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Will you help endangered species? Eastern Lowland Gorillas need your help
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Did you know that Fauna & Flora International (FFI) have an urgent Appeal to help Eastern Lowland Gorillas? These wonderful animals are greatly endangered.
Why are gorillas endangered?
- a major expansion of agriculture & pastures in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent years has shrunk the gorilla habitat there
- extensive mining for gold and coltan (the latter is used to make mobile phones)
- high levels of hunting, and the continuing trade in illegal bush meat have led to the slaughter of many gorillas
- Civil war has seen thousands of gorillas killed
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Find out more about Eastern Lowland Gorillas Photo copyright to Fauna & Flora International
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Eastern lowland gorillas have been badly affected by human activities...
Their population has plummeted from 17,000 to about 2,000. The exact number is unknown: problems in the DRC has meant that the gorilla population has been virtually unmonitored since 1996. But the area is now more stable, so the time is right to send teams in to previously unvisited areas of the National Parks to survey the remaining gorilla population.
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FFI want to undertake a survey to monitor these gorillas
Fauna & Flora International want to carry out a fully comprehensive survey of the Maiko & Kahuzi-Biega National Parks for 2 reasons:
- to better understand the surviving gorillas & the threats they face
- to know what steps need to be taken to protect them.
This survey will also help raise the skill level of local rangers and give a considerable boost to their conservation knowledge. The findings of the survey will help FFI to put long term conservation plans into action.
Surveys are crucial to help conservationists decide on the right way forward to save species such as the gorillas. The FFI has now launched an appeal to help raise £82,000 to fund this survey.
Fauna & Flora International (FFI)
Find out more about Eastern Lowland Gorillas
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How will donations be used to help FFI survey the Eastern Lowland Gorillas?
£15,000 will help buy a 4x4 vehicle to get the rangers around the National Parks quickly & safely to the gorillas
£2,000 will pay for the training of 10 rangers in up to date bio-monitoring techniques
£600 will help buy a GPS embedded mapping device, to map the National Parks and accurately assess the threats to gorillas
£240 could equip 2 rangers with the specialist equipment needed to monitor the gorillas overnight
£70 could feed two rangers for the two weeks in the field
£50 to help equip a gorilla monitoring team with a fully stocked medical kit
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About FFI
- Founded in 1903, it is the world's first international conservation organisation.
- It is a UK registered charity number 1011102, and its UK base is in Cambridge
- Its mission is "to act to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, based on sound science and take into account human needs".
- It runs over 120 projects in 40 different countries, working to help endangered species such as the Siamese crocodile and the Great Green Macaw
- The organisation likes to find creative solutions to conservation problems
- It works closely with local communities & conservation groups. In the case of the Eastern Lowland Gorilla, FFI works with the wildlife management authority of the Democratic Republic of Congo – the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, amongst others on the ground. They are working to improve the protection of Kahuzi-Biega National Park and better the livelihood of the communities living in the area.
- It is supported by well respected scientists and conservationists including Sir David Attenborough, Professor David Bellamy, Dr Lee Durrell (wife of the late Gerald Durrell). Dame Judi Dench and Stephen Fry are also involved in FFI. Find out more about who's involved on FFI's About Us page
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