Mongabay · Climate & nature

Ugandan Communities Plant Trees to Protect Gorilla Habitat

In Uganda, local communities are planting trees outside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to reduce human pressure on the gorillas' shrinking habitat.

The initiative aims to provide residents with essential resources like medicine, firewood, and timber, thereby discouraging them from entering the park to collect these items.

Bwindi is home to approximately 450 mountain gorillas, nearly half of the world's population. Global numbers have surpassed 1,000, a significant recovery for the subspecies.

Organizations like Change a Life Bwindi supply useful trees and restore degraded land, with members of the Indigenous Batwa community helping to select species.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority distributes seedlings, enabling residents to harvest resources within their communities without disturbing the gorillas' environment.

Mountain gorillas are classified as endangered by the IUCN, an improvement from their previous critically endangered status, partly due to conservation efforts and tourism.

Tourism generates revenue and jobs for local communities, while initiatives like tree planting help ensure that both humans and gorillas can coexist without conflict.

The campaign includes local schools, where students participate in planting trees, fostering a sense of responsibility for forest and gorilla protection.

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