Mist rising over the Gola Forest National Park in Liberia. Photo by David Goodman
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Protecting Forests, People and the World: the Gola Transboundary Peace Park of Sierra Leone & Liberia Brings Hope

Oct 21, 2020
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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…

Two elephants walking through the forest.
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Elephants’ “Road Trip” from Guinea to Liberia Shows Promise of Transboundary Agreements

Sep 14, 2020
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By Chaz Kyser   Transboundary agreements between Guinea and Liberia to better protect and manage their shared forests and wildlife proved beneficial for two forest elephants that decided they didn’t need visas or face masks to travel between the two West African countries.   The elephants, “threatened with extinction” according to the Convention on the…

A cloud of noxious gas being emitted by an industrial plant.
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A Reflection on World Environment Day: Is There Really A Silver Lining for Nature Amidst This Pandemic?

Jun 04, 2020
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By Edudzi Nyomi, WA BiCC Communications Specialist In the early weeks of self-isolation and physical distancing, a few curious friends asked my opinion about the supposed positive environmental effects of COVID-19 stemming from us staying at home. The question remains legitimate even as countries around the world—including Ghana, where I live—have substantially eased restrictions on…

A frog on a leaf.
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Fanged Frogs, Dwarf Crocodiles and Folding Tortoises? Welcome to West Africa

Jan 22, 2020
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By Fauna & Flora International Forget the peculiar creatures populating the pages of Alice in Wonderland. This is your chance to follow in the footsteps of the intrepid explorers who have just delved deep into a West African fantasy world filled with fanged frogs, lipstick-wearing snakes and folding tortoises. Last year, with support from the United…

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Guardians of the Forest

Dec 09, 2019
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Felicia Kyne may not look like a superhero. She can’t fly and does not carry magical weapons. But the soft-spoken 23-year-old woman from a remote village in Liberia is on the frontlines of a global battle to preserve biodiversity. Read the full story here.

People planting trees in the field.
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Creating Environmentally Friendly Livelihoods in Forest-buffer Communities in the Kindia Region of Guinea

Dec 04, 2019
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By Nouhou Ndam, WA BiCC Forestry and Landscape Coordinator Guinea is known as the “Water Reservoir” of West Africa.” Many rivers, including the Niger, Senegal River and Gambia River, originate from Guinea and flow across over a dozen countries. Guinea is endowed with biodiversity that is unique in West Africa, especially in its dense and…

Three men and a woman signing documents.
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Guinea and Liberia Forge Historic Partnership for the Conservation of the Ziama-Wonegizi-Wologizi Forest Landscape

Dec 03, 2019
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The Ziama-Wonegizi-Wologizi (ZWW) forest complex, shared by Guinea and Liberia, is home to more than 25% of Africa’s mammals. Nearly 90% of its native vegetation has been lost, however, because of unsustainable human activities. To sustainably manage this globally unique refuge of plant and animal biodiversity and essential ecosystem services such as water, the governments…

Two women and a men sitting at the high table.
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Strengthening Regional Partnership for Sustainable Natural Resource Management

May 22, 2019
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In a bid to further strengthen the working relationship between the Mano River Union (MRU) and the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA BiCC) Program, the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Freetown, Sierra Leone on February 20, 2019. The MOU was designed to support activities to combat wildlife trafficking; increase…

A picture of a man in a chimpanzee costume.
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Our Biodiversity, Our Future: Liberia Marks World Biodiversity Day 2019 to Draw Attention to the Threat of Illegal Wildlife Trade

May 22, 2019
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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…

Men training women in the forest
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The Training of Female Community Ecoguards Boosts Protection of Liberia’s National Parks

May 22, 2019
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All over the world, women are excelling in roles that were previously reserved for men. Living proof of this paradigm shift can be found in Liberia, where more and more women are training to be Community Ecoguards, a position that has since been perceived as male-dominated at Grebo-Krahn National Park. The active participation of women…