Endangered
Mountain Gorilla
The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 96 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the bonobos and chimpanzees.
Gorillas are large, primarily herbivorous, great apes that live in the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus Gorilla is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five subspecies. The DNA of gorillas is highly similar to that of humans, from 96 to 99% depending on what is included, and they are the next closest living relatives to humans after the bonobos and chimpanzees.
Threats & Drivers
Primary Drivers
Key Threats
Shifting agriculture — Rapid Declines
Unspecified species — Rapid Declines
Scale Unknown/Unrecorded — Rapid Declines
Mining & quarrying — Slow, Significant Declines
Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] — Slow, Significant Declines
Habitat shifting & alteration — Slow, Significant Declines
Roads & railroads — Slow, Significant Declines
Unintentional effects (species is not the target) — Very Rapid Declines
Disease Pathway
Ebola virus / human metapneumovirus
Pathway: Reverse Zoonosis — Our Diseases → Them
Bushmeat hunters + ecotourists transmit respiratory viruses to habituated gorillas
Emerged: 2003 (Ebola outbreaks killed ~5,000 gorillas in Congo/Gabon)
Severity: catastrophic
Disease Breakdown
Viral Prion: PRESENT
Invasive Species: PRESENT
Unknown Pathogen: ABSENT
Disease threats detected: 2
Habitat & Range
Habitats
Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland — Major importance
Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Swamp — Minor importance
Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane — Major importance
Range Countries
DR Congo (CD)
Rwanda (RW)
Uganda (UG)
Coordinates
-1.1291, 29.6777
Climate Change in Range
Temperature 1981: 16.1 C
Temperature 2023: 18.1 C
Change: +2.02 C
Conservation Actions
Actions In Place
Sub-national level
Awareness & communications
Training
National level
Private sector standards & codes
Site/area protection
Site/area management
Resource & habitat protection
National level
Substitution
Pressure Breakdown
Human Population in Range (1975): 35.0M
Human Population in Range (2023): 148.0M
Growth: +322%
Forest Loss: 402.2M hectares
Severity: critical
Overall Pressure: 70/100 (extreme)
Sources & Methodology
Data Sources
IUCN Red List — Species assessment, threats, habitats, conservation actions
Wikipedia — Species summary text
UN World Population Prospects — Human population data, 1975-2023
Global Forest Watch GLAD — Tree cover loss, 2001-2023
NASA POWER API — Temperature data, 1981-2023
Methodology
The Triple Pressure Score (0-100) combines three factors: human population growth in species range (30 points), deforestation severity (40 points), climate change impact (20 points), and IUCN trend/status (10 points).
IUCN Red List URL:
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39994/115576640