Green Jobs

2009: The Year of The Gorilla announced for Africa - 10 February 2009

The United Nations Environmental Programme and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, along with the support of the Jane Goodall Institute have declared 2009 the Year of the Gorilla (YoG). The campaign seeks to conserve gorillas and their environment, while bringing development and jobs to local communities that live near the gorillas.

Four types of gorillas require protection for survival. The Western Lowland Gorilla, Cross River Gorilla, and Mountain Gorilla are labeled critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, while the Eastern Lowland Gorilla is endangered.

Experts fear that gorillas will become extinct in the next few decades. It is estimated that only 700 Mountain Gorillas and 300 Cross River Gorillas survive today.

Humans are the largest threat to gorillas due to hunting, disease, destruction of natural habitat, war and violence, and economic disintegration. Equally, humans also are their greatest protection. Anne Medeiros, Owner of Ujuzi African Travel, comments, “In stable countries like Uganda, mountain gorilla populations are increasing due to tourism. Nearly half of the world’s mountain gorillas live in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and the neighboring villagers thrive on the jobs that are created by tourists who visit the gorillas.” “People can help to save the gorillas by visiting them,” adds Medeiros, “Boosting local economies through tourism creates a win-win situation. It creates a confluence of conservation and livelihood.”

For information on how you can visit the mountain gorillas in 2009, please visit Ujuzi African Travel
Email: info@ujuzitravel.com
or
Contact: Anne Medeiros
Email: anne.medeiros@ujuzitravel.com call 608/444-8122.