The Salonga National Park, a major rainforest acknowledged on the UNESCO World Heritage List, offers a wonderful source of biodiversity at the heart of the central basin of the River Congo. This beacon of biodiversity, however, is at risk, given the endangerment of key species that call the Salonga National Park their home. For that reason, and to protect certain species such as bonobos and forest elephants living in the park, The Salonga Conservation Initiative saw the light. Their conservation activities thereby cover around 20% of the total territory of the Salonga National Park, which in its entirety encompasses some 33,500 square kilometers, making it larger than Belgium. Though established in the summer of 2022, the Salonga Conservation Initiative absorbed the work of the Bonobo & Congo Initiative, which invested its energy for the same purpose many years before, and whose mission is hence articulated through the efforts of the SCI today. 

To fulfill this mission, the appearance and activity of the endangered animals that live in this major rainforest must be detected. Park rangers for that reason patrol the park and register the required information for centralized data collection. The laptops Close the Gap provided to the Salonga Conservation Initiative allow the rangers to transmit the registered data to their superior. This data registration is important to safeguard those areas where the species show up. By mapping the locations of the animal's appearance, the control of unwanted poaching can be tightened. We are still impressed to discover how our refurbished equipment can be of use in the specific operational area of the Salonga Conservation Initiative in the park and how the equipment can indirectly contribute to obtaining safety in the rainforest. We are very grateful for working with the Salonga Conservation Initiative and for the opportunity to help the park rangers perform their daily tasks. We could not be happier to discover the impact of digital assets in nature preservation and the contribution they may bring to the park's ecosystem and the wonderful animals it houses.