Long-term research and conservation of the Virunga mountain gorillas

Williamson, Elizabeth A.; Fawcett, Katie A.

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511754920.020

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…In the Virunga Volcanoes, a combination of factors is responsible for this success, including long‐term, continuous presence of NGO activities; a protected area complex which is clearly demarcated and relatively easy to patrol; community benefits with a clear link to gorilla conservation (employment in conservation activities and ecotourism); a local taboo on consumption of gorilla meat; and protection for some habituated gorilla groups through daily monitoring activity. It should be noted that the situation in the Virungas is unique [Plumtpre & Williamson, ; Robbins et al, ; Weber & Vedder, ; Williamson & Fawcett, ], and consequently the conservation model used for conservation of the mountain gorillas cannot be directly replicated elsewhere. Yet, we argue that orangutan conservationists can draw lessons from the contributing factors to the success of mountain gorilla conservation in the Virungas, which can be adjusted to the local context.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

South to south learning in great ape conservation

Lange

Meijaard

Löhr

2016

American J Primatol

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Despite evidence that killing of Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) in South-East Asia is a major threat to the species, few researchers and non-governmental conservationists have addressed it in management and research, and there is virtually no implementation of anti-killing strategies. In large parts of the Congo Basin, Central Africa, instead, illegal killing of great apes is acknowledged to be their largest threat, and many conservation strategies have been used to reduce killing pressure. However, since these strategies have not been subject to systematic and comprehensive review, it remains unclear which of them have been successful and why. Knowledge of the success, failure, and practices of common conservation strategies to manage great ape killing is critical to ensure adaptive conservation management in the Congo Basin. Understanding the Congo context also facilitates simultaneously highlighting great ape killing in Borneo and suggesting solutions to manage orangutan killing. Here, we compile and analyze the available literature on great ape conservation strategies for reducing killing rates in the Congo Basin. Through a systematic literature review of 198 publications, we find that the most widely employed conservation strategies in the Congo Basin are legislation and law enforcement, protected area management, community-based conservation, alternatives to bushmeat consumption and trade, ecotourism, education, and capacity building. Despite lack of rigorous post-intervention evaluation of conservation impact, we derive several recommendations for addressing the orangutan killing issue in Borneo. A critical lesson, widely applicable to developing countries for conservationists and not limited to Congo Basin realities, is the need for rigorous post-intervention evaluations compared to pre-intervention baselines and over appropriate time frames. Am. J. Primatol. 78:669-678, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

South to south learning in great ape conservation

Lange

Meijaard

Löhr

2016

American J Primatol

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“…Proximity and habituation can also harm the primates through increased exposure to pathogens, increased susceptibility to hunting, poor nutrition, and/or aggressive interactions with the local humans, and this can have devastating effects on conservation efforts . Williamson and Fawcett describe how much‐needed income for local communities from increased tourism has resulted in the introduction of disease and increased stress to the vulnerable Virunga gorilla population. Red howlers habituated to human presence in tourist areas in Suriname were characterized by a greater number of botfly lesions and parasites when compared to howlers that were less habituated to human presence, and this is likely to have a negative impact on their health and long‐term survival .…”

Section: Moving Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

The what and where of primate field research may be failing primate conservation

Bezanson

McNamara

2019

Evolutionary Anthropology

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With approximately 30% of nonhuman primate species listed as critically endangered, the window of opportunity to conserve primates is closing fast. In this article, we focus on the degree to which publications in field primatology are biased in favor of particular taxa and field sites. We examined more than 29,000 peer‐reviewed articles and identified 876 field visits to 349 field sites. We found a highly clumped distribution by site and species. We also examined publication ethical statements and the extent to which they acknowledged local human communities (<5%). Due to a lack of consistency across publications, we provide recommendations for improving ethical statements and for evaluating research impact. Given the plight of primate biodiversity, these results suggest broader coverage of primate species and geographies, as well as more attention to the local human communities whose support is necessary if the intent is to have primate species in the wild in the 22nd century.

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“…Inadvertently, this conservation strategy can expose great apes to human pathogens [Spelman et al, ]. Mountain gorillas are exposed to people from local communities and around the world through active research projects and tourism programs and because the conservation areas in which they live are surrounded by the densest human population in continental Africa [Sandbrook & Semple, ; Williamson & Fawcett, ]. Given this intense human contact, monitoring pathogens of human and gorilla origin is critical to ensuring proper mountain gorilla management practices [Travis et al, ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of viruses using discarded plants from wild mountain gorillas and golden monkeys

Evans

Gilardi

Barry

et al. 2016

American J Primatol

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Infectious diseases pose one of the most significant threats to the survival of great apes in the wild. The critically endangered mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) is at high risk for contracting human pathogens because approximately 60% of the population is habituated to humans to support a thriving ecotourism program. Disease surveillance for human and non-human primate pathogens is important for population health and management of protected primate species. Here, we evaluate discarded plants from mountain gorillas and sympatric golden monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis kandti), as a novel biological sample to detect viruses that are shed orally. Discarded plant samples were tested for the presence of mammalian-specific genetic material and two ubiquitous DNA and RNA primate viruses, herpesviruses, and simian foamy virus. We collected discarded plant samples from 383 wild human-habituated mountain gorillas and from 18 habituated golden monkeys. Mammalian-specific genetic material was recovered from all plant species and portions of plant bitten or chewed by gorillas and golden monkeys. Gorilla herpesviral DNA was most consistently recovered from plants in which leafy portions were eaten by gorillas. Simian foamy virus nucleic acid was recovered from plants discarded by golden monkeys, indicating that it is also possible to detect RNA viruses from bitten or chewed plants. Our findings show that discarded plants are a useful non-invasive sampling method for detection of viruses that are shed orally in mountain gorillas, sympatric golden monkeys, and potentially other species. This method of collecting specimens from discarded plants is a new non-invasive sampling protocol that can be combined with collection of feces and urine to evaluate the most common routes of viral shedding in wild primates. Am. J. Primatol. 78:1222-1234, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Long-term research and conservation of the Virunga mountain gorillas

Cited by 14 publications

References 9 publications

South to south learning in great ape conservation

South to south learning in great ape conservation

The what and where of primate field research may be failing primate conservation

Detection of viruses using discarded plants from wild mountain gorillas and golden monkeys

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