The manuscript of this case study has greatly benefited from the comments and suggestions of Rebecca Ham, Jamie Shambaugh, Jean-Claude Ruwet, Roland Libois and Andrew Plumptre. I am also indebted to Eugène Rutagarama, Annette Lanjouw and Nicolas Blondel for their useful input gathered during discussions and meetings.
I am grateful to the protected area authorities of the three countries, the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, the Office Rwandais du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux, and Uganda Wildlife Authority for their cooperation on the ground. The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), a coalition of African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna and Flora
International and the World Wide Fund for Nature International, has allowed me to share my time between their activities and this case study for BSP. IGCP has provided precious logistics and support to this study.
This case study is the result of many years of work in the Virunga region, and as such, has been based on numerous constructive interactions with field staff, colleagues and friends. It is impossible to name them all here, but I would like to pay a special tribute to all the rangers, gorilla guides, trackers and wardens who have shown such an immense dedication in
conserving the precious natural resources of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Over the past ten years or armed conflict, many of them died or lost family members, and these courageous women and men deserve the recognition of the conservation community. Their sacrifices have not been vain: thanks to them, the pristine afro-montane forests and their ecosystems have been preserved, and the mountain gorilla, both a biological and an economic resource, still survives.