What International Gorilla Conservation Programme does

The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) is a non-profit conservation coalition established around 1991 (firmographic record) and reconstituted in its current coalition form circa 2000, headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, with a Secretariat of 11–50 staff. IGCP is jointly backed by three founding coalition members — Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, and WWF — and operates across Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration as the institutional framework. Its mission is to secure the long-term survival of the approximately 1,063 mountain gorillas living across the Virunga Massif and Bwindi-Sarambwe ecosystem, covering roughly 160,000 km² of afromontane forest spanning four protected areas: Virunga National Park, Volcanoes National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

IGCP delivers its programs through three functional pillars: facilitating collaboration among park authorities and partners, supporting conservation science, and promoting community engagement and responsible tourism. Core programmatic offerings include Ranger-Based Monitoring via the SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) electronic data-collection platform, the two-sweep mountain gorilla census methodology (deployed in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe census with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Gorilla Doctors, ITFC, CTPH, WCS, WWF Uganda, and BMCT), 13 HuGo (Human Gorilla Conflict Resolution) volunteer teams with roughly 134 members, community cooperatives, VSLA savings groups, women artisan groups, and the Gorilla Friendly™ Pledge responsible-tourism platform (over 1,571 signatories in Rwanda, recently showcased at Oromia Tourism Week in Ethiopia). Primary government counterparts are the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Rwanda Development Board, and l'Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature.

IGCP does not sell commercial products or services. Its revenue model consists of donations from individuals (processed through the Fauna & Flora donation platform), institutional grants (e.g., SIDA-Leading the Change, WWF Belgium), and pass-through support from its three coalition parents. Specific program-level funding disclosed includes $1,778 for Buremba Women Artisans onion farming, $6,400 for the Imbereheza cooperative greenhouse, and $7,450.87 in field equipment for 134 HuGo team members. Marketed outputs — the Kwita Izina gorilla naming ceremony (20th edition in 2025, 374 baby gorillas named since 2005), World Gorilla Day, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023, and community workshops — function as awareness, donor-engagement, and policy-influence channels rather than commercial funnels. Mountain gorilla conservation outcomes attributable in part to IGCP include the 2018 IUCN Red List upgrade from Critically Endangered to Endangered and a wild population that has risen from roughly 680 individuals in the 2000s to 1,063 as of the most recent census.

Name

International Gorilla Conservation Programme

Legal name

International Gorilla Conservation Programme

Website

https://igcp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) is a non-profit coalition of Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, and WWF, headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, delivering transboundary mountain gorilla conservation across Rwanda, Uganda, and DRC through ranger monitoring, science, community engagement, and responsible tourism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation services
• Mountain gorilla protection
• Transboundary conservation programs
• Responsible gorilla tourism
• Community-based conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Kigali

HQ country

Rwanda

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: IGCP operates as a non-profit conservation coalition. It receives funding through donations from individuals (via its website and Fauna & Flora platform), institutional grants, and support from its coalition members (Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, WWF). The Vanishing Treasures project and SIDA-Leading the Change project represent specific funded programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

IGCP is a coalition-based conservation non-profit that coordinates transboundary mountain gorilla protection across Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It delivers community engagement programs (HuGo teams, cooperative support, climate-smart agriculture), conservation science (mountain gorilla censuses, ranger-based monitoring via the SMART tool), and the Gorilla Friendly™ Pledge responsible tourism initiative. Its operational 'customers' are national park authorities and range-state governments, supported by donations and grants from individuals and institutional partners.

Product overview

The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) is a conservation coalition (not a technology product company) consisting of Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, and WWF. Its core offering is collaborative mountain gorilla conservation across Rwanda, Uganda, and DRC. The organization operates several named initiatives including the Gorilla Friendly™ Pledge (responsible tourism), Ranger-Based Monitoring (RBM), Human Gorilla Conflict Resolution Teams (HUGOs), and SMART technology platform for conservation monitoring. Community engagement programs encompass climate-smart agriculture, household development planning, and livelihood enhancement initiatives. These offerings are conservation programs and services, not commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mountain Gorilla Conservation Program Transboundary collaborative conservation program delivered jointly with national park authorities in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to protect mountain gorillas and their afromontane forest habitat. Combines facilitating collaboration, conservation science, and community engagement.
• Gorilla Friendly™ Pledge Responsible gorilla tourism initiative that educates tourists on ethical gorilla viewing practices, collects post-visit feedback, and shares insights with park authorities. Tourists take the voluntary pledge online at gorillafriendly.org and at park briefing sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mountain gorilla population increased from Critically Endangered to Endangered on IUCN Red List in 2018
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Conservation InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three founding coalition members of IGCP. Conservation International is a global environmental NGO that contributes to IGCP's coalition alongside Fauna & Flora International and WWF to ensure the long-term survival of mountain gorillas through collaborative conservation.
• Fauna & Flora InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three founding coalition members of IGCP. Fauna & Flora International hosts the donation platform for IGCP and contributes to the coalition's conservation programs across Rwanda, Uganda, and DRC.
• WWFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of three founding coalition members of IGCP. WWF contributes to the IGCP coalition's efforts to protect mountain gorillas and their afromontane forest habitat.
• Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI)majorTechnology or IntegrationSupporting and participating institution in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe mountain gorilla census. MPI contributes scientific expertise to genetic analysis of census fecal samples.
• The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (DFGF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting and participating institution in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe mountain gorilla census, operating under the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration framework.
• Gorilla Doctors / Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe census. Gorilla Doctors provides veterinary expertise and supports health analysis of collected fecal samples including pathogen, microbiome, and parasite screening.
• Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIn-charge of logistics for the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe mountain gorilla census. ITFC coordinates census field teams, supplies, and operations in the forest.
• Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment authority managing Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Area in Uganda. Lead protected area authority for the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe census, operating under the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration framework.
• l'Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCongolese Wildlife Authority managing Virunga National Park in DRC. One of three protected area authorities participating in the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration and mountain gorilla censuses.
• Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransboundary framework under which the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe census is conducted, bringing together Uganda and DRC protected area authorities. IGCP leads the census as part of this framework.
• Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting and participating organization in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe mountain gorilla census, contributing One Health expertise.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting and participating organization in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe mountain gorilla census.
• WWF Uganda Country OfficeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting and participating organization in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe mountain gorilla census.
• Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust (BMCT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting and participating organization in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe mountain gorilla census.
• Primate Expertise (PEx)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting and participating organization in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe mountain gorilla census.
• Rwanda Chamber of TourismmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership between IGCP and Rwanda Chamber of Tourism to promote the Gorilla Friendly™ Pledge. The Chamber showcased the pledge at Oromia Tourism Week in Ethiopia, reaching over 700 people and increasing pledge count.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Conservation International: One of IGCP's three founding coalition members and a major funder. A global environmental NGO with operations across dozens of priority biodiversity hotspots, providing IGCP with strategic backing, scientific capacity, and international donor reach far beyond mountain gorilla conservation.
• Fauna & Flora International: One of IGCP's three founding coalition members and the host of IGCP's donation platform. Operates globally across species and habitats, with a broader conservation portfolio than IGCP's single-species focus but overlapping in transboundary landscape conservation.
• WWF (World Wildlife Fund / World Wide Fund for Nature): One of IGCP's three founding coalition members and a major funder. Operates globally across hundreds of species and landscapes, with gorilla-relevant work spanning Africa and Asia. Significantly larger in scope and budget than IGCP itself.

Direct peers

• African Wildlife Foundation: Pan-African conservation NGO focused on wildlife and protected area management across the continent, including mountain gorilla habitat countries (Rwanda, Uganda, DRC). Comparable community-based conservation model and direct park authority partnerships in the same geographies as IGCP.
• Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund: The most direct peer: a research and conservation organization dedicated exclusively to wild mountain and Grauer's gorillas, operating daily in Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) and supporting the same transboundary gorilla population IGCP protects. Co-participant in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe census.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Global conservation organization actively operating in Virunga National Park and across the greater gorilla range. Listed as a supporting and participating organization in the 2025 Bwindi-Sarambwe census, with direct operational overlap with IGCP in the same parks.
• Gorilla Doctors (Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project): Veterinary care organization providing health intervention for wild mountain gorillas across the same Virunga-Bwindi range as IGCP. Co-participant in the 2025 census with pathogen, microbiome, and parasite screening capability — overlapping directly with IGCP's One Health work.
• Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation: Uganda-based research and conservation institute managing the Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Area census logistics alongside IGCP. Operates in the same gorilla habitat, with comparable focus on community engagement, ranger support, and biodiversity monitoring.

Emerging players

• Jane Goodall Institute: Global great ape conservation organization focused primarily on chimpanzees and other primates in Africa. Operates community-centered conservation (Tacare model) similar to IGCP's HuGo approach, and works in overlapping range states, but does not currently focus on mountain gorillas.
• Chimpanzee Sanctuary & Wildlife Conservation Trust: Uganda-based great ape conservation organization (Ngamba Island) focused on chimpanzee rescue, sanctuary, and habitat conservation. Operates in a neighboring range state with similar community-engagement and tourism-based funding models, but on a different primate species.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IGCP
• Facebookfacebook.com/theIGCP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-gorilla-conservation-programme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Gorilla Conservation Programme