Giving Compass' Take:

• Ed Stoddard reports that illegal mining in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has dramatically reduced the population of  Grauer's gorillas.

• Economic forces are driving the illegal mining, how can conservation efforts acknowledge and address the economic realities on the ground? 

• Learn about an economically-informed conservation strategy. 

The world’s largest gorilla sub-species has seen its population fall 77 percent over the past two decades, a trend linked to illegal mining for coltan, a key mineral used in the production of cell phones and electronics, a new report has found.

Grauer’s gorilla, the planet’s biggest primate which can weigh up to 400 pounds (180 kgs), is found in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where minerals have been plundered for decades under the smokescreen of conflict and instability.

A report this week by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Fauna & Flora International found that its numbers had fallen to 3,800 from an estimated 17,000 in 1995.

The report says three areas are now key to the survival of the sub-species - Kahuzi-Biega National Park, near the Rwandan border, the adjacent Punia Gorilla Reserve, and the Usala Forest, which is remote but unprotected.

Read the full article about Grauer's gorillas by Ed Stoddard at Reuters.