Please contact Natasha Tworoski at to learn more or set up your own collection. Thank you to our partners who helped us collect in 2022! Recycling old cell phones helps reduce the demand for these conflict materials, which protect gorillas and humans alike.

Mining in this region has also created military and economic conflict for the people who live there. The more new electronics we create, the less forest there is for gorillas and many other species. Mountain gorillas are currently the only known ape subspecies that is increasing. A primary location for mining these substances is the rainforest in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which also happens to be pristine gorilla habitat. Karisoke Research Center, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Previously, families had to travel up to 4 kilometers to a neighboring village to buy soap or rely on expensive alternatives from foreign vendors. Along with coltan, gold, tungsten and tin are three additional minerals used in electronics. This soap-making project has proven immensely beneficial for the community of Nkuba village. What do gorillas and electronics have in common?Ī critical component of cell phones, tablets, mp3 players, phone chargers and other small electronics is a mineral called coltan. Our holistic conservation efforts also directly help people and communities, improving the health and livelihoods of people who live near the gorillas, and helping to build the next generation of conservationists in Africa.We are excited to share that we are participating in the Gorillas on the Line (GOTL) campaign! GOTL works with ECO-CELL, an electronics recycling company to tally and recycle old electronic devices, with a portion of the funds generated through the recycling of these devices going to AZA’s Gorilla SAFE, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and Wildlife Conservation Society for support of on-ground protection of Grauer’s and cross river gorillas.ĭonate your used cell phones, smart phones, iPads, iPods, tablets, Apple watches, adapters and chargers, MP3 players, handheld gaming devices and headphones and benefit the annual Gorillas on the Line (GOTL) campaign in the specially designated collection bin located in the Membership Office! Better yet, host a recycle collection in your class, school, or club to help save gorillas. When gorillas are protected, so are their important forest habitats, which are important ecosystems that support our planet and all life on earth. Saving gorillas is an important mission, but the value of this work is even more far reaching. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (originally the Digit Fund) is a charity for the protection of endangered mountain gorillas.

Using the techniques of intense conservation that Dian Fossey developed and promoted, we have so far prevented extinction of the mountain gorilla. Fifty years later, mountain gorillas are thriving, thanks to the daily protection that is now provided. Her prediction at the time was that the species would be extinct within a decade. Fossey set up near the forest, and today includes multiple buildings used by gorilla trackers, scientists, and other field staff.įossey’s original goal was to study the gorillas’ behavior and ecology, but she soon saw they were in dire need of protection as well. Karisoke originally was just two tents that Dr. In September 1967, Dian Fossey founded the Karisoke Research Center with the goal of monitoring and protecting mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

Our successful, integrated approach includes close collaboration with local communities as well as partners from around the world. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is dedicated to the conservation, protection and study of gorillas and their habitats in Africa.

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