Why The Mining Conflict Is Threatening Gorillas To Extinction

Gorilla viewing is enjoyed by most visitors from the western world. It is the most outstanding tourism activity you can ever Imagine when you visit Africa. The experience gained from gorilla viewing is life time experience as you will never easily forget the experience. This can be toppled on with the photos you take back to your country of origin. Of course you should care about these gorillas to avoid their extinction. Remember the mountain gorillas do stay in natural forests and not in a zoo. Additionally, these gorillas are an endangered species which are vulnerable to extinction. This have been worsened by the need to exhume minerals most especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  The activity of mineral exploration has been started by SEC and it has started to undermine gorilla conservation and enforce mineral mining within the park. This is an attempt to wipe out the gorillas from the park. Just like Uganda and the Republic of Rwanda, The Democratic of Republic of Congo is a home to critically endangered mountain gorillas which have been threatened by extraction of minerals from the park where these gorillas stay.

Within this park, there are a number of natural resources and minerals including gold, columbite-tantalite – also called “coltan” which is used in making electronic gadgets. The demand to exhume these minerals has led to creation of different mines throughout the gorilla habitats. Many of these mines are operated illegally and do involve some corruption tendencies. There have been many disputes over the control of these mines and this has contributed to some of the humanitarian crises in this region. The activity of extracting minerals or mining within the Democratic Republic of Congo has had a devastating impact on the incredible biodiversity of this region. These mines within the country regardless of whether legally operated or not, involves a setup in the forest that requires not only destruction of the land to exhume the minerals, but also people to operate the mining sites. Most of these people are feed on wildlife within the forest and this means that these wild animals including gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, and many other species have been hunted down as a source of food for the people operating these mines. The Congolese and the international law made the killing of the gorillas illegal. However, these laws have not been fully enforced within the country as a result; the forests are destroyed by the mines and the wildlife has been killed illegally to support the activity of mining.

Though mountain gorillas   face threats to extinction in most parts of the world where they are found, the most extreme threats however have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Remember gorillas are one of the most 25 endangered primates in the whole world. The numbers of gorillas have been dropped to nearly 80 percent in just two decades and this has been due to the effects of the activity of mining.

None the less, these gorillas can be saved. Saving these gorillas however involves extension of critical forests. Every step has to be made possible and this can be through via direct protection like how Dian Fossey worked in the Republic of Rwanda or through being able to know that the electronics do not contain minerals from the conflict areas.

In conclusion therefore, there is need to work with local communities, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, since they are among the poorest in Africa, to teach improved farming techniques and create alternative food sources. Remember, these gorillas have been   hunted down by the local communities in Congo as a source of food.