Conservation efforts must be heavily weighted toward *G. g. diehli* due to what factor?

Critically low population size (250-300)

The immediate conservation priority must focus heavily on the Cross River Gorilla (*G. g. diehli*) primarily due to its critically low population estimate, ranging between only 250 to 300 individuals. This severe numerical scarcity means that the threat profile for this subspecies is far more acute, bordering on functional extinction based purely on population size. Although the entire *Gorilla gorilla* species is listed as Critically Endangered, preventing the immediate loss of *G. g. diehli* requires specific, weighted conservation management separate from the broader pressures facing the much larger Western Lowland Gorilla population, which benefits from an 'umbrella species' approach due to its higher numbers.