West Africa
Protecting Forests, People and the World: the Gola Transboundary Peace Park of Sierra Leone & Liberia Brings Hope
Oct 21, 2020Biodiversity, Conservation, endangered species, Livelihoods, West Africa, Wildlife Conservation
By David Goodman Beneath the thick canopy of West Africa’s forests, there are dark secrets. In the sleepy Liberian town of Mano River Congo, Sierra Leone beckons across the broad river. A lone border guard sits in a ramshackle shelter—a converted Ebola treatment unit—and checks the occasional visitor who arrives by boat. The golden…
CITES Master’s Graduates Chart a Path Toward Regional Collaboration
Jan 29, 2020Capacity Building, CITES, Policy, West Africa, wildlife trafficking
By Chaz Kyser, WA BICC Communications Manager The West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change Program (WA BiCC) organized a vibrant exchange on “Knowledge Products and Lessons from CITES Master’s Training and Research in West and Central Africa,” held in Accra Jan. 23–24. Not only did the gathering succeed in bringing WA BiCC-supported CITES MSc…
How a Community EcoGuard Program Helped One Woman Go from School Dropout to Breadwinner
Dec 10, 2019Biodiversity Loss, Capacity Building, Conservation, Deforestation, West Africa
By Jacob Tweh, Wild Chimpanzee Foundation Many might have said that 16-year-old Linda Nyanway’s future looked bleak as she took her now-husband’s hand in marriage. Linda’s parents divorced when she was just three, leaving her to spend most of her childhood with her grandmother in River Gee County, Liberia. Her grandmother worked as a subsistence…
From Anomalure to Zebra Duiker – Spotlight on West Africa’s Mammals
Nov 22, 2019Biodiversity, Biodiversity Loss, Conservation, endangered species, West Africa
By Fauna & Flora International If you thought zebra duiker and otter shrew were four different animals, think again. These are just two of the elusive creatures that Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and partners were hoping to track down during recent surveys of large and small mammals in one of West Africa’s most important…
My first ever CITES CoP as a Communicator, an Environmentalist, and a West African.
Sep 03, 2019Biodiversity, CITES COP 18, ECOWAS, West Africa
In Robert Cialdini’s (Ph.D) book, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”, he explains the power of reciprocation in advocacy, and brings the common saying, “One good deed deserves another” to life. He gives powerful examples of how people feel obliged to return a favor. Since reading this book about four years ago, I have used some…
Building Global Expertise: Celebrating the Successes of the ‘CITES Master’s Program’
Sep 01, 2019Capacity Building, CITES, enforcement, Partnerships, West Africa
“The world needs a dedicated network of experienced, knowledgeable and educated people to share their diverse views and negotiation skills to bring about positive outcomes for the world and for conservation” remarked Pamela Scruggs of the US Fish and Wildlife Service during a CITES CoP 18 side-event celebrating the success of the CITES Master’s degree…
Sierra Leone Validates Climate Change Adaptation Plan as Stakeholders Prepare for Action
May 23, 2019Abidjan Convention, Adaptation, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation Plan, Coastal, Conservation, ECOWAS, Livelihoods, ocean, Partnership, USAID West Africa, WA BiCC, West Africa, workshop
Sierra Leone is ranked among countries highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change; in 2017, Sierra Leone ranked third most vulnerable nation after Bangladesh and Guinea Bissau to adverse effects of climate change (GlobalSecurity.org, 2017). In the midst of this, the National Government and development partners are committed to taking urgent actions critical…
Our Biodiversity, Our Future: Liberia Marks World Biodiversity Day 2019 to Draw Attention to the Threat of Illegal Wildlife Trade
May 22, 2019Biodiversity, Biodiversity Loss, chimpanzee, Conservation, elephant, endangered species, FFI, Forest, hunting, Liberia, pangolin, poaching, Trafficking, WCF, West Africa, Wildlife Conservation
Liberia is on track to losing significant populations of its wildlife and stands a risk of having some of its critically endangered species being completely wiped out in ten years if no action is taken. Mama Liberia is blessed with the largest remaining portion (42%) of the Upper Guinea rainforest; a forest that runs through…
Nigeria Gears Up to Combat Wildlife Crime
Mar 29, 2019Biodiversity, Biodiversity Loss, Capacity Building, CITES, CITES COP 18, ECOWAS, Partnership, Ramsar COP13, Trafficking, USAID West Africa, West Africa, Wildlife Conservation
Porous borders. Lack of awareness. Commit to change. Certain phrases kept resonating at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, that convened government agencies and their private sector and civil society partners intent on combatting wildlife crime in Nigeria and along its borders. Wildlife crime, which includes trafficking and illegal trade…
Strengthening Climate Change Resilience in the Fresco Coastal Landscape, Côte d’Ivoire
Mar 20, 2019Abidjan Convention, Aquatic ETP, Climate Change, Coastal, Conservation, mangroves, RAMSAR, USAID West Africa, West Africa
The Fresco coastal landscape includes the Fresco Lagoon and the Bolo and Niouniourou rivers which feed the lagoon with fresh water. Known locally as Koyiri, the lagoon lies in the administrative region of Gbokle. It has been classified as a Ramsar Site due to its rich biodiversity, including several endangered species like the manatee and…