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Cameroon and Nigeria to protect world's rarest gorilla
mongabay.com
September 5, 2008


Cameroon and Nigeria have agreed to protect the the Cross River gorilla, world's most endangered gorilla, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society, which helped broker the deal.

The two West African nations will cooperate to protect the habitat of the critically endangered primate that occurs only in the two countries. Cameroon and Nigeria will crackdown on illegal logging an the bushmeat trade, strengthen field monitoring, increase community involvement and conservation education, and improve law enforcement within the parks.

"The protected areas involved in this meeting share a number of trans-boundary challenges, which must be addressed if a future is to be secured for Cross River gorillas as well as other threatened and endangered species," said Dr. James Deutsch, director of WCS's Africa Programs. "It is hoped that this renewed commitment will further encourage increased support for the continued protection of these trans-boundary protected areas."

Courtesy of the Wildlife Conservation Society

Classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli) is the rarest of the four subspecies of gorilla with fewer than 300 individuals across its entire range. The species has suffered from habitat loss due to logging and agricultural conversion as well as poaching.

Earlier this year the government of Cameroon announced the first sanctuary established exclusively for the species. The Kagwene Gorilla Sanctuary covers 19.5 square kilometers in a mountainous region of Cameroon and is home to 20 of rare gorillas.

Help support Gross River Gorilla Conservation by buying a limited edition print by Artist Daniel Taylor: Wildlife Art Africa