A Network of Organisations
Mountain gorilla conservation is not the work of any single organisation — it is a collaborative enterprise involving government agencies, international NGOs, research institutions, veterinary organisations, and community groups operating across three countries. Understanding who is doing the work provides both accountability and context for the conservation story, and helps supporters direct funding and advocacy toward the most effective organisations.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)
Uganda Wildlife Authority is the Ugandan government agency responsible for managing Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks. UWA employs the ranger force, issues gorilla trekking permits, manages the tourism infrastructure, and coordinates the conservation programmes within Uganda’s park system. UWA’s effectiveness has improved substantially since its reorganisation in the late 1990s, and its continued performance is foundational to gorilla conservation in Uganda.
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI)
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, DFGFI maintains the Karisoke Research Centre in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, funds long-term research on Virunga gorilla populations, operates community conservation programmes, and advocates internationally for gorilla protection. DFGFI’s scientific publications are foundational references in mountain gorilla ecology and behaviour. Their new Ellen DeGeneres Campus in Rwanda serves as a major conservation science and education centre for the region.
Gorilla Doctors
Operating since 1986, Gorilla Doctors provides veterinary health monitoring and emergency intervention services for all habituated mountain gorilla populations in Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC. Their work — daily health monitoring, emergency interventions, disease surveillance — has demonstrably reduced mortality in habituated populations. Gorilla Doctors is a partnership between UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and a consortium of conservation organisations and range country government agencies.
International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)
IGCP is a coalition of African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna and Flora International, and WWF that coordinates trans-boundary conservation management for the mountain gorilla range countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC. Its mandate is facilitating the coordination that no single national organisation can accomplish: joint anti-poaching operations, shared management protocols, cross-border ranger training, and regional advocacy.
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
WCS has programmes in all three mountain gorilla range countries, collaborating with UWA in Uganda and supporting Virunga National Park conservation operations in DRC despite the security challenges of eastern Congo. In DRC, WCS manages community-based conservation initiatives that extend gorilla protection beyond park boundaries.
Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust (BMCT)
BMCT is a Ugandan trust that manages conservation and community development funds for the Bwindi-Mgahinga landscape. Its community programmes — agricultural support, health services, conservation education, and cultural programmes for the Batwa — represent the community integration component of gorilla conservation. Unlike international NGOs, BMCT is Ugandan-led and managed, with governance structures that include local community representation.
African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)
AWF works on landscape-level conservation in the Albertine Rift, including community conservation programmes around Bwindi, ranger training and equipment support, and wildlife corridors connecting protected areas. AWF’s African Heritage Land Fund purchases land for conservation within gorilla range landscapes.
How to Support These Organisations
Visitors to Bwindi who want to extend their conservation contribution beyond the trekking permit fee can donate directly to Gorilla Doctors, DFGFI, IGCP, or BMCT. Most of these organisations accept online donations and publish annual reports that allow donors to track how funds are used. Gorilla Doctors and DFGFI are highly rated by international charity evaluators and have strong track records of efficient fund utilisation.
Final Thoughts
The organisations doing mountain gorilla conservation work are distinct in mandate, geography, and approach, but collectively constitute a conservation system more capable than any single organisation could be. Their effectiveness depends on coordination, sustained funding, and the political and security conditions in range countries that allow their programmes to operate. Supporting these organisations — financially, with advocacy, and by choosing conservation-aligned travel — is how individuals outside the range countries contribute to a conservation success story that belongs to all of us.
