Gabon Invests In Ecotourism To Preserve Mountain Gorillas

Gabon is counting on tourism to help save one of its native species, the mountain gorilla.

There Are Two Families Of Great Apes In The Country That Are Accustomed To Humans.

One lives in the Loango National Park, the other lives in the Moukalaba Doudou National Park, 600 kilometres south of the capital, Libreville.

But approaching these creatures in the wild takes years of hard work. The Loango Park Is Home To Nearly 1,500 Gorillas.

Only around 20% of the country’s population live in this national park. The Biggest Threat Great Apes Face Is Poaching, Disease And Loss Of Habitat.

The development of ecotourism is at the heart of the government’s strategy to promote conservation.

Gabon is following the example of Rwanda and Uganda where mountain gorillas were almost extinct before funds from tourism helped to double their numbers in three decades.