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Distribution, abundance and conservation status of Grauer's gorilla

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

Jefferson S. Hall ,
Kristin Saltonstall ,
Bila-Lsia Inogwabini  and
Ilambu Omari
Jefferson S. Hall*
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Society, International Conservation, 185th Street and Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10460, USA.
Kristin Saltonstall
Affiliation:
Kristin Saltonstall, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Bila-Lsia Inogwabini
Affiliation:
Bila-Isia Inogwabini, Wildlife Conservation Society, International Conservation, 185th Street and Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10460, USA.
Ilambu Omari
Affiliation:
Ilambu Omari, Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
*
School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, 360 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Email: jefferson.hall@yale.edu
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Abstract

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This report updates the distribution and provides abundance estimates for Grauer's gorilla Gorilla gorilla graueri across its 90,000-sq-km range. The authors divide the range of Grauer's gorilla into four regions within which they identify 11 populations and estimate a total of c. 16,900 individuals. Gorillas found in the Kahuzi-Biega lowland-Kasese region represent 86 per cent of the subspecies's total population. Further, approximately 67 per cent of known Grauer's gorillas inhabit Kahuzi-Biega, Maiko and Virunga National Parks. The eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) has an extremely high human population growth rate indicating that deforestation and wildlife use trends will continue to increase. Thus, in spite of the encouraging results of surveys to identify populations and characterize abundance, no Grauer's gorilla population should be considered safe from extirpation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Oryx , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , April 1998 , pp. 122 - 130
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1998

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