40 years ago i had one of the most memorable experiences of my life i was in the virunga mountains which straddled the borders of uganda the democratic republic of congo and rwanda and there i met some of the few remaining mountain gorillas including a mischievous youngster called poppy as i sit here there's more meaning and mutual understanding in exchanging advance with a gorilla than any other animal i know as i was preparing to talk to camera poppy was at my feet trying to take off my shoes it was an experience that has stayed with me
but it was tinged with sadness as i thought i might be seeing some of the lasts of their kind [Music] in the 1970s this population of mountain gorillas was estimated to be around 250 individuals in this area they were on the brink of extinction their habitat was under very rapid conversion from from forests to agricultural fields this part of rwanda was one of the poorest and most densely populated in the country and the expansion of agriculture was the only way for most people to survive there were tensions between the park and the communities we had
many portraits coming such saying that snails cutting bamboo coexistence of humans and mountain gorillas really wasn't a reality that many people saw but over the next few decades the situation would start to change government in all three countries conservation organizations and local communities started to work together with an emphasis not just on the barillas but on the people that live with them [Music] we have over 200 rangers and their jobs is to see every gorilla and check on the habitat and since 2005 the government set up a tourism revenue sharing scheme a portion of the
price that a tourist pays is actually reserved for those communities adjacent the result is that the conversion of habitat for agricultural production actually ceased and the population has recovered their numbers have just reached and exceeded 1 thousand papi grew up and and actually was a very long-lived mountain gorilla and had many offspring right there is actually the daughter of poppy [Music] rabbit means flower she is a shining flower in this park also has a daughter [Music] prosperity [Music] to see poppy's daughter and granddaughter thriving is thrilling it just shows what we can achieve when we
put our minds to it i do truly believe that together we can create a better future i might not be here to see it but if we make the right decisions at this critical moment we can safeguard our planet's ecosystems its extraordinary biodiversity and all its inhabitants what happens next is up to every one of us you
