The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, completed in 2022, establishes The Dian Fossey Fund with a permanent home to engage local communities—both human and non-human—in its conservation mission. As the headquarters of the world’s largest and longest-running organization devoted entirely to gorilla conservation, the campus advances efforts to protect and study gorillas, train the next generation of African conservationists, and strengthen the ecological resilience of local communities.
Spanning five hectares at the base of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, the campus brings together state-of-the-art facilities for education, outreach, research, and residential use. Its buildings, made with locally sourced materials, employ sustainable construction methods that reduce resource consumption and environmental impact. Integrated systems—including rainwater harvesting, green roofs, reforestation test plots, and a constructed wetland—support wastewater treatment while fostering biodiversity.
Straddling the equator at an ‘ecological crossroads’ in central Africa—where three biogeographic regions intersect—the Volcanoes National Park sustains an exceptional diversity of habitats. Situated at the base of the Volcanoes Mountains, the campus models the Rwandan government’s plan to extend the park’s boundaries by one kilometer along its border to invest in the richness of this biodiversity while reducing overlap between human and gorilla territories.
To minimize the campus’s environmental impact, the project prioritizes locally sourced materials and native plant species. More than 2,400 Rwandans were employed in its design and construction, accounting for 99% of the total workforce. Over the course of the project, US $13.4 million was reinvested in the region.
Launched in 2017, the project reclaims an agricultural plot overtaken by invasive trees, transforming it into a reforested, experimental landscape structured around the park’s four native ecologies. Over 250,000 native plants were collected, propagated, and planted in key ecological zones on the campus.
Three interpretive trails invite visitors to experience the Fossey Fund’s work firsthand: the Gorilla Trail, which traces daily gorilla movements; the Biodiversity Trail, which maps the vegetation zones of Volcanoes National Park; and the Wetland Trail, which demonstrates how natural systems filter and return water to the environment. The trails provide interactive opportunities for visitors to engage with the campus and experience a day in the life of a gorilla. A large central amphitheater hosts lectures, demonstrations, and gatherings. Across the campus, porches made of volcanic stone—featuring low seat walls and custom wood seating—are integrated into each building, offering both public- and private-facing spaces for social interaction and for taking in views of the surrounding volcanoes.
The mission of The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is to engage a broad network of stakeholders—students, scientists, tourists, partners, and local communities—in a shared mission: supporting people while protecting gorillas. Today, the campus thrives with wildlife, serving as a living laboratory, where researchers and students are inspired to make a difference.
