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“Protecting these human cousins, from whom only 2% of the DNA separates us, is a collective responsibility,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.
Published on September 1, 2023 8:48 p.m
Reading time: 1 min.
A young mountain gorilla rests in the forest of Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda, August 31, 2023. (CLEMENT DI ROMA / AFP)
The Director-General of UNESCO called on Friday 1 September for the international community to step up action on the great apes, believing that their situation remains critical. “The action of the international community must be strengthened as soon as possible if we want to prevent certain species from disappearing forever,” stressed Audrey Azoulay after a three-day visit to Rwanda.
“All countries have a vocation to play their part, especially the most developed countries, by strengthening mechanisms of solidarity towards the countries where great apes live, especially in Africa,” she said.
“Protecting these human cousins, from whom only 2% of their DNA separates us, is a collective responsibility.”
Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO
Visit to Rwanda
She made her appeal during a visit to the UNESCO Volcano Biosphere Reserve in Rwanda, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Thousands of gorillas live in the wild
UNESCO recalls that deforestation, poaching and human transmission of diseases decimated the mountain gorilla population in the 20th century. However, the organization notes that over the past four decades, the combined efforts of national authorities, local communities, NGOs and UNESCO have “helped to improve the situation”.
From 250 of these gorillas in 1980, more than a thousand now live in the wild, spread across three countries. More than 80% of the recorded mountain gorillas live in the Rwanda Reserve alone, in the impenetrable Bwindi Forest (Uganda) and in Virunga Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo). There are more than 30 UNESCO sites around the world where great apes live.
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