The rainforests of the Republic of Congo are home to the rare lowland gorillas. The majority live outside the national parks in areas that are open to logging operations.

Tropical ecologists are at work on a concept that would allow limited harvesting of trees without destroying the gorillas' habitat. They take censuses of both trees and gorillas and mark the individual trees for felling. Just over one quarter of the country's total rainforest area remains entirely off limits to lumberjacks. It appears the ecologists have found a happy balance.

More from this edition of Tomorrow Today: http://www.dw.de/tomorrow-today-the-science-magazine-2014-09-15/e-17864697-9798