Mining for a valuable mineral is causing severe damage to important ecological sites in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo and driving eastern lowland gorillas closer to extinction, a conservation group says. The Okapi reserve in northeastern Congo is the only protected area in the world for the animal it is named after - a relative of the giraffe, about the size of a zebra with a long neck and stripes on its rear. The okapi is also under serious threat of extinction, according to wildlife experts.
Coltan is used in high-tech products including cellphones, computer chips and nuclear reactors.
The miners can extract coltan from black mud simply by digging with shovels. Low availability of coltan last year led to a worldwide shortage of Sony Playstation 2 video games. In a statement issued by its East African regional office in Nairobi, the agency urged buyers to reject coltan taken from the two conservation sites. Wildlife populations have dropped significantly in eastern Congo in recent years, said WWF, but it's unclear how much of that is due to coltan mining and how much is due to the wars and rebel activity that have plagued the region since 1996. Gorillas residing in the highland sections of Kahuza-Biega are currently estimated at between 110 and 130, half the population of 1996.