CRES is working on effective approaches to conservation action that link the captive population of zoos with survival of populations in the wild.
Capacity Building for Gorilla Conservation in Range States
Gorilla populations in the wild survive only in countries beset by pervasive poverty and social or political unrest. University facilities may be outdated and educational training limited. Nonetheless, there is a cadre of highly motivated and capable scientists in gorilla range states that would like to contribute to gorilla conservation efforts utilizing the most powerful technologies available. Increasingly, international conservation efforts for gorilla populations in their range countries involve a component of capacity building and technology transfer. CRES has already embarked on such a program by hiring a Ugandan geneticist to work in the Genetics Division on conservation studies of gorillas.
A key part of the effort to better understand gorilla populations includes efforts to characterize genetic diversity of wild populations of gorillas. This can only reasonably be undertaken by establishing partnerships with in-country scientists, thereby enhancing their ability to produce and analyze data and guide future research efforts. To this end, CRES staff will conduct one or more training workshops in Uganda, Rwanda, or Nigeria. Carefully chosen African conservation geneticists will be invited for brief stays at CRES for an intensive training program in techniques for molecular genetic data collection and analysis. Inspiring concern for wildlife can be accomplished by offering wildlife conservation as a career. It can also be accomplished by engaging the public through imaginative and effective approaches to conservation action that link the captive population of zoos with survival of populations in the wild.
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