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The Great Lakes region of Central Africa has suffered war and genocide over the past decade. At the heart of it is the Virunga forest, which straddles Rwanda, Uganda and Congo. The forest has sheltered armed militias and refugees and is surrounded by people desperate for food, firewood and land. But it is also one of the last refuges of the mountain gorilla, and so is off-limits to people. Should the gorillas’ needs come before people’s? Annette Lanjouw, a Dutch primatologist and director of the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, argues the two are not in conflict. She tells Stephanie Pain…