Satellites that orbit the Earth with high-resolution cameras on board have been used to map every nook and cranny of an African forest that is the last refuge of the world's 700 remaining mountain gorillas.
The apes' little world is a trackless wilderness where Rwanda, Uganda and Congo meet. The inaccessible territory has been only roughly mapped and the maps do not match correctly across national borders.
So the European Space Agency was called in to create maps from the sky. A two-year project in cooperation with UNESCO was completed earlier this month with a conference in Paris to hand over the maps and geographical data products for naturalists in the field.
"These maps will help us make our anti-poaching efforts more effective," said Eulalie Bashige, director general of the Congolese Institute for the Preservation of Nature. "We can also lay plans for gorilla eco-tourism."
Fewer than 700 mountain gorillas remain alive in the highland forests that straddle the borders.
These regions make up a set of five national parks. Three have been designated world heritage sites by the UNESCO and the remaining two have been nominated for the same status.
An influx of refugees into the area in recent years has led to illegal forest clearing for agriculture or fuel, as well as illegal poaching for food, reducing the living space left for the gorillas.
The maps, which show how large refugee camps are damaging the forest and how volcanic eruptions affect the vegetation, are being scrutinized to discover routes that poachers might use.
Conservationists will add their knowledge about the routes that gorilla groups follow when they migrate across national boundaries.
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