Recently, Salesia Smith-Gordon had the privilege of keynote speaking before the West Palm Beach Democratic Club for an engaging and thought-provoking evening centered on wildlife conservation, environmental awareness, and global responsibility and its intersectionality with politics.

During her presentation, Salesia shared her personal experience participating in endangered Silverback Gorilla habituation and trekking in Uganda — an unforgettable journey that offered a rare and intimate look into one of the world’s most important conservation efforts.

The silverback mountain gorilla remains one of Africa’s most iconic wildlife symbols. Despite their immense strength and resilience, these magnificent animals are critically endangered due to habitat loss, poaching, and environmental pressures. Sharing approximately 98.4% of human DNA, mountain gorillas serve as a powerful reminder of humanity’s deep connection to the natural world and our collective responsibility to protect it.

Salesia discussed two key conservation practices. These support both local communities and species preservation: gorilla habituation and gorilla trekking.

Gorilla habituation involved a strenuous 3 hike through Ughanda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (aka jungle) to locate the mountain gorilla family. Once found then a continuous hike to keep up with them for a 4 hour observation time spent as a gradual process where researchers and conservationists carefully introduce wild mountain gorilla families to limited human presence. This process allows scientists and those brave enough with keen interest to study mountain gorillas in their natural habitat while helping conservation teams monitor and protect them from threats including poaching, and human transferred and parasitic diseases.

Gorilla trekking takes place in open forests like Mgahinga Volcanic Forest. It allows limited hikers to observe gorilla families that are already habituated to human presence. Trekking is for a maximum time of 1 hour in their natural habitat under strict conservation guidelines. Revenue generated from eco-tourism directly supports conservation programs, local communities, and ongoing wildlife protection efforts throughout the region. Silverback gorillas are only found in specific areas of Uganda, Rwanda and The Congo.

Politics is involved in the conservation and preservation process in virtually every way. Salesia provided a summary of the historical impact from the era of Uganda President Idi Amin thru the civil wars, covid-19, and the gorilla census and today’s community partnership positive initiatives. The evening was more than a travel presentation. It became a meaningful discussion on politics, environmental stewardship, and global citizenship. It also emphasized protecting vulnerable communities and wildlife.

Salesia expressed gratitude to the West Palm Beach Democratic Club for providing a platform to discuss conservation, education, and international community impact. Through conversations like these, elected officials and leaders helps to cultivate awareness about the interconnectedness and importance between the roles of government, people, wildlife, and the environment.