Assessment of the current impact of mountain gorilla ecotourism in Bwindi National Park, Uganda

Abstract

Ecotourism is an emergent and controversial topic in wildlife management and conservation. Despite the growing number of habituated groups and tourists visiting mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), very little behavioral data has been collected on the potential impacts of ecotourism on these wild populations. The present study examined the effect of ecotourism on gorilla behavior. We collected behavioral data (focal and scan sampling) of a well-habituated group (15 indiv.) for 9 months (Dec 2017-Feb 2019) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Kruskall Wallis tests were used to compare pre-contact, contact and post- contact periods. Preliminary analysis showed that "Human directed behavior" increased more than 5 times during tourist visit. Moreover, group social dynamics are affected: affiliation, agonism and submission increased within 7 meters from humans. The present results caution disturbances in gorillas' behavior related to tourist visits. Problems were most prominent when people get too close to gorillas (within 3 meters), in violation of standard rules.