stories of the land 2015: Saving a Species One Gorilla at a Time, by Hannah

Today, we focused on the constant struggle between conservation and the expansion of farmland. We began our day by visiting the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP). We were greeted by Dr. Mike Cranfield--the co-director. As he began talking, it was evident that Dr. Mike was not only extremely educated on the subject of gorilla conservation, but also incredibly passionate. MGVP is composed of 15 vets and has bases in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. Its goal is to treat animals in their original habit with a focus on preventing and curing disease. The NGO sends vets into the mountains 2-3 times a week to check on gorillas; along with this they have a 24-hour orphan care center to allow babies that have lost their mother to have a second chance in the wild. I was really interested to hear about all of the health risks for gorillas that come with tourism. Dr. Mike explained that when humans go up into the mountains, we expose the gorillas to viruses that they are not accustomed to (such as measles and malaria). The project itself has tried to take many steps to avoid any sort of transmission of diseases, such as doing a monthly heath check on their employees and requesting that tourists wear masks when going on treks.

In the second half of the day we got to visit ex-poachers in a community center set up by Edwin Sabuhoro. This for me was a really powerful moment of the day, as I got to see a alternate option to just telling people that they can't hunt. In the center we got to see a model of the kings palace, as well as receive a performance by baTwa people of dance and drumming. After this, Edwin explained to us the vision he had when setting up this center. We learned that many people in Rwanda hunted and poached as a means to feed their families, so, when the idea of conservation was introduced people did not understand why these animals needed to be protected, and felt as though they had not other method for getting food on their tables. Edwin realized that unless you focused on people in the community, conservation would be unable to happen. He went into a poaching village and lived with the men and earned their trust. It was after he did this that he asked all of the men to come together for a meeting and discuss the effects that poaching had. He proposed the idea of a community in which poachers could earn a living another way and incorporate youth into the equation. Edwin set up a small center where women could weave baskets that would then be sold and gave all of the men employment in the community. He also allowed children to learn the importance of the forest and be porters for tourists visiting the mountain. The community is now earning 30,000 dollars a year. Edwin’s idea was not only inspiring to all of us, but also showed us that by concentrating on the community, good effects are bound to happen. Edwin was named a CNN hero and is currently getting his PhD in Conservation and Tourism in the United States (at Clemson University).

Today was not only educational but also extremely powerful. We got to see a direct correlation between community and land. Further, our article for today focuses on the colonial nature of wildlife conservation. Food for thought.

We can’t wait for trekking, especially now that we know so much more about our own role in the process!