En ethnobotanique, des aspects comme l’influence de l’accessibilité d’une plante sur sa fréquence d’usage, le consensus entre les tradipraticiens autour des rela- tions maladie-plante ainsi que le degré de fidélité d’une plante à une catégorie de maladies sont essentiels pour évaluer une tradition médicinale ; mais ils sont d’une interprétation difficile. Nous avons exploré ces aspects dans cette étude basée sur des entretiens semi-structurés avec 88 tradi- praticiens issus des communautés Batwa, Havu, Shi et Tembo dans les localités situées à proximité de la forêt de montagne du Parc national de Kahuzi-Biega, en pro- vince du Sud-Kivu, à l’Est de la République démocratique du Congo. Il  s’avère  que 77 espèces végétales sont utilisées pour traiter les pathologies regroupées dans 18 catégories de maladies, dont les plus fré- quentes sont les troubles digestifs et les infections. Lesfeuilles et les écorces sont les parties les plus utilisées dans les recettes majoritairement monoplantes et principa- lement préparées en solutions aqueuses. Bien que la corrélation entre l’accessibilité des plantes et leurs fréquences d’usage soit positive (H = 17,64 ; p < 0,001), certaines plantes forestières pourtant moins acces- sibles connaissent des fréquences d’usage particulièrement élevées. Le facteur de consensus des tradipraticiens est globale- ment élevé, particulièrement pour les caté- gories de troubles musculo-squelettiques (= 0,83) et les infections (= 0,80). Toutes les catégories de maladies fidélisent au moins une plante malgré les taux globalement faibles. Bien qu’exploratoires, nos résultats suggèrent un certain ancrage d’une tradi- tion médicinale au sein de communautés locales de la région. Cet ancrage suppose une bonne connaissance des plantes médicinales, une transmission intergénéra- tionnelle des savoirs ainsi qu’une certaine collaboration entre les tradipraticiens. Plus d’études sont nécessaires pour évaluer davantage ces différents aspects.

Mountain gorillas are particularly inbred compared to other gorillas and even the most inbred human populations. As mountain gorilla skeletal material accumulated during the 1970s, researchers noted their pronounced facial asymmetry and hypothesized that it reflects a population-wide chewing side preference. However, asymmetry has also been linked to environmental and genetic stress in experimental models. Here, we examine facial asymmetry in 114 crania from three Gorilla subspecies using 3D geometric morphometrics. We measure fluctuating asymmetry (FA), defined as random deviations from perfect symmetry, and population-specific patterns of directional asymmetry (DA). Mountain gorillas, with a current population size of about 1000 individuals, have the highest degree of facial FA (explaining 17% of total facial shape variation), followed by Grauer gorillas (9%) and western lowland gorillas (6%), despite the latter experiencing the greatest ecological and dietary variability. DA, while significant in all three taxa, explains relatively less shape variation than FA does. Facial asymmetry correlates neither with tooth wear asymmetry nor increases with age in a mountain gorilla subsample, undermining the hypothesis that facial asymmetry is driven by chewing side preference. An examination of temporal trends shows that stress-induced developmental instability has increased over the last 100 years in these endangered apes.

Ebola virus is highly lethal for great apes. Estimated mortality rates up to 98% have reduced the global gorilla population by approximately one-third. As mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are endangered, with just over 1000 individuals remaining in the world, an outbreak could decimate the population. Simulation modeling was used to evaluate the potential impact of an Ebola virus outbreak on the mountain gorilla population of the Virunga Massif. Findings indicate that estimated contact rates among gorilla groups are high enough to allow rapid spread of Ebola, with less than 20% of the population projected to survive at 100 days post-infection of just one gorilla. Despite increasing survival with vaccination, no modeled vaccination strategy prevented widespread infection. However, the model projected that survival rates greater than 50% could be achieved by vaccinating at least half the habituated gorillas within 3 weeks of the first infectious individual.

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The world's 1063 mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) live in two subpopulations at the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. The majority of mountain gorillas are human‐habituated to facilitate tourism and research, which brings mountain gorillas into close proximity of people daily. Wild great apes are proven to be susceptible to human pathogens, including viruses that have caused fatal respiratory disease in mountain gorillas (e.g., human metapneumovirus1). This is the result of the close genetic relatedness of humans and gorillas as species, and the structural and genetic similarity in molecular receptors that allow viruses to infect cells2. At the time of writing, there is no evidence that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 19 (COVID‐19), has infected a mountain gorilla. However, due to the significant potential for human‐to‐gorilla transmission, mountain gorilla range States took immediate steps to minimize the COVID‐19 threat. These actions included a combination of preventive practice around gorillas and other great apes (e.g., mandatory face mask use, increased “social” minimum distancing from gorillas) as well as human public health measures (e.g., daily health/fever screenings, COVID‐19 screening, and quarantines). Minimization of the COVID‐19 threat also required socioeconomic decision‐making and political will, as all gorilla tourism was suspended by late March 2020 and guidelines developed for tourism reopening. A consortium that collaborates and coordinates on mountain gorilla management and conservation, working within an intergovernmental institutional framework, took a multifaceted One Health approach to address the COVID‐19 threat to mountain gorillas by developing a phased contingency plan for prevention and response. The aim of this paper is to describe how range States and partners achieved this collaborative planning effort, with intent that this real‐world experience will inform similar actions at other great ape sites.