Plans finalised for satellites to help safeguard gorilla habitats   A baby mountain gorilla. A decade of intensive conservation efforts has paid off as the mountain gorilla population in Central Africa has been increasing – but on last count remains lower than seven hundred, with updated figures due soon. A joint ESA/UNESCO project called BeGO (Build Environment for Gorilla project) aims to bolster conservation efforts with data from space.   In this transfrontier region of Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the volcanic highlands of the Virungas shelter the last 600 plus mountain gorillas in the world. Photo: Courtesy of International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) a coalition of AWF,WWF,and FFI.   Endangered mountain gorilla pictured in the Virunga Volcanoes National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The presence of the gorillas in the area draws in an annual revenue of 20 million US dollars due to gorilla tourism and enterprise development. The joint ESA/UNESCO BeGO (Build Environment for Gorilla) project seeks to use satellite data to conserve gorilla habitats.   Endangered mountain gorilla pictured in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. A joint ESA/UNESCO project called BeGO (Build environment for Gorilla) aims to map their habitats with unprecedented accuracy. The data will help local authorities and conservation experts in their efforts to ensure the gorillas' continued survival.   After a nearly five-hour jungle trek, young Australian tourists marvel at a rare visit with a Mountain Gorilla, one of the few remaining in the world, within Virunga National Park in eastern Congo Democratic Republic. Release date: 29 June 2004