There are quite a number of benefits of gorilla tourism. The magical gorilla tourism in East and Central Africa’s dense forests came to the limelight in the mid-1900s, when the search for the then critically endangered mountain gorillas became a highlight for many travelers. Gorilla tourism has since been pivotal in the conservation of these mighty apes, as well as increasing awareness and enhancing research on mountain gorillas.
Research about mountain gorillas, however, began a century ago when the German explorer Capt. Robert Von Beringe made his maiden trip to the Virunga region in 1902. In this exploration, Robert was mainly interested in their scientific composition, zoological components, and classification, but later the need for their conservation became more pertinent.
Gorilla tourism in Africa gained momentum in the mid-1960s when the popular primatologist Dian Fossey arrived in the Virunga region for long-term research work about mountain gorillas, specifically in Virunga National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in D.R. Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda respectively.
She set up her research station, Karisoke Research Center, in Volcanoes National Park specifically to study, conserve, and protect the mountain gorillas that were on the verge of extinction.
Why Gorilla Tourism?
Employment and Improved Livelihoods: Gorilla tourism in East and Central Africa has created various avenues for employment opportunities for local community members and as a result improved livelihoods. Private investments such as safari lodges, craft shops, etc., have been set up, which help to skill and employ community members as chefs, waiters/waitresses, security guards, housekeepers, and more.
Gorilla tourism is in fact one form of sustainable tourism that has continuously become a cash cow for the countries that host mountain gorillas. In fact, gorilla tourism alone generates about 50% of total tourism revenue in Uganda, Rwanda, and D.R. Congo.
Conservation of Mountain Gorillas
The primary role of gorilla tourism is to conserve and protect these gorilla species from extinction. Since the introduction of gorilla trekking safaris in the Virunga region and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, their numbers have increased tremendously from only 400 in the 1990s to the current 1000 species, which confirms that mountain gorillas are no longer critically endangered.
The revenue collected from trekkers is in turn used to pay rangers, trackers, and gorilla doctors who are responsible for protecting and monitoring the day-to-day well-being of various gorilla families. The revenue is also used to habituate mountain gorillas in respective families to enable daily visitations and easier monitoring.
The community has also been fully engaged and empowered through revenue-sharing, which has transformed former poachers into avid conservation agents. Gorilla tourism has helped to reduce poaching activities. There are assigned personnel in all gorilla parks who are responsible for removing snares set by poachers, sensitizing the community against the dangers of poaching, and economically empowering them to be self-reliant.
