After the recent discovery of a large number of previously uncounted gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), environmentalists and scientists breathed a collective sigh of relief. However, they warn that complacency must take a back seat to continued conservation, since gorillas are still considered critically endangered, and close to half of the world’s primates face extinction.

A census published by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in August revealed an estimated 125,000 western lowland gorillas living in remote swampland areas in northern DRC. The news came as a welcome surprise, as previous estimates put the sub-species’ worldwide population between 50,000 and 100,000. The WSC survey, implemented from 2006 to 2007, counted gorilla nests in two areas spanning 18,000 square miles.

This discovery suggests that efforts in central Africa to protect gorillas from poaching, deforestation and Ebola are beginning to pay off.

“These figures show that northern Republic of Congo contains the mother lode of gorillas,” Dr Steven Sanderson, WCS president, told the Times Online. “It also shows that conservation in the Republic of Congo is working. This discovery should be a rallying cry for the world that we can protect other vulnerable and endangered species, whether they be gorillas in Africa, tigers in India, or lemurs in Madagascar.”

While the find is cause for celebration, Dr Emma Stokes, a field biologist who led the research team, reminded CBS that, “Far from being safe, the gorillas are still under threat from Ebola and hunting for bush meat. We must not become complacent about this. Ebola can wipe out thousands in a short period of time.”

For Congolese locals, the discovery of the gorillas is a mixed blessing. They could potentially bring in more tourism to the region, bolstering the thriving gorilla tourism industry in central Africa, worth an estimated US$3 million annually (US$20 million including tourist spending on hotels and restaurants).

However, as the New York Times reported, while one of the studied regions, Ntokou-Pikounda, has been granted national park status, funding for staff and operations is scarce. There is also increasing pressure on the region’s wildlife as resources such as tropical timber become increasingly sparse.

As the International Gorilla Conservation Programme states, “Gorillas and tourism are inextricably linked. Arguably, neither has a future without the other. Reconciling the demand for tourist dollars with the needs of the gorillas is a delicate balancing act.”