Saving the gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla) and chimpanzees (Pan t. troglodytes) of the Congo Basin

Abstract

The forests of the Congo Basin in equatorial Africa are home to significant populations of gorillas and chimpanzees. However, numbers are declining owing to hunting and to alteration of their habitat. Gorillas and chimpanzees are particularly vulnerable for biological reasons: slow reproduction, prolonged developmental periods and complex social behaviour. In addition, their capacity to recover from disturbance is limited and the reinforcement of wild populations with captive-born individuals is rarely an option. Compared with the critically endangered mountain gorillas and the beleaguered chimpanzees in forest fragments in West Africa, there are some reasons for optimism about the future of the Congo Basin apes: levels of threat remain relatively low; and conservation of tropical rainforests has become a priority of the international community. At the same time, knowledge of the ecological needs of wild apes has increased and non-invasive techniques now exist to monitor population health. Sadly, no animals remain truly ‘wild’, as their survival depends to a greater or lesser extent on management. Protected areas and laws that forbid hunting of vulnerable species are classic tools of management, but broader landscape visions are now emerging that may allow the Congo Basin to avoid the fragile scenario of larger animals persisting only in ‘island’ parks.