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Gorilla Protection Treaty

In Wake of Killings of Nine Great Apes More Cooperation Needed

Oct 30, 2007

Gorilla range states work on treaty to protect remaining endangered lowland and mountain gorillas. War and human poverty important factors addressed by N'gagi Agreement.

The N’gagi Agreement (N’gagi being the Swahili name for Mountain gorilla) was presented for signing in Paris in October 2007. At the heart of the treaty is the awareness that the socioeconomic needs of the people within gorilla habitat must be taken into account if the gorillas are to survive.

The nations where gorillas live read like a who’s who of human poverty and conflict-Angola, Cameroon, the Republic of Central Africa, The Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda. While some of these countries have improved significantly, efforts to stabilize the rest must be an aspect of gorilla protection. And all of them continue to face serious problems with poverty and growing human populations.

Meet The Gorillas

There are two species of gorilla-the Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei berengei) and the Western Lowland Gorilla(Gorilla gorilla gorilla). The Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) is subspecies of the Mountain Gorilla. The Western Lowland Gorilla shares a common ancestry with the Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli). The Convention on Migratory Species lists all gorillas as Appendix I and the IUCN Red List classes them all as Endangered.

Why Gorillas are Endangered

Human-animal conflict is a major issue for all gorillas. Settlements are moving further into gorilla habitat bringing with them the problem of deforestation. Wood for fuel and illegal charcoal trade, clearing for crops and housing all contribute to loss of habitat.

The danger to the gorillas is compounded by their being hunted for the lucrative bushmeat trade and being displaced or intentionally killed in wars or political unrest. And finally, their close genetic relationship to humans makes them susceptible to disease transmission. Everything from Ebola and HIV/AIDS to the common flu viruses and tuberculosis can be passed through contact with humans. In fact, it is the danger of humans passing disease to the great apes that has led to strict guidelines for tourists on keeping a safe distance from the wild gorillas.

The N’Gagi Agreement

The N’gagi Agreement proposes to identify, restore and protect gorilla habitat, investigate problems that exist or are likely to occur due to human activity and to attempt remedial and compensatory measures for habitat losses, cooperate in emergency situations to provide increased protection for the gorilla and to develop awareness and understanding of gorilla conservation issues.

Fine words but more important is the effort to implement and finance concrete programs, which is where treaties often fail. There is a provision for regular meetings of the signatories to make budgetary decisions and a suggestion that a conservation fund be established. Pooling of funds to make a coordinated approach to the issues facing gorillas would certainly have the potential to get the most out of the funds. And there is a mechanism for dealing with disagreement between the signing parties, including outside arbitration if needed.

The N’gagi Agreement also has backing and input from the Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP). GRASP, a UNEP programme, was developed based on the tenet that survival of the great apes will rely on confronting human needs within great ape habitat.

Will the N’gagi Agreement save the gorillas? That's hard to say. But it is certainly a step in the right direction. And none too soon for the mountain gorillas of the DRC who faced yet another round of invasion by rebels just before the Paris meeting.

The copyright of the article Gorilla Protection Treaty in Endangered Species is owned by Dawn M. Smith. Permission to republish Gorilla Protection Treaty in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.