The Most Popular Mountain Gorilla Conservation Bodies in Bwindi – Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in the southwestern region of Uganda and covers over 331 square kilometers, consisting of both montane and lowland forests.
The forest is believed to have existed for over 25,000 years and is home to diverse wildlife species. Bwindi is world-famous for its mountain gorillas, with 20 gorilla families available for trekking by tourists.
The park has about 459 individual gorillas, more than half of the remaining wild population. Some of the gorilla groups are available for habituation.
Bwindi also provides shelter to other primates such as chimpanzees, baboons, and black-and-white colobus monkeys. Other mammals include elephants, leopards, and antelopes.
The park is also home to over 400 bird species, including hornbills, turacos, green tinkerbirds, cinnamon-chested bee-eaters, mountain yellow-streaked greenbuls, red-faced woodland warblers, white-tailed flycatchers, and white-browed robins.
The forest’s first inhabitants were the Batwa people, who settled in the forest over 4,000 years ago.
Bwindi is the most popular and visited forest in Uganda, largely due to its mountain gorillas and diverse wildlife.
Bwindi receives around 20,000 or more tourists per year, most of whom come to visit the mountain gorillas.
Most Popular Mountain Gorilla Conservation Bodies in Bwindi
- Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA): Uganda Wildlife Authority is a government agency responsible for managing national parks and wildlife and is overseen by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities. UWA is in charge of issuing gorilla permits that authorize both local and international tourists to go gorilla trekking in Bwindi. In 1991, UWA established Bwindi as a national park, and it remains the leading body in protecting the endangered gorillas in Bwindi. UWA has implemented measures to reduce poaching through the deployment of drones and strict anti-poaching laws.
- International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP): The International Gorilla Conservation Programme is a coalition of international organizations working to ensure the long-term survival of endangered mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in partnership with national and local stakeholders. The program has enhanced social and political support for conservation, improved tourism revenue sharing among communities, and contributed to more effective management in Bwindi.
- Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH): Conservation Through Public Health is a Ugandan-based organization focused on wildlife and ecosystem health. Its mission is to maintain the health of mountain gorillas and secure their habitats. CTPH has three major projects: wildlife health monitoring, improving human health and family planning in communities near gorilla habitats to protect the animals from disease, and information, education, and communication projects that benefit local communities.
- Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC): The Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation is a Ugandan research institute dedicated to conserving biodiversity and managing natural resources sustainably in Bwindi. Founded in 1991, ITFC has made significant contributions to the conservation of the Albertine Rift and neighboring local communities.
In conclusion, these conservation bodies have played a crucial role in ensuring the survival of wildlife species in Bwindi, making it one of the most popular and visited national parks in Uganda.
