The Forest is Calling
the Jane Goodall Institute's International Mobile Phone Recycling Day
Answer the call of the forest
Around the globe, members of the JGI family are actively promoting mobile device and other electronic recycling. Below find links to these countries for more information on how you can participate in The Forest is Calling near you.
Why Are We Doing This?
Protecting Chimpanzees
Mobile phones and many other electronics contain valuable minerals like gold, tin, tungsten, cobalt, and tantalum (coltan). Substantial proportions of the global supply of these minerals are mined in EDRC and are extracted from areas that are both crucial conservation sites for Grauer's gorillas and home one of the largest remaining intact populations of eastern chimpanzees.
Mission Connection
The Jane Goodall Institute’s work in Africa focuses on protecting chimpanzees and safeguarding their habitats through community centered conservation. Extraction of these natural resources involves destroying the forests that chimpanzees call home. Tracts of forest are cleared to make way for new roads leading to mining sites, which then open up previously inaccessible forest to loggers and poachers.
Reducing Conflict Among People
Control over the mining of these minerals has fueled conflict among human communities and perpetuated unsustainable livelihoods for the people who live among them. Conflict fueled in part by the artisinal mining industry has resulted in the deaths of more than five million people. Many people have retreated into the forest in search of safety from the conflict, which results in hunting of local wildlife, including chimpanzees and gorillas, for food.
Every Individual Makes A Difference
As consumers, we can make a big difference by recycling our mobile devices or extending their useful life. Doing so removes these items from the waste stream, and also reduces the demand for extraction of resources from the habitats that many species call home.
Leading Change
The Forest is Calling: International Mobile Phone Recycling Day kicks off a united effort among JGIs around the globe. On December 15th, 2020, JGI will engage our global community in taking collective action toward reducing the demand for conflict minerals and the corresponding impacts on chimpanzees, gorillas, and their habitat in EDRC and beyond.
Global Impact
This campaign unites the efforts of multiple JGI offices around the world who are spreading the word about the link between mobile devices and great apes. In doing so, their efforts are magnified and participants are better able to understand the impacts of our collective action.
