Is gorilla-friendly conservation compatible with local communities and tourism?
It can be difficult to find a balance between species conservation and the needs and aspirations of our own species.
In this “Good Tourism” Insight, Sheillah Munsabe of the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network describes a gorilla-friendly model for conservation, responsible tourism, and improved community livelihoods.
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As we become more globalised, the responsibility for protecting Earth’s endangered species lies in our collective hands.
One of the most endangered species is the mountain gorilla, which can be found in only three African countries: Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Uganda; in the Virunga Transboundary Landscape where those three nations meet, and in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
This is why Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN) developed the Certified Gorilla Friendly™ program.
The Certified Gorilla Friendly™ program comprises the Gorilla Friendly™ Pledge and two distinct certification ecolabels:
- Certified Gorilla Friendly™ Tourism, which focuses on the certification of tour operators, lodges, hotels, drivers, etc., and
- Certified Gorilla Friendly™ Park Edge Products, which targets the certification of park-edge community enterprises.
The program is administered by the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN) and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), who act as the implementation partners across the Virunga Transboundary Landscape.
Local communities and the tourism industry can play very important complementary roles in the conservation of endangered species such as mountain gorillas. Revenues and incomes from tourism should ideally provide sufficient resources and incentives to communities to proactively protect the habitats of endangered species.
Accordingly, as human populations grow and encroach on mountain gorilla habitat, the further integration of responsible tourism and local development for sustainable livelihoods becomes a priority.
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Gorilla-friendly tourism and product standards
The aim of the Gorilla Friendly™ program is to ensure that those who manage, operate, and invest in the tourism industry … continue reading this “Good Tourism” Insight in full and FOC at The “Good Tourism” Blog.
