The #1 source for news about monkeys and apes

["Andrew Hund" <axh69 AT po.cwru.edu>]

http://www.enn.com/news/2004-07-07/s_25618.asp


Wednesday, July 07, 2004
By Ed Stoddard, Reuters



JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - The United Nations urged Rwanda, Uganda, and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday to protect vital ape
habitats on their borders after a huge swathe of forest was cut down on the
Congolese side.

The U.N. was responding to reports that six square miles of mountain gorilla
habitat had been cleared in the Congo part of Virunga National Park,
threatening one of the planet's rarest and most magnificent wild animals.

There are only about 700 mountain gorillas left in the world. They live in
the lush mountains straddling Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo, and any loss of
remaining habitat could push one of humanity's closest relatives to
extinction.

"Reports of extensive forest destruction and human encroachment (in Virunga)
... have profound implications for the future viability of this ecosystem,"
Klaus Toepfer, the U.N.'s top environment official, said in letters to the
environment ministers of the three countries. "Evidence from satellite,
aerial, and ground surveys indicates that habitat destruction has occurred
in some areas at a rate of up to two square kilometers a day," said Toepfer,
who is head of the United Nations Environment Program.

Reports said settlers had illegally cleared the forest in Virunga, a World
Heritage Site, between April and June.

The border area has been tense in recent weeks after Congo accused Rwanda -
which has twice invaded its giant neighbor in the past eight years - of
backing renegade troops who briefly seized an eastern Congolese town in
early June.

Rebel groups have used the gorillas' forest home for bloody incursions into
all three countries.

But Toepfer said the gorillas had improbably thrived in the face of war.
"Despite more than 10 years of conflict in the region, the population of
mountain gorilla has increased by 17 percent since 1989 and their habitat
has largely been protected throughout this period," he said.

Mountain gorillas, massive reclusive animals who live in family groups, are
one of very few tourist draws in the war-torn area and generate an estimate
$2 million annually.

The gorillas' plight was brought to world attention by murdered
primatologist Diane Fossey, whose work was featured in the film Gorillas in
the Mist.




Source: Reuters