Kanungu, Uganda | ENTEBBENEWS.NET | Deep in the misty forests of south-western Uganda, mountain gorillas are more than a symbol of wildlife conservation. For communities living around Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks, the animals support jobs, businesses, community projects and tourism revenue.
Their survival is therefore closely linked to the wellbeing of the people living alongside their habitat.
As the world marks World Gorilla Day, Uganda is celebrating a species that has become one of the country’s most valuable tourism products and an important economic driver for communities around the forests.
Uganda is home to more than half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, which are found only in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Kanungu District, communities in Mpungu Sub-County marked World Gorilla Day this week through activities organised by Change a Life-Bwindi, a community organisation based in Ruhija.
Residents participated in tree planting, community cleaning, dialogue sessions, a free medical camp and sports activities aimed at promoting conservation.
More than 120 residents received free medical services from Rugarama Hospital.
The activities reflected a broader approach to conservation in which communities living around protected areas are not only expected to protect wildlife but also benefit from the tourism economy generated by the animals.
Christine Katushabe, founder of Change a Life-Bwindi, pointed to the transformation taking place around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
High-end lodges have emerged across the park’s tourism sectors, creating employment opportunities and markets for locally produced goods and services.
She also highlighted ongoing efforts to integrate Batwa communities into the predominantly Bakiga communities surrounding the park.
Growing tourism
The Ruhija celebrations came as Uganda marked World Gorilla Day nationally, honouring a species that has become one of the country’s most valuable tourism products and a powerful economic engine for communities around Bwindi and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks.
Visitor numbers show the growing popularity of the two parks.
According to Bashir Hangi, Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesperson and Assistant Commissioner in charge of communication, Mgahinga received 3,601 international and domestic visitors in the 2021/22 financial year.
The number increased to 5,325 in 2022/23, 5,507 in 2023/24 and 6,222 in 2024/25.
Bwindi recorded 20,367 visitors in 2021/22 before visitor numbers rose sharply to 37,360 in 2022/23.
The figure increased further to 43,984 in 2023/24 before a slight decline to 43,716 in 2024/25.
Hangi notes that the figures cover visitors participating in various tourism activities in the parks and are not limited to gorilla trekkers.
The growing visitor numbers underline the economic importance of the two protected areas to Uganda’s tourism industry and communities around the parks.
Billions generated
The financial contribution of gorilla tourism remains substantial.
John Makombo, UWA’s commissioner in charge of biodiversity management, says Bwindi and Mgahinga generated a combined Sh584.3 billion in tourism revenue between the 2022/23 and 2025/26 financial years.
Gorilla tourism alone accounted for more than Sh398.8 billion of that total.
In 2022/23, gorilla tourism contributed more than Sh109.8 billion of the Sh147.9 billion collected from the two parks.
In 2023/24, gorilla tourism contributed Sh86 billion of Sh131.9 billion, while in 2024/25 it generated Sh93 billion of Sh142 billion.
In 2025/26, gorilla tourism contributed Sh110 billion of the Sh162.5 billion collected. The economic benefits also extend beyond the national tourism figures.
In the financial year ending June 2025, UWA gave Sh2.97 billion to communities surrounding the Bwindi-Mgahinga Conservation Area for community projects, social enterprises and business funds.
The beneficiaries include porters, guides, drivers, lodge workers, farmers and small businesses supplying the tourism industry.
For communities around the parks, therefore, conservation is increasingly connected to household incomes, employment and local enterprise.
Tourism appeal
Juliana Kagwa, Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board, says gorillas remain central to Uganda’s tourism appeal, noting that a large share of the country’s tourism arrivals can be directly attributed to the animals.
She has called for sustainable tourism practices in Bwindi and Mgahinga as Uganda seeks to diversify its tourism portfolio so that its wider attractions complement its flagship wildlife products.
For Change a Life-Bwindi and communities such as those in Mpungu, the economic argument for conservation is closely tied to the survival of the gorillas and their habitat.
A gorilla generates value through tourism when it is alive, while the forest that provides its habitat supports an economic ecosystem involving guides, porters, farmers, lodge workers, drivers and other local businesses.
For the porter guiding a tourist, the farmer supplying a lodge or the young person finding employment in tourism, conservation can therefore carry tangible everyday value.
That is the community-level message behind Change a Life-Bwindi’s World Gorilla Day activities: protecting the gorilla and its habitat can also mean protecting livelihoods and creating opportunities for the communities that live alongside Uganda’s most important wildlife tourism assets.
