UNESCO sites: Bwindi's wonder world of gorillas

Aug 23, 2020

Bwindi is home to over half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas, and over 120 mammal species.

BWINDI|GORILLAS|TOURISM|WILDLIFE

Bwindi forest situated in southwestern Uganda, along the border of DR Congo and Rwanda is reportedly the country's oldest forest.

It has exceptional biodiversity with various fauna and flora species.

Among others, it's home to over half of the world's population of the endangered mountain gorillas, and over 120 mammal species comprising monkeys, butterflies and over 347 bird species. The national park is mainly popular for gorilla trekking which attracts tourists from all over the world.

Infant gorillas stay close to their mothers for the first six months and nurse for about three years

Female gorilla are smaller in size compared to their male counterparts

The Bwindi community earn a living from tourism

A gorilla's lifespan is between 35 and 40 years

Bwindi became a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 1994 due to its ecological significance.

The UN Bureau recommended that the committee inscribe the site which has one of the richest faunal communities in East Africa on grounds of it hosting almost half of the world's mountain gorillas, and one of the most important forests for mountain butterflies and birds.

It furthermore commended the Government of Uganda, as well as the donors on their efforts to obtain international funding for the establishment of a model management regime.