The University of Alicante has formalized a collaboration agreement with the Jane Goodall Institute Spain (JGI) to actively participate in the "Mobilize for the Rainforest" campaign, an initiative focused on the selective collection and recycling of mobile phones with environmental and social impact.

The agreement, processed by the Ecocampus Office of the Vice-Rectorate for Infrastructure, Sustainability, and Occupational Safety, in coordination with the Healthy University program, establishes the channels for collaboration to facilitate the participation of the university community in this solidarity campaign. The agreement was signed electronically.

The initiative promotes the collection of used mobile devices, with the drop-off point located at the Ecocampus Office. Recycling these devices recovers valuable components that can be reused in the manufacture of new devices, thus reducing the need to extract minerals such as coltan or cassiterite from natural environments. This process also contributes to reducing CO₂ emissions associated with mining and the transport of raw materials.

The exploitation of strategic minerals for the technology industry, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is linked to armed conflict, labor exploitation—including child labor—and severe environmental degradation. The extraction of coltan and other resources causes significant devastation of the rainforest and the habitats of iconic species such as chimpanzees and gorillas, threatened by deforestation and poaching.

Through its participation in “Mobilize for the Rainforest,” the University of Alicante (UA) is helping to raise funds for conservation, sustainable development, and environmental education projects in Africa, as well as for the rescue and rehabilitation of chimpanzees at the Tchimpounga Center in Congo.

Although the agreement has only recently been formalized, the University has been collaborating with this campaign for some time. As a result of this ongoing commitment, the institution has secured the sponsorship of three chimpanzees.

It is worth remembering that the primatologist and international conservation expert Jane Goodall, who recently passed away, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the UA, an academic link that reinforces the institutional significance of this collaboration.