40 years later, the number of mountain gorillas is over 1,000 and counting. This species is now downgraded to endangered. In fact, there has even been a baby boom in the mountain gorilla community over the past few years. In late 2020, five mountain gorilla babies were born in Bwindi, an unprecedented number. Only three mountain gorillas were born in 2019. The secret to success What's the secret behind such success? In 1995, Dr. Gladys Kalema Zikusoka became the first veterinarian hired by the Uganda Wildlife Service.
She soon established the charity Conservation Through Public Health. As surprising as it may sound, she said, tourism is critical to nature conservation and well-managed and well-managed. “Tourism can really help wildlife if done well,” but only if revenue from tourism actually flows into local communities. Encounters with gorillas are high on many people's bucket lists, and Bwindi's Impenetrable Forest National Park is now surrounded by hotels, lounges, craft stalls raster to vector conversion and hiking centers. Dr Gladys said: "When I started (in this job) there were only about five hotels, now there are 70." She continued: "Hotels create jobs, NGOs create jobs. Chance." Gorilla tourism boosts the entire regional economy, generating enough revenue to cover most of the operating costs of Uganda's wildlife conservation services. _125402596_2manager Photo Credit: BBC News Dr Gladys Kalema Zikusoka believes tourism can contribute to wildlife conservation when properly managed.
Bwindi's chief guardian, Nelson Guma, also believes that tourism revenue is crucial because it can be exchanged for the cooperation of the local community. "Members of these communities live right next to the national park, so we think they should be involved in conservation and should benefit from conservation." Visiting a family of gorillas doesn't come cheap. It costs $600 per person; gorillas in Uganda receive up to 40,000 visits a year. The local community receives a 20% revenue share from the park. Mountain gorilla conservation has another huge benefit. To protect gorillas, you need to protect the entire forest ecosystem.