How Community Support is Helping Save Gorillas in Rwanda

Community involvement has played a huge role in helping gorillas survive in Rwanda. Here are some important ways they have made a difference:

1. Community-Based Tourism:

   • In 2005, the Rwandan government created the Volcanoes National Park to attract visitors who care about nature.
   • By 2019, this park helped bring in about $19 million from tourism, which supported local communities.

2. Economic Incentives:

   • Local people earn part of the money from gorilla tracking fees. Each tourist pays about $1,500 to see the gorillas. This money encourages locals to support efforts to protect the gorillas.

3. Education and Awareness:

   • Programs that teach people about how important gorillas are for the environment and the economy have been very important. More than 40,000 locals have joined these conservation education programs.

4. Direct Conservation Efforts:

   • Local community members have worked on stopping poaching, which is when people illegally hunt animals. Thanks to their efforts, poaching cases went down by more than 90% between 2002 and 2020.

5. Population Recovery:

   • Because of all this hard work, the number of mountain gorillas in Rwanda increased from about 620 in 1989 to over 1,063 in 2021. This is a big win for both the gorillas and the community.

This team effort shows how working together can make a big difference in saving wildlife all around the world.