Tourism Wardens and Guides Re-affirm their Commitment to Popularize the Gorilla FriendlyTM Pledge

Blog | 1/06/22

Over 70 guides and tourism wardens from Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Area re-affirmed their commitment to popularizing the Gorilla FriendlyTM Pledge during a one-day refresher training held on the 1st June 2022 in Kabale-Uganda. The training aimed at refreshing the participants on the Gorilla FriendlyTM Pledge and seeking their support and commitment to share about the Gorilla FriendlyTM pledge with the tourists. According to
Moses Turinawe, Tourism Warden – Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, the training was a needed wakeup call towards strengthening mountain gorilla protection. At the meeting the participants shared their experience with the Gorilla FriendlyTM pledge campaign since the previous training. The sharing indicated that there was positive uptake, and most Stakeholder engagement is key to successful conservation (IGCP Photo) tourism sites were sharing about the pledge and screening the Gorilla FriendlyTM Pledge video during the briefing sessions for tourists ahead of tracking. Although they were still challenged by obstinate tourists who deliberately break the visitation rules.

Going forward, the participants agreed to double their efforts in sharing about the pledge with their tourists and to disseminating the GF materials shared by IGCP.

The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) currently consists of Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International and the World Wide Fund for Nature. We recognise that the earth's survival is dependent on humanity's ability to maintain a healthy and balanced environment that includes all species of wildlife.