The murder of eco-tourists in Uganda at the weekend has brought into focus the plight of the Mountain Gorilla in East Africa.

And last night a friend and colleague of one of the victims spoke at the City Hall on whether the endangered species is worth protecting.

Regional director for the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, Annette Lanjouw, gave a slide presentation on the sub-species which is clinging to life in the mountains of the Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

Ms Lanjouw, spoke to The Royal Gazette earlier this week minutes after contacting friends in Africa about the tragic murder and kidnapping of tourists and guides in Uganda.

Ms Lanjouw, a Dutchwoman, called the weekend's events a loss for Uganda, and the victim's families as well as a loss to the conservation movement.

One colleague was killed on Sunday while another survived. The incident is a clear example of how human relations can have an effect on the gorilla's habitat.

There are just 620 Mountain Gorilla's (gorilla gorilla berengei) in the highlands of the three countries, generally around the Virunga volcano range.

The gorilla's numbers are so small and their position is so tenable that they are considered highly endangered.

The Mountain Gorilla is a vegetarian and males can grow to be as much as 500 pounds. There are none in captivity.

Virunga park in The Republic of Congo -- formerly Zaire -- is the oldest national park in Africa, and was created in 1925.

"In a way the mountain gorilla is the flagship of the forest,'' she said.

"They are similar to humans and very charismatic. They are a major draw for tourists.'' She added: "To conserve them, you have to protect the environment. But that forest is critical to the people as well.'' During the Zairean civil war in 1994 and 1995 more than 750,000 people flooded to the area around the region and had an effect on the environment.

Ms Lanjouw added: "The impact of the refugees in that park was devastating in terms of deforestation and poaching.'' She continued: "The IGCP was instrumental in seeing that funds were made available for the protection of the park. The welfare of the people is inextricably linked to the environment and wildlife.'' The IGCP protects the mountain gorilla through a five pronged approach which aims at the institutions, the species, the local community, on a national policy level, and even the three governments. Ms Lanjouw explained the gorilla's habitat centres on converging borders of the countries between Lake Edward and Lake Kivu, and the governments should see the region as a whole.

IGCP, based in Nairobi, Kenya, has also been instrumental in the efforts to remove mines and also trains park rangers and anti-poaching teams. Ironically, the tourist industry helps save the mountain gorilla by providing much needed money to the local economy and to conservation.