoaching. To date more than 60 of-fenders have been arrested.

Inadequate Funding. The CrossRiver National Park � like most other

Edem Eniang examinesconfiscated drill body parts.

Primates in Bushmeat Trade in Oban Division 1999�2000

English name Local name Total %

Drill Nsimbo 1556 52.36Chimpanzee Idiok 35 1.18Guenons Ebok 1192 40.11Mangabeys Ikpok Ebok 183 6.15Red Colobus Okoyo Ebok 6 0.20Prosimians Angwantibo 0 0Gorilla Omon Idiok 0 0

Source: Eniang (2000)

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both studies, which were supportedby grants from the Wildlife Conserva-tion Society (WCS) and the MargotMarsh Biodiversity Foundation coordi-nated by Conservation Internationalthrough John F. Oates, came to anend in July 2001.

Cross Border Issues. In recentmonths, the Cross River National Parkdeveloped a better working relation-ship with other conservation agenciesacross the international border withCameroon. Thus, the Korup NationalPark in southwestern Cameroon, Ta-kamanda Forest Reserve, and theGTZ project PROFA (Protection ofForests around Akwaya), also inCameroon, are initiating collaborativemanagement activities for the collec-tive benefits of both natural resourcesand people in the short term and theearth on the long term.

Recommendations andConclusionsSince people traditionally tend toprefer bushmeat, the Government,NGOs, schools, etc. should embarkon projects educating Nigerians aboutwild animals and bushmeat on onehand, and conservation of biodiversity

on the other hand. The projects shouldalso provide alternatives to bushmeat,one example is the "ONLY LIVE-STOCK" project of BPG.

It is recommended that meat fromlivestock sources be provided in areaswhere people have no access to it. Inaddition, the domestication of adapt-able wildlife species for consumptionshould be encouraged in areas wherepeople have access to livestock butshow preferences to animals from thewild (bushmeat). This measureswould to help our national parksachieve their long-term goals of bio-diversity conservation.

Edem A. Eniang

Conservation of GreatApes on the Peripheryof the Dja Reserve

The southern part of the Republic ofCameroon is still covered by about200,000 km2 of forest, most of whichis potential habitat for the western low-land gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) andthe central chimpanzee (Pan troglo-dytes troglodytes). Currently, lessthan 10% is gazetted as Reserve orNational Park, whereas by 1999 thecumulative number of logging conces-sions since 1959 covered 76% of thetotal forest area. At the same time,the effect of logging activities on hunt-ing pressure is widely accepted andthe hunting pressure on fauna in gen-eral and great apes in particular inCameroon has been well documented(Bowen Jones 1998; WSPA 2001).Hence, if no action is taken for theprotection of the surviving gorilla andchimpanzee population in the non-pro-tected areas, reserves and nationalparks will soon harbour island popu-lations.

In the beginning of 2000, I was ap-pointed by the Royal Zoological Soci-ety of Antwerp (RZSA) to conduct agreat ape survey at two sites in the

Republic of Cameroon, situated northof the Dja Wildlife Reserve and southof the Lobeke National Park respec-tively. At both sites, great ape densi-ties were estimated for an area ofabout 50 km2. Densities were similarto the ones within the protected areas,indicating the importance of thesepopulations for further conservationactivities.

We decided to set up a long-termproject on the periphery of the DjaWildlife Reserve. The aim of the pro-ject is to enhance the protection ofvulnerable great ape populations bysetting up "great ape socio-ecologyresearch sites" in collaboration withlocal people. This is done in collabora-tion with the NGO Nature+ (P. Auzel/W. Delvingt, FUSAGx, University ofGembloux, Belgium), who has manyyears of experience in the area. ThisNGO seeks to promote the sustain-able use of natural resources, espe-cially in tropical forests, and tries towork out new strategies for the man-agement of these resources takinginto account both ecological and so-cial factors.

In this way, the RZSA undertakesscientific research in collaborationwith the local population as a tool forconservation, which can become partof management plans in great apehabitat.

Dja Wildlife ReserveThe Dja Wildlife Reserve (5,260 km2)was listed as a World Heritage Site in1987. The Reserve contains importantpopulations of chimpanzees, gorillas,elephants and buffalos (Nzooh Dong-mo 2001). The most extensive survey(Nzooh Dongmo 2001) describes thespatial distribution of all large mam-mals throughout the reserve. This sur-vey (1,478 km of transects) also re-veals the presence of 71 huntingcamps within the reserve. Huntingpressure is alarming (WSPA 2001).Although ecoguards are present, the

A rare forest buffalo killed forbushmeat near the park's bufferzone

Photo: Edem Eniang

human pressure is too important tobe controlled. Moamosse refers to5,000�7,000 people living within or atthe edge of the reserve, and the popu-lation is still growing.

The Dja and Surrounding AreasIn 1994, the Government promulgatednew forest legislation according towhich a land use planning systemwas implemented. The forest was di-vided into a permanent and a non-permanent forest sector. Differenttypes of exploitation permits are de-fined. The legislation also gives anumber of opportunities to local com-munities to acquire control of the man-agement of their forest, e.g. throughthe creation of "community forests".Yet the procedures are complex, as isthe legislation in general. "communityhunting zone", communal forests,community forests, forest manage-ment units, "vente de coupes" � theseare just a few elements of the land useplanning system.

The result is a mosaic of activities,some exclusive, others overlapping,faced by the local population, who find

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it almost impossible assess the pro'sand con's of the different alternatives.Making decisions for their future is noteasy. Meanwhile, the human popula-tion is growing, one of the reasonsbeing the concentration of loggingcompany workers on the edge of thereserve. In this area, bushmeat ischeaper than domestic meat, and thebushmeat trade is thriving; the deple-tion of the fauna in large areas sur-rounding the reserve is ongoing. Find-ing solutions for the unsustainable ex-ploitation of the fauna will not be easy.This was confirmed at the workshoporganised by IUCN, FAO and TRAF-FIC: "Links between Biodiversity Con-servation, Livelihoods and Food Secu-rity: the sustainable use of wild meat"(17 to 20 September 2001, Yaounde,Cameroon). Different complementaryapproaches at all levels will be neces-sary.

With regard to the Dja Wildlife Re-serve and the future of its fauna,Nzooh-Dongmo (2001) stressed theneed for more surveys and researchactivities on the periphery of the re-serve, to be complementary to the

work done by ECOFAC (Conservationet utilisation rationelle des ECOsys-tèmes Forestiers en Afrique Centrale)within the reserve. Our grant proposal"Great apes ecology, bushmeat hunt-ing, logging and community basedmanagement around the Dja FaunalReserve, Cameroon" was approved bythe Wildlife Conservation Society. Themain goal is to achieve protection ofthe fauna in collaboration with localpeople, by setting up great ape re-search sites: "Great apes ecology,bushmeat hunting, logging and com-munity based management aroundthe Dja Wildlife Reserve: rethinkingconservation issues in non-protectedareas".

Set-up and Research. After theinitial surveys in 2000, and discus-sions with the villagers, a researchsite was set up within the forest ofMboumo. Logistical help and infra-structure has been offered by a log-ging company, R. Pallisco. This com-pany logged the research site about15 years ago. Since mid-2001, re-search has been carried out by Euro-pean and Cameroonian volunteers andstudents. About 15 villagers fromMboumo are involved. The researchfocuses on ranging/nesting patterns,habitat use and the distribution of dif-ferent vegetation types and food ofgreat apes in an area of about 70 km2.Authorisations have kindly been pro-vided by the Ministry of Research andTechnology. The first scientific resultshave been published. At the sametime, the spatial exploitation of the"communal forest" to which the re-search site belongs is being studiedand the procedure to initiate the crea-tion of a "community hunting zone"has been started. Once created, thevillagers will be authorised to managethe exploitation of the fauna. Part ofthe management plan will be the ex-istence of a research zone in which nohunting will take place. This combina-tion of scientific research and the

National parks and wildlife reserves in southeastern Cameroon (lightgrey) and areas discussed in this article (dark grey)

GORILLAS


creation of management plans for theexploitation of fauna is subject to col-laboration between the RZSA and Na-ture+ (FUSAGx, Belgium).

Anti-poaching Patrols and Log-ging. During the first year of collabo-ration with the local people and part-nership with R. Pallisco, two suc-cesses were achieved in terms ofconservation:� The research area suffered from a

high degree of hunting pressure byexternal hunters, especially thosecoming from Abong Mban whereforests are already depleted. Sincemid-2000, the villagers of Mboumohave organised routine anti-poach-ing patrols. Several guns have beenconfiscated, hundreds of snareshave been collected. Unfortunately,one of the "eco-guards" ended up inhospital after a "discussion" withpoachers. However, since this inci-dent, and the official reaction by theCameroonian authorities, intrusionby hunters has been very limited.

� R. Pallisco has been allocated alogging concession on the northernboundary of the study site. For themost effective access, the com-

pany would have had to re-open anold logging road that crosses thestudy area; because of the ongoingproject, however, R. Pallisco de-cided to opt for a less efficient,more costly alternative. The com-pany also invited us to propose anapproach that would minimise theeffect of their activities in this area.

Perspectives.� As a consequence of the approach

in Mboumo, other villages invitedthe RZSA to set up great ape re-search within their forest. At thetime of writing, surveys are beingcarried out in the forest of Malen V,Doumo and Mimpala. Gorillas andchimpanzees seem to be presentat relatively high densities. Thearea under survey is part of ForestManagement Unit 10 047, allocatedto a logging company called Fip-cam, which has already welcomedthe setting up of great ape researchwithin their concession. Interest-ingly, the potential research areaborders the Dja Wildlife Reserve.

� A collaboration will possibly be setup with ECOFAC for researchwithin the Dja Wildlife Reserve.

Preferably, the study site shouldadjoin the area mentioned above.This will allow both comparativereserach and collaborative protec-tion of a larger area.

� R. Pallisco put forward the possibil-ity of setting up research withintheir Forest Management Unit. Forthis, we will discuss the possibili-ties with Nature+, who will be incharge of the management plan ofthe Forest Management Units ofthe logging company.

ConclusionFrom this, it is evident that a gooddeal of great ape activity is going on,and more is planned. Collaborationbetween all the different sites willmake larger-scale comparative re-search possible. Conservation of greatape populations is the ultimate goal.

Although our efforts seem to besucceeding in small-scale protection,we emphasise the need to continueefforts that aim at long-term conserva-tion of nation-wide biodiversity and theabsolute need for law enforcement. Atthis moment, it is no problem to con-tact gorilla hunters and chimpanzeepet traders, and market prices for"CITES A meat" are publicly known.The legislation exists, but as long aspeople can make money out of greatape meat, gorillas and chimpanzeeswill continue being victims of commer-cial hunters.

Jef Dupain

ReferencesBowen-Jones, E. (1998) A review of thecommercial bushmeat trade with emphasis onCentral/West Africa and the great apes. Re-port for the Ape Alliance. c/o Fauna & FloraInternational, Cambridge.Nzooh Dongmo, Z.-L. (2001) Dynamique de lafaune sauvage et des activités anthropiquesdans la Reserve de Biosphere du Dja et sesenvirons. MINEF/ECOFAC. 75 pp.WSPA (2001) Bushmeat � Africa conserva-tion crisis. Hunting our heritage: an inside per-spective on bushmeat and corruption in theDja World Heritage Reserve. Website: http://www.wspa-international.org/campaigns/bushmeat/bushmeat10.html

Some comparative prices of meat at Eboumetoum

Species CFA/kg CFA/animal Other units

Imported chicken 1,800Chicken of village 1,000Goat 1,500 >10,000Pig 5,000Beef 1,500Porcupine (1.5�4 kg) 2,000Blue duiker (3.5�9 kg) 1,500Black fronted duiker (14�18 kg) 6,000Moustached monkey (2�5 kg) 2,500Colobus (10�23 kg) 5,000Chimpanzee 20,000�25,000 5,000 (1 fourth)Gorilla variable (depend-

ing on body part)Elephant 1,000 (1 slice)

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Martha M. Robbins, PascaleSicotte and Kelly J. StewartMountain Gorillas. Three Decadesof Research at Karisoke. Cambridge(Cambridge University Press) 2001.431 pages. Hardcover, £ 55. ISBN0-521-78004-7.

Karisoke has acquired legendarystatus in gorilla research and conser-vation. Three decades ago, DianFossey began her studies of mountaingorillas there, and a few years ago,her research center was looted anddestroyed. Nevertheless, research inthe Karisoke area has continued,whenever it was possible, up to thepresent day. As a result of this re-search we now have a totally newunderstanding of mountain gorillas,and they have achieved a wide popu-larity.

"Mountain Gorillas" is not a bookfor people who love to see emotionalpictures of mountain gorillas, but forreaders who are seriously interestedin gorilla behaviour and conservation.The book gives a good overview ofwhat researchers have learned sinceKarisoke was created. The 22 authors

include the most important living ex-perts on mountain gorillas (and, insome cases, on other gorilla popula-tions as well). Most of the results ofKarisoke mountain gorilla researchhave already been published else-where, but this book summarises thevarious research topics and providesreferences to the other important pub-lications.

For anyone who wants to be up-to-date with research on gorilla behav-iour, "Mountain Gorillas" is a must,containing essential articles on moun-tain gorillas and dealing with new as-pects that also lead to future re-search. Special aspects of gorilla re-search are also treated: the problemsof poaching and armed conflict.

Angela Meder

William Weber, Lee J. T. White,Amy Vedder and Lisa Naughton-Treves (eds.)African Rain Forest Ecology andConservation. New Haven, London(Yale University Press) 2001. 588pages. Hardcover, US$ 65. ISBN0-300-08433-1

A large number of renowned au-thors from different backgrounds pro-vide a broad overview of present re-search on rain forest ecology in Africa(especially Central Africa) in this im-pressive book. 43 authors contributedtheir experience and knowledge; theconservation aspect is mainly pre-sented by the 14 authors who work forWCS (Wildlife Conservation Society).The main parts of the book are: theAfrican rain forests' geology, biologyand history; the forest ecosystem; hu-mans and the forest; applied researchand management. Most of the articlesgive examples of particular aspects offorest ecology and conservation.Many of them are not reviews, butoriginal articles by experts in their re-spective fields.

As many different topics are dis-cussed in the book, at least by casestudies, the scope is very broad.Many tables, maps and line drawingsillustrate the text, and references pro-vide additional information in eachcontribution. The index is very detailedand extremely useful. "African RainForest Ecology and Conservation" is avery valuable source for anybody �researcher as well as conservationist� seeking a general idea of the prob-lems of the African rain forest.

Angela Meder

Benjamin B. Beck, Tara S.Stoinski, Michael Hutchins, TerryL. Maple, Bryan Norton, AndrewRowan, Elizabeth F. Stevens andArnold Arluke (eds.)Great Apes and Humans. The ethicsof coexistence. Washington, D. C.(Smithsonian Institution Press) 2001.384 pages, 4 illustrations, 5 tables.Hardcover, US$ 34.95, £ 24.95. ISBN1-56098-969-6.

Increasing knowledge raises newquestions. "Are the other great apesentitled to exactly the same basicmoral rights as human beings?",asked M. A. Warren. "Is such equalityGuhonda, Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda Photo: Iris Weiche


in their best interests? Or does theirsurvival, both as individuals and asviable species, require that they besubject to a higher degree of paternal-istic intervention than would be mor-ally acceptable in the case of similarlyendangered human populations?"

The result of a workshop in Floridainitiated by the Great Ape Project, thebook shows that there are no simpleanswers. Contributions from 19 au-thors on "Great Apes in the Wild","Great Apes in Captivity", "Historyand Evolution" and "Ethics, Moralityand Law" provide the reader with sci-entifically sound arguments on howto answer these questions of con-science which everybody should face.They are of particular relevance tothose of us who have shouldered re-sponsibility for our "hairy relatives" insome way or another, be it as politi-cians, lawmakers or philosophers, re-searchers in the field, medical people,filmmakers, zoo staff or zoo visitors.

There is not a single photograph;the comprehensive collection of factsand arguments is never in danger ofslipping to an emotional level. This willcertainly increase the book's accept-ance by politicians, philosophers andthose lawyers who support the im-provement of the legal position ofthe great apes all the way to theapes' inclusion into a "community ofequals". However, the question re-mains as to whether such formalrights would in fact improve the protec-tion of the great apes in situ. For ex-ample, T. M. Butynski shows in hissurvey of chimpanzees, bonobos andgorillas that although the CITES con-vention has been signed by all thecountries in West and Central Africa,for various reasons it is implementedonly in a very few cases. Butynski isafraid that the "commercialization ofbushmeat is probably a more signifi-cant and immediate threat than forestloss for all four of Africa�s speciesof ape..."

D. S. Wilkie suggests ways out ofthe vicious circle of poverty and thedestruction of nature in his contribu-tion "Bushmeat Trade in the CongoBasin". Making the bushmeat tradeillegal is of little use as long asbushmeat remains the most importantsource of meat to the inhabitants ofthe Congo basin. Alternatively, selec-tive price manipulation and an in-creased utilization of domestic ani-mals could help to alleviate the prob-lem.

It is not sufficient to denounce law-lessness and corruption in the habitatcountries of the great apes. H. D.Rijksen puts into words what otherauthors only hint at: "In a final analy-sis, the orangutan may be one of themost spectacular victims of neo-colonialism."

A contentious issue is whether wehave the moral right to keep greatapes in our zoos. M. Hutchins et al.believe "that recent advances in ani-mal exhibit design and care programshave made it possible to maintain cap-tive great apes humanely...", espe-cially if the zoos contribute to con-servation. A survey among workshopparticipants confirms this opinion.Similarly, the majority of participantsoppose the great apes' inclusion intothe genus Homo.

The book is most powerful in thosecontributions dealing with the bound-ary between apes and humans.Raymond Corbey shows that this de-marcation is based on the Christianteaching of imago dei and the defini-tion of European peoples of the 19th

century in contrast to supposedly un-civilized cultures. The question as towhat is human and what is not affectsour very own self-image and touchesour own interests. Some contributorsconsider the great apes to be the bet-ter humans and give them the dignityof "grand apes". Others point out that� with all due respect for the cognitiveabilities of the great apes � one must

not belittle the differences betweenhumans and apes. For instance, M.A. Warren shows that it would bewrong to treat chimpanzees or gorillaslike human adults and to endow themwith all human rights: "The humanright to liberty includes the right tochoose a dangerous freedom, or evena certain death, in preference to exileor imprisonment. Other apes� right toliberty must be more circumscribed,because they cannot currently under-stand their situation well enough tomake sound decisions about their in-dividual and species� futures." "GreatApes & Humans" is a valuable book,particularly for those who, for whateverreasons, do not want to make humansthe measure of all things.

Mathias Orgeldinger

Craig B. StanfordSignificant Others: The Ape-HumanNature. New York (Basic Books)2001. 236 pages. Hardcover, US$ 25.ISBN 0-465-08171-1.

Are great apes similar to us hu-mans and are we related to eachother? To anybody who observedgreat apes for some time, the answerto this question is very obvious, butmany other people still doubt it. CraigStanford seeks to explain new under-standings of the evolutionary biologyof humans to the general reader bydescribing the life of great apes. Heanalyzes popular ideas and the mythsperpetuated in "pop-books" that arerepeated again and again. On theother hand, he too repeats someideas that already have been or soonmay be refuted � but this happens toanybody who tries to explain some-thing that can never be proven. Newresearch can turn a convincing expla-nation into a myth very quickly.

The book summarizes the manyinteresting research results on theculture, politics etc. of primates thathave emerged during the last few dec-ades. Each chapter has its own sub-

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ject, but the chapters are not alwaysconnected. One of the author's mainissues is the biological foundation ofculture and language. Another issueis his fieldwork in Africa, especially inBwindi � research results as well asstories from fieldwork. He discusses,for example, gorilla taxonomy andtourism.

Craig Stanford's book is interestingand a pleasure to read for non-profes-sionals who want to stay up-to-datewith ideas about the evolutionary biol-ogy of humans. As it is written forthese readers, the author sometimessimplifies complex research resultsand hypotheses and discusses main-ly those theories that support his ownideas (thereby promoting the develop-ment of new myths). Some anthro-pologists think that the unique charac-ter of humans is their spirituality.Therefore, let's create and destroymore myths!

Angela Meder

Frans B. M. de Waal (ed.)Tree of Origin. Cambridge, Mass.(Harvard University Press) 2001. 320pages. 57 illustrations. Hardcover,US$ 29.95, £ 20.50, Euro 34.40. ISBN0-674-00460-4.

Tetsuro Matsuzawa (ed.)Primate Origins of Human Cogni-tion and Behavior. Berlin, Heidel-berg (Springer) 2001. 587 pages, 248figures. Hardcover, US$ 129, £ 88.ISBN 4-431-70290-3.

Anthony B. CunninghamApplied Ethnobotany. People, WildPlant Use and Conservation. London(Earthscan) 2001. 300 pages. Paper-back, £ 24.95. ISBN 1-85383-697-4.

Andrew G. Young, D. Boshier andT. Boyle (eds.)Forest Conservation Genetics:Principles and Practice. Wallingford,New York (CABI Publishing) 2000.

360 pages. Hardcover, US$ 120, £ 75.ISBN 0851995047.

Mauro Agnoletti, S. Anderson(eds.)Forest History: International Studieson Socio-Economic and Forest Eco-system Change. Report No. 2 of theIufro Task Force on EnvironmentalChange. Wallingford, New York (CABIPublishing) 2000. 432 pages. Hard-cover. US$ 100, £ 55. ISBN0851994199.

Javier Beltrán (ed.)Indigenous and Traditional Peo-ples and Protected Areas: princi-ples, guidelines and case studies.Gland (IUCN) 2000. 144 pages.£ 16.50, US$ 24.75. ISBN 2-8317-0547-9.

Jean-Yves Pirot, Peter-JohnMeynell, Danny Elder (eds.)Ecosystem Management: lessonsfrom around the world. Gland (IUCN)2000. 139 pages. £ 15; US$ 22.50.ISBN 2-8317-0542-8.

Yearbook of Forest Products 1999.Annuaire des produits forestiers 1999.Anuario: productos forestales 1999.Rome (FAO) 2001. 340 pages. Paper-back, US$ 57. ISBN 9250045441.

News from the InternetThere are a few new websites dealingwith the bushmeat problem. UNEP'sinitiative GRASP is explained athttp://www.unep.org/grasp. Thebushmeat exhibition "Gorillas in theCooking Pot" is now available fordownload in PDF format in German,English and French at http://www.bushmeat-campaign.net .The website contains the tables of thisexhibition as well as additional infor-mation, addresses and links to greatape conservation organisations andother websites.

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Ruth Keesling, who formerly wasinvolved in the Mountain Gorilla Veteri-nary Project, has recently founded anew gorilla conservation organisation:the Mountain Gorilla ConservationFund: http://www.mgcf.net.

For people interested in rain forestconservation: The FAO's publication"State of the World's Forests 2001" isnot only available in print, but also inPDF and HTML format at http://www.fao.org/forestry/FO/SOFO/sofo-e.stm.

Our New EnglishWebsite

The Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkt-hilfe now has a new website: http://www.berggorilla.org. It contains achoice of articles from the GorillaJournal, information, e.g. about ourorganisation and about gorillas, news,links and references. It was especiallyimportant for us to provide an overviewof the conservation sites for easterngorillas � with maps, basic data, arti-cles, news and references.

You can also download the latestGorilla Journal in PDF format from thesite � in English, French and German.If you are on our mailing list and preferto download the journal from the inter-net instead of receiving a printed copy,please inform us at [email protected]. Tell us which languageyou would like and we will then notifyyou by email as soon as the journal isavailable on our website. You will thenbe able to read it before it is printed!

A NEW SAFARI ALTERNATIVEMgahinga Safari Lodge is a new luxury lodge, perched at the tip of a peninsulajutting into the waters of Lake Mutanda, in southwestern Uganda. The lodge is the idealsetting from which to track the mountain gorilla in nearby Mgahinga Gorilla National Park;venture deep into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; search for savannah antelope in LakeMburo National Park; or visit Lake Bunyonyi � renowned as the �lake of little birds andsweet water fish�.

The lodge complex consists of a main building � which houses the reception,restaurant, lounge and bar � and six spacious, twin-bedded tents. All equipment at thelodge is of the highest European standard. The tents are en suite, with hot showers andflush toilets, and have continental quilts and pillows. Soft drinks and laundry serviceare provided. The restaurant serves a high standard of continental and traditionalcuisine accompanied by a selection of local and international wines and spirits.

For further information contact:Niedermeier Verwaltungs- undTouristik GmbHKurt Niedermeier, Seeshaupter Str. 17D-81476 Muenchen/GermanyTel: +49-89 759 79 626Fax: +49-89-759-79-627

E-mail: [email protected]

Subscription to the Gorilla JournalIf you become a member, you will receive the journal regularly. If you want to subscribe without becoming a member,we would be grateful if you could make a donation to cover our costs. The costs to send the journal overseas are abutUS$ 20. Please send your application with a cheque to Rolf Brunner (address below).

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Documents

Gorilla Journal - berggorilla.org · Another Mountain Gorilla Killed in the Virungas During June and July 2001, there was an increase in fighting between the military of the rebel