Where We Work
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund works to protect two types of endangered gorillas:
- Endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda
- Critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo)
In addition to gorilla protection, the Fossey Fund also focuses on scientific research, training conservationists and helping communities in each area where we work. Learn about all our programs here.
Rwanda
The Fossey Fund has studied and protected mountain gorillas in Rwanda since 1967, when Dian Fossey began observing them in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Today, we have teams of trackers and researchers who are in the forest every day protecting and gathering critical data to ensure their long-term conservation. Learn more about our work in Rwanda.
DR Congo
The Fossey Fund began working in eastern DR Congo in 2002, to expand protections for critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas.
In 2012, in collaboration with local communities we established the Nkuba Conservation Area. Initially an area of 700 square kilometers, this community-protected forest has grown to more than 2,400 square kilometers and is a model for community-managed forests. It is home to hundreds of gorillas and chimpanzees as well as other endangered and important species. It also sequesters an estimated half billion tons of carbon, playing a key role in the health of the whole planet. Learn more about our work in Congo.
Where Gorillas Live
There are four subspecies of gorillas, and all are indigenous to Africa, with two types in western Africa (western lowland gorillas and Cross River gorillas) and two types in eastern Africa (mountain gorillas and Grauer’s gorillas). All are endangered, though their numbers vary widely.
