Grauer's Gorilla


Support for Itombwe

Some patrols are carried out in the Itombwe Reserve with support from B&RD. However, their numbers are far from sufficient and they are very poorly…

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SOS - Gorillas of the Itombwe Nature Reserve in Danger

An SOS is a 'red alert' signal triggered by a dangerous or life-threatening situation, such as a natural disaster. Here it is suggested that an…

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Balancing Act: The Imperative of Social and Ecological Justice in Kahuzi-Biega

Kahuzi-Biega National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the conflict-afflicted eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has…

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Basket-weaving Training Project for Adolescent Mothers in Mt. Tshiaberimu

Mt. Tshiaberimu, a mountain range on which Grauer's gorillas are protected in the Virunga National Park, is surrounded by several villages. The main…

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The Kansere-Masakaru-Iyuma Forests in Utunda-Nord

The Kansere-Masakaru-Iyuma forests are located between the Usala Gorilla Reserve (RGU) and the Kisimba-Ikobo Primate Reserve (RPKI), in the vicinity…

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Mining Menaces Itombwe Nature Reserve

In the remote Itombwe Nature Reserve in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), mining increasingly threatens nature conservation efforts.…

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First Photo of a Silverback Gorilla in the Itombwe Nature Reserve

The Itombwe Nature Reserve (IRN) is one of the protected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located in the Itombwe forest (GPS…

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GRACE Celebrates International Women's Day

The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center, located in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is centered on…

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Support for Conservation and Community Development around Maiko

The population of villages and towns in the Maiko region faces many difficulties in accessing basic services such as drinking water, and so do the…

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Community Development Micro-Projects around Maiko National Park

Maiko National Park (MNP) was gazetted in 1970 by the President of what was then Zaire, Marshal Mobutu. Before the creation of the park, the area was…

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Climate Change in the Congo Basin

The Congo Basin covers an area of more than 4 million km² and is home to a number of different ecosystems. Grassy savannas in the North and South…

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GRACE Uses Radio for Conservation Education

The Tayna Nature Reserve, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is managed in partnership with the local community and is home to the critically…

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GRACE Celebrates World Gorilla Day

It was early morning on 24 September, 2022, but the GRACE Education Team was already on the move. They had been planning for weeks: Zoom meetings,…

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Another Gorilla Gives Birth on Mt. Tshiaberimu

For over a decade, there has been little hope for the survival of the Mount Tshiaberimu (or Tshiabirimu) gorillas. Several great ape experts…

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Two Infants within Two Years at Mount Tshiaberimu

Mount Tshiaberimu (or Tshiabirimu) is located in the southern part of the Northern Sector of Virunga National Park. At the beginning of January 2020,…

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A Brief Account of the CoCoSi of Maiko National Park

Activities in protected areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are carried out in accordance with an annual operational plan drawn up by the…

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Nkuba: a Community Reserve in Eastern D. R. Congo

In 2012, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International started a unique collaboration with local communities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo…

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Photos of Hope from Tayna Nature Reserve

In last December’s issue of the Gorilla Journal, the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center was thrilled to share our…

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Inspiring the Next Generation

"What makes gorillas special?" It is a question each of us could answer in our own unique way. For some, it's the gorillas' gentle nature and…

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Gorilla born on Mt. Tshiaberimu

In December 2021 (the exact date is not known) another gorilla was born on Mt. Tshiaberimu. The mother is Mwengeshali. We celebrate this success with…

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Conservation and Management of the Itombwe Nature Reserve: Major Challenges

The Itombwe Nature Reserve (INR) is located in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the province of South Kivu, west of Lake…

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Great Ape Survey in Tayna Nature Reserve

In 2021, GRACE completed the first-ever great ape survey of the entire Tayna Nature Reserve, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). How…

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New Grauer's Gorilla Population Estimate

A recent paper in the American Journal of Primatology by Andrew Plumptre and colleagues examined the largest survey dataset for Grauer's gorillas Gori…

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Why Rangers in the Virunga National Park Are Under Attack

Another Attack on Rangers in the Virunga National Park

On 10 January 2021, 6 rangers lost their lives in an attack by armed…

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Pressures on Natural Resources of the Maiko National Park

Management of the Maiko National Park (MNP) has remained difficult due to the presence of armed groups in different sectors of the park. The…

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Fuel-efficient Stoves at Mount Tshiaberimu

Efficient charcoal-fired stoves have been in use throughout the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than a decade. Everyone is convinced…

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Maiko National Park: Site Management and Conservation

Maiko National Park (MNP, BDMAP 1080) was gazetted in 1970. It is located in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is part of the…

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Itombwe Nature Reserve: Conservation Efforts 2017 to 2019

The East African Albertine Rift is known for its extremely high biodiversity and endemism, the highest in continental Africa, and has been the subject…

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Mount Tshiaberimu - the Science behind the Mountain of Spirits

The northern sector of Mount Tshiaberimu is an integral part of the Virunga National Park (VNP), the west is adjacent to Lake Edward in North Kivu…

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Efficient Cooking Stoves for the Population at Mt. Tshiaberimu

Currently the supply of electric power covers less than 30 % of the energy and is available only for a small percentage of the population in eastern…

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Bamboo Cultivation in the Vicinity of Mt. Tshiaberimu

In order to preserve the ecosystems of Mount Tshiaberimu, Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe has made it its duty to keep up its support for this…

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Progress at GRACE Amid Serious Challenges

The past two years have proven challenging for the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center, the world's only sanctuary for…

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GRASP & IUCN Great Apes Status Report 2018: Summary

Great ape populations in Africa and Asia are severely threatened by the combined impacts of habitat loss, poaching, illegal trade, and disease. Since…

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The Itombwe Nature Reserve Faces Many Threats

Regretfully, we must draw the attention of the conservation community to an observation made during our last environmental education mission on 29…

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Long-term Biomonitoring on Great Apes Using Camera Traps at Kahuzi-Biega

Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP) is home to exceptionally diverse flora and fauna and represents an important site in the Albertine Rift, one of the…

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Law Enforcement in Itombwe Reserve

Conservation approaches in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have evolved from fine and fences, top-down approaches to adaptive co-management…

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Banro's Activities in the Itombwe Nature Reserve

After investigation and verification on site, the management team of Itombwe Nature Reserve confirms with regret that the company Banro has not only…

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An Initiative by Local Women for the Families of the Itombwe Reserve's Rangers

Femmes Leaders pour l'Environnement, Unies pour sa Restauration (FLEUR - Women Leaders for the Environment: United for the Purpose of its Restoration)…

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Street Lighting in Mwenga Centre

One of the street lights during the ceremony (© ICCN RNI)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo teems with important natural and biological resources. As they are so important for growth, development, the…

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Bandits Kill an Itombwe Ranger

On 5 May, 2017 a convoy of conservation workers from the Itombwe Reserve was ambushed by an armed group. During this attack, a ranger was fatally…

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Can Micro-Projects Promote Conservation?

The Sarambwe Reserve and Mount Tshiaberimu are two refuges for gorillas near the central and northern part of the Virunga National Park, conserving…

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Community Conservation Is More Beneficial for the Park and Local Communities

This is a quote regularly heard among communities around the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after…

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Adoption of Community Development Projects by the Population near Mount Tshiaberimu

The term 'adoption of projects' is understood to mean the acceptance of the projects and their integration into local and daily activities on the…

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On the Road to Extinction? A Population Estimate of Great Apes in Itombwe

Periodic censuses of threatened wildlife populations of high profile species help us to understand their population dynamics, assess the success of…

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Protection of Itombwe

The Itombwe Nature Reserve is a key site for biodiversity in Africa. Although Grauer’s gorilla numbers have declined drastically, there is still…

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Grauer’s Gorilla Now Critically Endangered

During the IUCN World Conservation Congress in September 2016, updates in the Red List of Threatened Species were made public. Not surprising was that…

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Gorilla Nest Types in Kahuzi-Biega

All species of great apes construct night nests; sometimes in trees and sometimes on the ground. This article is based on daily long-term observations…

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Rehabilitating Grauer's Gorillas at GRACE

The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) Center is the world's only sanctuary for Grauer's gorillas orphaned by poaching and the…

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Participatory Mapping in the Itombwe Nature Reserve

The Itombwe Massif is one of the important areas for biodiversity in the Albertine Region. It is mainly known for the discovery of the eastern lowland…

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Implication of Local Communities for the Management of Maiko

Over several decades, humans cohabited with the organisms in their environment more or less harmoniously. But recently, the use of modern tools in…

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