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Primates under pressure

December 20, 2011

New projects to save Rwanda's gorillas are also helping improve livelihoods in towns and villages.

https://p.dw.com/p/S346
A gorilla female and its young
Image: dapd

Gorilla habitat in Rwanda

The gorillas of the Virunga Mountains in central Africa are a huge attraction for visitors and bring Rwanda much-needed revenue from tourism. But climate change is threatening their fragile eco-system, raising pressure on the forests where the gorillas live and spelling ruin for the impoverished country. Rainfall in the Virunga Mountains feeds rivers, streams and hydropower plants throughout the country. A few individual projects working to save the primates and improve living conditions in towns and villages are however making a difference.

A film by Carl Gierstorfer