Program helps in gorilla protection

WASHINGTON — Decades of conservation efforts have stabilized the population of endangered mountain gorillas in eastern Africa. But the number of Grauer’s gorillas — a less furry, lower elevation-dwelling animal — has declined, largely due to habitat loss and hunting.

On Friday, the nonprofit Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund announced that more land in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where Grauer’s gorillas live will fall under a community-protection initiative.

The critically endangered species has lost an estimated 60 percent of its population in the past two decades, and an estimated 3,800 to 6,800 individuals remain.

Most Grauer’s gorillas now live outside national parks, and protecting them will be difficult in a region facing sustained human conflicts. Their rainforest homes are being cleared for agriculture and mining, and the gorillas are sometimes hunted for food or trapped by snares intended to catch other animals.

A 2016 law allows communities in Congo to apply for rights to manage their traditional lands. The Fossey Fund has helped communities in eastern Congo complete that paperwork and entered into agreements with families to provide assistance and training for the sustainable management of their lands.

On Friday, it announced that 307 square miles had been added to the program. The addition means 919 square miles are now being watched over by about 20 families.

The community can decide what activities should be allowed on their lands, and to try to enforce those choices. The Fossey Fund provides education and funding.