Smithsonian Magazine turns its focus to the mountain gorillas of Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda with the promising news that they appear to be making a comeback.

Very recent studies document 1,063 mountain gorillas in the region, compared to 680 in field surveys from 2008. The new data prompted the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to change the mountain gorilla’s status, from critically endangered to endangered.

“These population survey results signal a real recovery,” says Anna Behm Masozera, director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP), based in Rwanda. “This doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. These are still very fragile populations. But the increase is incredibly encouraging.”

This deep-dive article with spectacular photography by Neil Ever Osborne highlights key reasons for success.

One key to the gorilla population increase, says Behm Masozera, is “long-term, high-level political support.” In 2015, DRC, Rwanda and Uganda signed the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, a treaty to foster conservation and develop tourism, including antipoaching efforts, habitat protection and wildlife surveys. “There is serious political will in all three countries,” says Masozera, and governments as well as NGOs such as the World Wildlife Fund are also working together.

Determined to create a free roaming region for the gorillas, they have easily adapted, keeping rangers on their toes. Gorillas, like elephants, have traversed lands for centuries and are oblivious to location as a form of national identity.

Perhaps even more important is a change in the relationships of people and communities with the gorillas.

“Not long ago, people in communities adjacent to the parks tended to view the mountain gorillas as competitors. People were grazing cattle and hunting for bush meat in the parks, and sometimes facilitated the capture of baby gorillas in exchange for cash. Protecting the gorillas meant protecting the parks, which seemed to threaten the livelihoods of local residents.”

Enter ecotourism and gorillas that are worth far more alive than dead. Not only rangers but members of the community protect the gorillas. The challenges continue, writes Mark Jenkins. Humans can pass infectious diseases to the gorillas — a topic extremely relevant in this moment.

“As a result, visitors are asked to wear a surgical mask, keep at least 23 feet away from mountain gorillas, and limit visits to one hour. Anyone not wearing a mask must keep at least 32 feet away. Meanwhile, researchers also worry about the impact of climate change on mountain gorilla habitat, which, according to one recent study, is “likely to be in a worse situation than it is currently if appropriate mitigation and adaptation are not implemented.” Such measures would include ecosystem restoration, fire management, and water management for periods of both flood and drought.”

Read on at the Smithsonian Magazine online, and supplement it with another AOC article posted today on some of the challenges involved in counting the mountain gorillas accurately.

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