Rome, 29 November - In the run-up to the 9th Meeting of the CMS Conference of the Parties in Rome, the parties of the CMS Gorilla Agreement, other gorilla range states, involved countries and representatives of conservation NGOs such as WWF, IUCN and WCS came together for the 1st Meeting of Parties to this agreement, which aims to conserve gorillas and their habitats.

Working groups on i) a unified monitoring and reporting format for gorilla conservation matters, ii) the composition of the agreement’s scientific and technical committee and iii) funding issues were formed.

The core issue of the meeting was the discussion and later adoption of Action Plans laying out the conservation action necessary to safeguard the long-term survival of the 4 gorilla taxa. They range from the Western Lowland Gorilla and the Cross River Gorilla in western Central Africa to the Eastern Lowland and Mountain Gorilla in the East, in the border region of the Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

The Action Plans take into account local and species-specific requirements for effective conservation measures and are based on the 2007 Action Plans by IUCN. Some gorilla populations regularly cross national boundaries, such as Mountain Gorillas between Rwanda and the DRC.

The CMS Scientific Council, which preceded the Gorilla MoP, commends that the CMS and its members give the newly formed Gorilla Agreement all support needed to enable its successful implementation.

The meeting came just days before the official launch of the Year of the Gorilla 2009, which will aim to conserve gorillas and their habitats while at the same time bringing livelihood opportunities and development to communities close to the areas where gorillas live.