East Africa > Uganda > Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Summary

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Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are present in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
The population size in the park is unknown; however, the site is part of the larger Virunga Massif, where a population size of 669 (CI: 623–759) individuals was estimated for 2016.
The population trend is increasing.
The site has a total size of 33.7 km².
Key threats to gorillas are hunting and habitat encroachment due to farming activities.
Conservation activities have focused on eco-tourism, demarcation and reinforcement of the park’s boundaries, education activities and patrols.

Site characteristics

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in the southwestern corner of Uganda, bordering Rwanda to the south and DRC to the west. The park derives its name from "Gahinga," a local term referring to the volcanic stones cleared from farmland at the base of the volcanoes. Originally declared a game sanctuary by the British administration in 1930, it was officially designated as a National Park in 1991 (Uganda Wildlife Authority).

The park is home to a single habituated transboundary gorilla group. Situated at altitudes ranging from 2,227m to 4,127m, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park was established primarily to safeguard the mountain gorillas. It also serves as a critical habitat for the endangered golden monkey. In addition to its wildlife significance, the park holds immense cultural importance, particularly for the indigenous Batwa people (Uganda Wildlife Authority).

Mgahinga's most prominent features are its three conical, extinct volcanoes, a part of the breathtaking Virunga Range. As part of the larger Virunga Conservation Area, encompassing neighboring parks in these countries, the slopes of these volcanoes host diverse ecosystems and a rich array of biodiversity. Over 76 mammal species, including elephants, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, bushbucks, buffalos, and leopards are found in the site. The park also boasts a bird checklist of over 180 species, including 14 endemic to the Albertine Rift, notably the Kivu ground thrush and turaco (Uganda Wildlife Authority).

Table 1. Basic site information for Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Area	33.7 km²
Coordinates	-1.370292, 29.632708
Designation	National Park
Habitat types	Subtropical/tropical moist montane forest

IUCN habitat categories Site designations

Ape status

The exact number of individuals inhabiting the site is unknown. The park is part of the larger Virunga Massif, where the total population was estimated to be 669 (CI: 623–759) individuals in 2016. It was also estimated that the growth of the entire Virunga Massif population was 3.0% (CI: 2.5–3.4%) or 3.1% (1.4–4.3%) per year between 2010 and 2016 (Granjon et al. 2020).

Table 2. Ape population estimates in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Species	Year	Abundance estimate (95% CI)	Density estimate [ind./ km²] (95% CI)	Encounter rate (nests/km)	Area	Method	Source	Comments	A.P.E.S. database ID
Gorilla beringei beringei					Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Threats

Before the establishment of the protected area, several human activities were impacting wildlife inhabiting the site, particularly livestock grazing, farming and hunting. In the course of 1992, all settlers left the deforested zone of the national park and most of these activities stopped. 221 farms were moved and the settlers received compensation payments (Karlowski 2004).

Table 3. Threats to apes in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Category	Specific threats	Threat level	Description	Year of threat
1. Residential & commercial development	1.1 Housing & urban areas	High	Until 1992, people lived in what is now the protected area, where they farmed, logged and hunted (Karlowski 2004)	1992
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops	High	In 1992, the wheat fields inside the national park were harvested for the last time. After a year, the gorillas had extended their habitat to include about 80% of that area (Karlowski 2004).	1992
	2.3 Livestock farming & ranching	High	Livestock grazing in the site; settlers moved out along with 221 farms in 1992 (Karlowski 2004).	1989-1992
3. Energy production & mining		Unknown
4. Transportation & service corridors		Unknown
5. Biological resource use	5.3 Logging & wood harvesting	Present (severity unknown)	Habitat loss due to firewood and bamboo harvesting (Twinomugisha & Chapman 2006).	2006-Ongoing
5. Biological resource use	5.1 Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	High	Before conservation activities started, there was poaching in the area and hundreds of wire snares on paths to catch antelopes (Karlowski 2004).	1990
6. Human intrusion & disturbance	6.2 War, civil unrest & military exercises	Present (severity unknown)	During the civil war parts of Mgahinga National Park sometimes served as retreat areas for paramilitary units. Parts of the afro-alpine vegetation on the peaks of Mt. Gahinga and Muhavura were destroyed during the civil war (Karlowski 2004).	1990-1994
7. Natural system modifications		Unknown
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases	8.5 Viral/prion-induced diseases	Present (severity unknown)	Risk of acquiring Covid-19 due to presence in the surrounding human population (Kungu et al. 2023).	2023-Ongoing
9. Pollution		Unknown
10. Geological Events		Absent
11. Climate change & severe weather		Unknown
12. Other options		Absent

IUCN Threats list

Conservation activities

In December 1989, a conservation initiative focusing on gorillas and nature was initiated in the site. Biologist Klaus-Jürgen Sucker spearheaded the development of this project, receiving support from organizations such as the German Society for the Protection of Animals (Deutscher Tierschutzbund), the Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe, and subsequently, from the Center for International Migration (CIM) (Karlowski 2004).

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park was gazetted in 1991; the park’s infrastructure was established in 1993. This included relocating the guard post to the park's new boundary and demarcating the northern boundary with 180 cement cairns spread across 14 kilometers. While these cairns clearly defined the boundary, they left adjacent fields vulnerable to grazing by wildlife. To address this issue, a hedge of Erythrina abyssinica was planted along the park's boundary (Karlowski 2004).

More recently, approximately 38,100 Erythrina trees were planted along the stone wall in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, spanning a distance of 12.7 kilometers from the Rwanda border to points along the border with DRC. This effort, led by IGCP’s Water4Virungas project in partnership with local communities and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, aimed to mitigate conflicts caused by problem animals such as buffalos. The project sought to enhance park-community relations while reducing crop raids (Nakayima 2021).

Eco-tourism was inaugurated in August 1993, initially offering activities such as mountain trekking, cave exploration, and hiking along nature trails. The range of tourist activities expanded in 1994, with the introduction of visits to the Nyakagezi group, a gorilla population known for migrating between the Ugandan and Congolese sectors of the Virunga Conservation Area (Karlowski 2004).

Even before official gorilla tourism commenced in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, a revenue-sharing system was established for communities residing near the park. Under this system, 20% of the income generated from park entrance fees was earmarked for community projects, such as the construction of schools or storage facilities. This approach has since become a fundamental aspect of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) policies for all reserves across the country (Karlowski 2004).

Table 4. Conservation activities in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Category	Specific activity	Description	Year of activity
1. Residential & commercial development	Not reported
2. Agriculture & aquaculture	2.8. Prohibit (livestock) farmers from entering protected areas	Several farms were moved out of the park after its establishment, allowing for the regeneration of vegetation (Karlowski 2004).	1992-Ongoing
3. Energy production & mining	Not reported
4. Transportation & service corridors	Not reported
5. Biological resource use	5.6. Conduct regular anti-poaching patrols	Rangers conduct patrols (Karlowski 2004).	1989-Ongoing
6. Human intrusion & disturbance	Not reported
7. Natural system modifications	Not reported
8. Invasive & other problematic species, genes, diseases	Not reported
9. Pollution	Not reported
10. Education & Awareness	10.5. Implement multimedia campaigns using theatre, film, print media, discussions	Printing of a childrens' book about gorillas for schools around the park (Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe).	2005
11. Habitat Protection	11.2. Legally protect primate habitat	The site is classified as a National Park.	1991-Ongoing
	11.6. Demarcate and enforce boundaries of protected areas	Planting of Erythrina trees to enforce boundaries and reduce crop raiding by wildlife (Nakayima 2021, Karlowski 2004).	1993, 2021
12. Species Management	12.1. Habituate primates to human presence to reduce stress from tourists/researchers etc.	Tourists can visit the Nyakagezi group (Karlowski 2004).	1994-Ongoing
13. Livelihood; Economic & Other Incentives	13.1. Provide monetary benefits to local communities for sustainably managing their forest and its wildlife (e.g. REDD, employment)	Recently, 40 community members participated in both the Erythrina planting and the renovation of the stone wall delineating part of the park’s border. Community members were paid for their participation (Nakayima 2021).	2021
	13.4. Run tourist projects and ensure permanent human presence at site	Eco-tourism was introduced in 1993 (Karlowski 2004).	1993-Ongoing

Conservation activities list (Junker et al. 2017)

Challenges

Table 5. Challenges reported for Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Challenge	Source
Not reported

Research activities

Documented behaviours

Table 6. Ape behaviors reported for Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Behavior	Source
Not reported

External links

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

References

Granjon, A. C., Robbins, M. M., Arinaitwe, J., Cranfield, M. R., Eckardt, W., Mburanumwe, I., ... & Hickey, J. R. (2020). Estimating abundance and growth rates in a wild mountain gorilla population. Animal Conservation, 23(4), 455-465.
Karlowski, U. (2004). Ten Years of Gorilla Tourism in Mgahinga. Gorilla Journal, 28, 6-8.
Kungu, J. M., Neumbe, J., Kiganira, D. B., Tino, P., Namayanja, J., Kassuja, R., ... & Nizeyi, J. B. (2023). Prevalence and predisposing factors of covid-19 in Bwindi-Mgahinga mountain gorilla conservation area landscape, Uganda.
Nakayima, L. (2021). Strengthened Human– Wildlife Conflict Measures Restore Hope in the Virungas. Gorilla Journal, 62, 11-12.
Twinomugisha, D. & Chapman, C.A. (2006) Notes and records. African Journal of Ecology, 2, 220–224.

Page completed by: A.P.E.S. Wiki team Date: 28/02/2024