English - Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund

CEPF FINAL PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT
OM 4.5.4 (Rev)
Organization Legal Name: Fauna & Flora International
Consolidating And Learning From Livelihood Interventions In
Project Title:
Support Of Biodiversity Conservation And Management At Nimba
Mountain (Guinea), Sapo National Park (Liberia) And Tiwai Island
(Sierra Leone)
Date of Report: 23 rd January, 2012
Report Author and Contact
Dr. Chloe Hodgkinson & Dr. Daniel Pouakouyou
Fauna & Flora International, Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2JD
Information
chodgkinson@fauna-flora.org or dpouakouyou@fauna-flora.org
+44 (0) 1223 579482
CEPF Region: Guinean Forests of West Africa
Strategic Direction: Consolidation
Grant Amount: $249,440
Project Dates: 1 December, 2008 to 30 September, 2011
Implementation Partners for this Project (please explain the level of involvement for each
partner):
Environmental Foundation Africa (international organization): consultations took place during the
formulation of the LOI and throughout the project implementation period in order to assure
coordination of intervention efforts, with a shared project workshop hosted by EFA in 2009.
Forest Development Authority (local government partner in Liberia): The FDA were a key
implementation partner in Liberia, fully involved both during the project design process and
throughout implementation in order to ensure that interventions of this project aligned with the
FDA strategy for forest sector reform. CEPF project staff for Sapo worked closely with FDA
counterparts from the Conservation and Research Departments throughout fieldwork, supporting
capacity transfer to the FDA.
In Guinea, the following partners were fully consulted and were actively involved in the project:
-Centre d’Etudes de l’Environnement des Monts Nimba et Simandou (CEGENS) –– This is the
government institution in charge of the management of the Nimba Mountain. CEGENS was an
active partner in the CEPF Phase Nimba Bushmeat and Hunting Initiative
La Fondation Africaine pour la Conservation et le Développement (ACDEF-Guinea) – through its
main local development partners AUDNG and UVODIZ which are providing technical support to
the existing CBOs and those to be established.
The Nimba UNDP-GEF Biodiversity Conservation Project which is currently implementing a 9year
project on the management of the entire Nimba Mountain through an integrated and
participatory approach.
The CBOs of Lola, Gbakore and Zouguepo which are currently implementing alternative
bushmeat related activities mainly cane rat farming.

Institut de Recherche et de Vulgarisation de l’Aulacodiculture en Guinée (IVRAG) –. The
government institution in charge of cane rat farming in Guinea and which is providing the
breeding stocks and start up supervision.
The project also engaged with other ministerial departments such as the Ministry of Agriculture
and the Ministry of Animal Husbandry at local level. Such local level engagement is important to
catalyze technical support for the CBOs and will perhaps, in the long term, encourage
government investments in post-project activities.
Conservation Impacts
Please explain/describe how your project has contributed to the implementation of the
CEPF ecosystem profile.
An important area in the implementation of the CEPF profile in the Upper Guinean Forest of the
Guinean Forests of the West Africa Biodiversity Hotspot is the contribution to the alleviation of
ecosystem degradation especially the effects of mineral extraction, hunting and overharvesting of
biodiversity resources partly due to Limited Local Capacity for Conservation. This project
specifically focused on the conservation of wildlife using an integrated approach that entailed
understanding the dynamics of hunting in critical habitats and designing and implementing
replicable alternative models to these practices. Unlike other initiatives where building the local
conservation capacity usually consists in training and equipping government rangers especially in
classical protected area management approach, the project has used a bottom up approach. In
Liberia the project has established a clear understanding of the socio-economic drivers of the
bushmeat trade in the southeast of Liberia and its integration into the local livelihood strategies,
providing a sound basis for developing a relevant and sustainable approach to addressing
overhunting in the area. In Nimba the project has worked with local hunters and the bushmeat
traders to design and implement alternative source of proteins and income for all concerned. One
of the most important achievements at Nimba is the establishment of baseline biological and
socio-economic for long term impact monitoring. By tracking and follow trends in wildlife both at
market and forest level, and also by ascertaining the impact of alternative livelihood investments
on people’s wellbeing, it is possible to adjust and refine the strategy with time.
Please summarize the overall results/impact of your project.
A vastly improved understanding of temporal and spatial bushmeat hunting practices in and
around Sapo national park has helped in the development of a bushmeat trade monitoring
framework currently being implemented by the Forestry Development Authority, the mandated
authority for this work in Liberia. FFI are continuing to work alongside the FDA to support both the
long-term biomonitoring program and, to a lesser extent, the law-enforcement program,
supporting future analysis of program efficacy.
In Guinea, the project built on existing CBOs and drew the necessary lessons for consolidation
and scaling up of the initiative to other important localities around the Nimba Mountains. In
addition to constructing and equipping cane rat farming and fish farming facilities in the selected
localities mainly Lola, Bossou, Gbakore, Zouguepo, N’Zoo and Tounkarata, the project has
established and strengthened the capacity of the relevant CBOs to function dependently with
minimal external support. Extending the investment to sustainable agriculture has helped to put in
place a mechanism to reduce encroachment on wildlife habitats and maintain key ecological
functions and processes on Nimba. Monitoring and assessing the key ecological and socioeconomic
indicators will facilitate adaptive management for the long sustainable use of key
resources in this key important biodiversity area of the Upper Guinean forest.

Planned Long-term Impacts - 3+ years (as stated in the approved proposal):
Strengthened conservation and improved sustainable management of wildlife at Nimba and SNP
through alternative source of proteins and income generating activities that are environmentally
friendly, socially acceptable and financially sustainable.
Actual Progress Toward Long-term Impacts at Completion:
All too often, livelihood interventions are planned and implemented with no clear idea or
structured assessment of the suitability of these options in terms of social acceptance and
economic feasibility. This project directly addressed this issue in the Sapo National Park region
by implementing a methodological, community-led approach to improving understanding of the
potential for introducing well-researched livelihood activities as alternatives hunting for and trade
in bushmeat at Sapo National Park. Whilst moving forward with the introduction of these
proposed options was outside both the scope and resources of this project, this work will provide
a solid empirical platform on which to develop locally relevant projects in the region with improved
environmentally and economically sustainability, intended to directly contribute to the sustainable
management of natural resources in the region.
The project has led to the consolidation of the three initial CBOs in the Nimba region namely the
Lola Women Bushmeat Sellers Association, the Hunters Association of Gbakore and Zouguepo
and the Women Association of Bossou. These 3 CBOs are today almost autonomous, able to
function effectively with limited external technical and financial support. The Lola Women
Bushmeat Sellers Association in particular is the most prosperous in the locality with members
able to install their own individual pig farms. The area where these women genuinely lack support
is in veterinary medicine. The project is currently negotiating a long term arrangement with the
relevant government department based in Lola so that adequate support is provided as required.
The mandate of this government structure is theoretically to support animal husbandry
investments across the region, but this is not always the case as the government budget is rarely
available and when it is, only occasionally at the time when needed. Basically the project is
working to establish a mechanism through which the local government chef veterinary officer can
intervene and assist individual members or the entire group on animal health matters against a
remuneration payment commensurate with the nature of the task and funded through the group
or individual financial resource. In addition to the consolidation of the existing CBOs, the project
has expanded geographically and thematically around the Nimba region. Other alternative
protein-based CBOs were established and are now functional in the locality of N’Zoo and
Tounkara. Exchange visits between the different groups are being promoted to facilitate local
learning and experience sharing for the benefits of all concerned. Three other CBOs are
supporting ecoagriculture in an attempt to stabilize farming and reducing the encroachment to the
already seriously disturbed Nimba ecosystem. This initiative consists of training farmers in
farming techniques including but not limited to composting using manure derived from pig farms.
Alongside all these CBOs, the project has established an impact monitoring system for wildlife
and people’s wellbeing.
The wildlife monitoring system is carried out at two levels. The first level consists of collecting
data on the amount of bushmeat entering the local market as well as the main species traded as
the proxi indicators of the level of wildlife off take in the Nimba forest. The second level of
monitoring is the classical forest-based monitoring system where direct and indirect sighting of
wildlife species, especially those of conservation significance, are regularly monitored along
permanent transects to inform on their relative abundance.
Towards the end of the CEPF funding, the project developed and established a baseline
monitoring system in pilot villages to ascertain the impact of the project investment on the rural

poverty. Key socio-economic indicators were selected and the current level in selected household
ascertain for future change monitoring.
Planned Short-term Impacts - 1 to 3 years (as stated in the approved proposal):
i. Improved capacity of CBOs to manage alternative livelihood interventions in Nimba.
ii. Improved understanding of temporal and spatial bushmeat hunting practices in and
around Sapo National Park.
iii. Sustainable alternative livelihood options identified for 3 communities around Sapo
National Park
Actual Progress Toward Short-term Impacts at Completion:
i. Improved capacity of CBOs to manage alternative livelihood interventions in Nimba.
The project phase under review started with the formulation of a strategic document that
identified information needs, capacity needs, and subsequent action points for the
consolidation and scaling up of animal-husbandry related livelihood activities as
alternatives to bushmeat hunting and trade. A capacity building program was then
developed with all concerned in order to strengthen the abilities of the CBOs to
implement and manage animal husbandary
All the CBOs around Nimba were assisted to develop bylaws and international rules and
regulations setting out in unambiguous terms the aims and objectives of each group, the
rights and obligations of each member and the group, and the rules governing the
group’s functioning bearing in mind that the primary aim is the protection of the
threatened wildlife on the Nimba Mountains. The legally binding instruments were all
validated by the local administration in line with the current legislation in Guinea
governing common initiative groups and the protection and management of wildlife
especially in critical habitats such as the Nimba Mountains with conflicting land use
practices and opportunities. A bank accounts operated by elected members were also
opened for each group and all have been encouraged to use it as much as possible,
either to deposit the group financial assets or to withdraw resources when needed for
specific activities in line with the bylaws and international rules and regulations.
Additional training was given to the members on how to carry out specific activities,
especially with cane rat husbandry which is new to the region and the hunters not used to
wild animals in the cages. The partnership established between the project and the
IRVAG the government institution in charge of research and extension of cane rat
farming proved to be extremely useful and specific members of the groups were training
in specific aspects of facility management, feeding, healthcare of the animals, breeding
strategy and crossing, etc. The experience gathered around the Guinea side of the
Nimba Mountain was shared with the Liberians during exchange visits.
The final but not the least important aspect of the project was the construction of key
infrastructures such as additional cane rate facilities to increase the breeding capacity of
the initiative. Two additional cane rat facilities were constructed and commissioned. Fish
farming activities were also expanded to N’Zoo and Tounkarata two other localities in the
Nimba region. So were also created a series of home gardens and community farms in
Lola, Bossou, Tounkara and N'Zoo to diversify the income of the different group
members and reduce their dependency on wild resource and encroachments on virgin
lands especially around the core protection areas of the Nimba world heritage site.

ii. Improved understanding of temporal and spatial bushmeat hunting practices in
and around Sapo National Park.
This project conducted a 12 months study exploring the dynamics of bushmeat and trade
in Sapo National Park. The study sought to better understand how people live within the
rural setting around the national park and on what natural resources, bushmeat in
particular, they depend. The study illustrated the extreme importance of bushmeat as
both a source of protein and income to the communities that otherwise have very limited
access to alternatives, such as domestic meat and fish. Household consumption studies
revealed the influence of the agricultural cycles, taboos and market access on hunting
and meat consumption patterns of park adjacent communities. Importantly, the work
showed the economic value of hunting to both local and ‘outside’ hunters, with
commercial hunters found to earn up to US$2000 per month in a country where the
annual GDP per capita is $500. This project is assessing temporal bushmeat hunting
practices through the development of a bushmeat trade monitoring framework developed
and established. Practical guidelines were produced and shared with the FDA who are
responsible for their implementation, although with continuing support from FFI.
iii. Sustainable alternative livelihood options identified for 3 communities around
Sapo National Park
It was clear during the project design phase from the number of failed livelihood
interventions around Sapo that very careful thought and focused research was needed to
ensure suggested alternatives were culturally acceptably, economically feasible and
environmentally sustainable. An initial regional seminar was organized and held on Tiwai
Island (Sierra Leone) from the 16 th to the 18 th of November, 2009. This workshop brought
together participants from Nimba (Guinea & Liberia), Sapo National Park and Tiwai Island
communities with lessons exchanged on best-management-practices in alternative
livelihood development in relation to bushmeat hunting and trade. Seminar proceedings
were disseminated and emails have been regularly exchanged between seminar
participants to assure continued exchange of best-management practices. A
development specialist was subsequently engaged to further develop the road map for
Sapo communities to maximise viability of subsequent interventions. The consultant
studied the current situation in Sapo, identifying potential opportunities to diversify
livelihoods to reduce reliance of bushmeat hunting and trade for communities living
around Sapo National Park. Particular attention was paid to the lessons learned from
previous interventions and data gathered during a recent study of the use of forest
resources in Sapo communities. Within Sinoe County, Southeast Liberia, it has become
clear that the development of any significant economic alternatives to bushmeat hunting
are seriously limited by the lack of access to markets, prevented largely by the poor state
of the roads and little communications infrastructure, including no mobile phone coverage
in the area to connect producers and tradesman. This largely precludes the development
of livelihoods based on products with short storage time, such as many agricultural
products, without significant development of associated transport and communication
infrastructure. A roadmap was produced for introducing the sustainable livelihood
initiatives with the potential to be implemented under these conditions.
Please provide the following information where relevant:
Hectares Protected: In Guinea, ecological process have been gradually restored as hunting and
trapping are significantly reduced in the cluster of 3 strictly protected areas of the Nimba
Mountains Biosphere Reserve that include the Bossou Hill (320 ha), the Dere forest (8,920 ha)
and the Guinea portion of the Nimba Mountain range that is World Heritage Site (12,540 ha).
Hunting and trapping of threatened species also reduced in the transition zone (88,280 ha) and
the buffer zone (35,140 ha)

Species Conserved: In both Liberia and Guinea, efforts were directed towards reducing hunting
and trapping of threatened wildlife species especially the 16 species considered to high
conservation importance locally and globally
Corridors Created: None
Describe the success or challenges of the project toward achieving its short-term and
long-term impact objectives.
This project has been extremely successful in achieving all of its short-term objectives. Whilst its
achievements of the long-term impacts in Sapo National Park are not possible to assess within
the implementation timeframe, the project is seen as an example of a pragmatic approach that
strives to reconcile the double need of biodiversity conservation and improving rural livelihoods.
In Nimba an important achievement of this project has been its ability to break barriers and
facilitate dialogue among all the stakeholders along the wildlife hunting and bushmeat trade
continuum. By openly and strategically offering to hunters and traders alternative options to the
bushmeat business and helping them along the line on how to organize themselves and carry out
their new activities in a productive and cost effective way, it is becoming less lucrative.
The challenge obviously has been how to break barriers and build trust among all the
stakeholders. Hunters in particular are a particularly difficult group of natural resource users not
only in Guinea and Liberia, but perhaps throughout Africa and probably beyond. Bringing them
into an open and transparent dialogue requires patience, perseverance and long term investment
to bring about change in their behavior. An ongoing challenge remain to keep the trust build
between them and the project for the double benefit of wildlife conservation and management and
the improvement of the living standards of the local people. It is about change in attitude and with
time, hunting for and trade in bushmeat will become a relatively marginal activity.
Were there any unexpected impacts (positive or negative)?
The project established baselines at the Nimba Mountains in Guinea for future change and
impact monitoring in biological and socio-economic terms. This included the monitoring of the
bushmeat trade in local markets, the monitoring of the relative abundance of wildlife species of
conservation significance along permanent transects established in the wild and the assessment
and monitoring of key indicators of poverty among the local communities directly or indirectly
affected by the project. Monitoring data are being collected and it should be possible in a
relatively short period of time of ascertain the trends in all the biological and socio-economic
indicators for adaptive management.
Project Components
Project Components: Please report on results by project component. Reporting should
reference specific products/deliverables from the approved project design and other relevant
information.
Component 1 Planned:
Document successful interventions in pilot community-based organisations (CBOs) at the Nimba
Mountain in Guinea, taking into account lessons learned from Tiwai, that focus on alternative
livelihoods as an alternative to hunting for, and trade in, bushmeat in this region.
Component 1 Actual at Completion:
Using a combination of tools including SWOT analysis, the three initial CBOs at the Nimba
Mountains in Guinea were comprehensively reviewed with the aim of drawing lessons and putting
in place a strategy for scaling up the project geographically and thematically. The lessons drawn

including the preliminary knowledge on the process leading up to the establishment of these
micro-enterprises were then compared and contrasted with the experience at Tiwai Island in
Sierra Leone during the regional workshop that brought all the project stakeholders together
including representative members from the Nimba CBOs.
Component 2 Planned:
Evaluate the knowledge gathered in Component 1 and develop a strategy for consolidating and
scaling up to elsewhere around Nimba in Guinea and beyond into Sapo National Park (SNP) in
Liberia.
Component 2 Actual at Completion:
The project formulated a strategic plan to consolidate existing activities at Nimba and built the
capacity of the initial CBOs which are today almost completely autonomous with viable
institutional arrangement including detailed bylaws and internal rules and regulations, financial
management linked to a local bank, etc. As part of the expansion strategy around Nimba, the
project constructed additional cane rat breeding facilities and expanded fish farming to two new
localities mainly N’Zoo et Tounkarata. Sustainable home gardening and community farming are
the new addition to the initiative in Lola, Bossou, N’Zoo and Tounkarata to reduce pressure on
wildlife habitats as a result of shifting agriculture.
Component 3 Planned:
Define the potential for introducing well-researched livelihood activities as alternatives to
bushmeat hunting and trade in Sapo.
Component 3 Actual at Completion:
Within this component, a detailed situational report was conducted with the project co-ordinator
working alongside self-organized hunter associations and market women associations to gather
data on hunting and bushmeat trade in the Sapo region. A bushmeat trade monitoring framework
was developed and established for impact assessment. Training and on-going support is being
provided for the relevant FDA mandated with the regulation of bushmeat hunting in Liberia. A
development specialist was engaged to identify potential opportunities to diversify livelihoods to
reduce reliance of bushmeat hunting and trade for communities living around Sapo National Park.
A roadmap was produced which provided a gendered analysis of training and other capacitybuilding
requirements, identification of financial and technical support required, both with regards
to project set up and longer term functioning, and the sustainability of such interventions.
Were any components unrealized? If so, how has this affected the overall impact of the
project?
Within component 3, two deliverables were unrealized. The first was the development of a
proposed strategy for mitigating secondary impacts from imminent mining operations (3.3). Sapo
National Park is likely to be directly affected by two commercial mining operations- Putu Hills Iron
Ore mining to the north of the Park and Hummingbird gold mining operations to the south. Both
companies are still very much in phase one of their operations in terms of preliminary surveys
and exploratory drilling, with the temporal and spatial scale of subsequent operations, making all
but the broadest discussion of proposed mitigation strategy largely untenable at this stage.
However, FFI is in contact with both companies and supporting the adopting of best international
practice with regards to social and environmental responsibilities. Running concurrently with the
study, FFI is also working with Artisinal Small Scale Miners in the region, exploring the scale,
scope, drivers and social, economic and environmental impacts in the Sapo region, and
supporting both government and commercial operations to understand and address it
responsibly.

The second deliverable unrealized was the on-the-job training and workshop to strengthen the
capacity of CBOs to maintain and replicated alternative livelihood activities (3.6.) The objective of
this project in Sapo was to define the potential for introducing activities, with the introduction of
activities envisaged for the subsequent phase. Following extensive work examining past
interventions and considering social, cultural, economic and environmental factors, a roadmap
was produced which provided a gendered analysis of training and other capacity-building
requirements, identification of financial and technical support required. However, as funding had
not yet been leveraged for Phase 3 to support these activities, it was decided not to raise
communities expectations by providing initial training for future interventions which may not be
sustained, particularly in communities already familiar with empty promises. Nevertheless,
communities were keen to share lessons learned, particularly with regards to the outcomes of
previous interventions, and explore the practicalities of self-identified future options.
Please describe and submit (electronically if possible) any tools, products, or
methodologies that resulted from this project or contributed to the results.
Proceedings of the CEPF Bushmeat and Sustainable Livelihoods Workshop, Tiwai
Island. 16 th -18 th November (2009). Fauna & Flora International
Exploring the Dynamics of Bushmeat Hunting and Trade in Sapo National Park (2011). E.
Greengrass/FFI
The socio-economic setting of communities adjacent to Sapo National Park (2011). A.
Manvell
Use of Non-Timber Forest Products around Sapo National Park (2011). A. Manvell.
Livelihood Diversification Opportunities and Constraints around Sapo National Park,
South-East Liberia (2011). A. Manvell
All Liberian studies were conducted in partnership with the FDA and the University of Liberia,
simultaneously building in-country capacity for social science survey methods. Results of both are
being circulated widely amongst local partners, in addition to providing accurate and detailed
insights with which to plan future work within the CEPF project and beyond, and are publicly
available on the website www.liberianfaunaflora.org. Copies have already been submitted to
CEPF.
Lessons Learned
Describe any lessons learned during the design and implementation of the project, as well
as any related to organizational development and capacity building. Consider lessons that
would inform projects designed or implemented by your organization or others, as well as
lessons that might be considered by the global conservation community.
Within Sinoe County, Southeast Liberia, it has become clear that the development of any
significant economic alternatives to bushmeat hunting are seriously limited by the lack of access
to markets, prevented largely by the poor state of the roads and little communications
infrastructure, including no mobile phone coverage in the area to connect producers and
tradesman. This largely precludes the development of livelihoods based on products with short
storage time, such as many agricultural products, without significant development of associated
transport and communication infrastructure.
Another important lesson learnt during implementation of this project is related to the way the
intervention was viewed by other communities around the Nimba Mountain who were not directly
benefiting from it at the time. While exploring the possibilities of starting the construction of a new

facility for cane rat husbandry at Zoo/Seringbara, it became clear that until this facility is put in
place the hunters in these communities did not see themselves as associated with ongoing
management efforts. This raises the immediate question of the effective geographical scale of
this kind of initiative.
Some members of one of Nimba CBOs related to pig farming expressed interest in carrying out
initiatives privately. This might have two meanings. One is that they might have become confident
in their technical abilities that they think they can do it alone (technical and financial
sustainability). The second idea is that perhaps they do no longer believe in the ability of the CBO
to satisfy their individual needs. The decentralisation of the pig farm in Guinea has proven
successful and members are increasingly enthusiastic about the process. Perhaps the lesson to
be learned here is that as a CBO this group has been the most successful of all the groups,
individual members are still understandably, driven by personal interest. It is the role of the
project to support this process which perhaps in the medium to long term will lead to the technical
and financially sustainability of the initiative
The political uncertainty in Guinea has been the main risk for the project although it did not affect
the implementation of field activities directly. The country's capital Conakry where all the riots
take place were far enough from the Nimba region (about 1,100 km)
The successful implementation of alternative source of proteins and incomes at Lola, Gbakore
and Bossou has brought other villages which were initially skeptical and uncooperative to begin to
approach the project staff inviting them to start work in their own villages. Practical interventions
with outputs that directly benefit the local communities are perhaps the most pragmatic ways to
engage with communities and establish viable wildlife management actions especially in the
context of resource poor communities. The demand on project resources is obviously very high
and only the villages of N'Zoo and Tounkara will be the main priorities in the next 3 years.
Project Design Process: (aspects of the project design that contributed to its
success/shortcomings)
A fundamental factor in the success of this project was that it took the time to understand the
dynamics of hunting and trade in bushmeat in the Nimba Mountains and Sapo region, as well as
the motivation of all the stakeholders and user groups. Without dramatizing hunting for bushmeat
and portraying it as the worse crime committed by the perpetrators, the project design looked at
the problem from a local perspective and tried to understand the motivations of all the actors,
their fears and expectations as well as their knowledge on the wildlife population and the current
and future trends. Perhaps what other similar initiatives usually fail to understand or to take into
consideration adequately in the project design is the fact that the main losers or those who stand
to suffer most from the disappearance of wildlife in a particular protected or non protected area is
primarily the local communities. Engaging with them positively and bringing them to understand
what is happening around them in terms of trend in their natural environment more broadly and
their wildlife resource more specifically is potentially the most plausible to make any positive and
long term impact.
Project Implementation: (aspects of the project execution that contributed to its
success/shortcomings)
The project built on the early achievements of the initial CEPF support at Nimba Mountain in
Guinea and tried to refine the approach to consolidate and expand the initiative to other localities
around the Mountain. A participatory and inclusive approach not only in the project design, but
also in its implementation and periodic evaluation has been the main ingredients in the success of
this initiative and the ability to persuade other donors to continue to support the project and its
expansion strategy beyond the current CEPF funding pledge.
The implementation of the first phase of the Liberian household income and consumption study
was seriously delayed due to appalling road conditions around the park. From mid-August, the

oads became impassable by 4 by 4 and the project had to be held until weather conditions and
roads improved. CEPF were informed of this delay by email on the 15/9/09. However, the delays
in fieldwork had repercussions in terms of both delaying and limiting the time available for data
analysis and report production. This project did not have its own vehicle and therefore relied upon
sharing vehicles allocated to other consultants working on other projects. Due to the distances
between different project sites it was difficult for the consultants to easily reconcile their needs,
often resulting in further delays in fieldwork.
Other lessons learned relevant to conservation community:
Change in the attitude of the local communities especially the primary resource users towards
hunting for and trade in wildlife requires a relatively long-term conservation investment as
confirmed by this project. At the Nimba Mountain in Guinea where a preliminary phase of work
aiming a delineating the dynamics of hunting and piloting alternative activities to provide proteins
and income to the primary stakeholders was undertaken prior to the current CEPF funding
pledge, it was relatively easy to consolidate and expand these initiatives to other localities.
In Sapo National Park in Liberia, it became clear when studying the successes and failures of
past livelihood interventions in the region that projects were frequently implemented without a
clear and nuanced understanding of the social, cultural and economic environment in which they
were being implemented, or without the framework in place to ensure longer term sustainability.
Problems identified ranged from no provisions made to support market access for goods
produced during the intervention, to the provision of equipment with no accompanying training as
to how to operate it. While there is appreciation that often it is difficult to leverage funding for
baseline and scoping studies, this study highlights the importance of a detailed and community
based project planning process in developing a successful and sustainable project.

Additional Funding
Provide details of any additional funding that supported this project and any funding
secured for the project, organization, or the region, as a result of the CEPF investment in
this project.
Donor Type of Funding* Amount Notes
European Union B €377,932 Will support women CBOs
around Nimba in Guinea until
2014
*Additional funding should be reported using the following categories:
A Project co-financing (Other donors or your organization contribute to the direct costs of
this project)
B Grantee and Partner leveraging (Other donors contribute to your organization or a
partner organization as a direct result of successes with this CEPF funded project.)
C Regional/Portfolio leveraging (Other donors make large investments in a region
because of CEPF investment or successes related to this project.)
Sustainability/Replicability
Summarize the success or challenge in achieving planned sustainability or replicability of project
components or results.
In Guinea, the project was concerned about losing the momentum gained mobilizing all the
stakeholders groups to support the CEPF funded activities. Using the initial results of the project
and focusing on the women groups which proved all along to be more active and effective, the
project was able to persuade the European Union delegation in Conakry to provide additional
support to the project until all the CBOs are fully mature and financially independent. This support
was effectively granted and will support the project until early 2014.
In Liberia, focus is now on leveraging funding to implement the livelihood development roadmap
developed under this project, in addition to supporting the FDA to implement the bushmeat
monitoring framework.
Summarize any unplanned sustainability or replicability achieved.
The project in Guinea is currently discussing with the mining company BHP Billiton to explore
how they can purchase the meat and fish from the CBOs as well as other agricultural products
from home gardens and community farms at subsidized prices to encourage sustainable
practices in the Nimba region. With mining operations looming on the Guinea side of the Nimba
Mountains (and also in nearby Liberia), thousands of workers will flow into the region and will
increase food prices. Demonstrating that farm animals are more lucrative than those hunted in
the wild will be an interesting way to enhance community commitment to the project for long term
sustainability
Safeguard Policy Assessment
Provide a summary of the implementation of any required action toward the environmental
and social safeguard policies within the project.
N/A

Additional Comments/Recommendations

Information Sharing and CEPF Policy
CEPF is committed to transparent operations and to helping civil society groups share
experiences, lessons learned, and results. Final project completion reports are made available on
our Web site, www.cepf.net, and publicized in our newsletter and other communications.
Please include your full contact details below:
Name: Dr Chloe Hodgkinson
Organization name: Fauna & Flora International
Mailing address: Fourth Floor, Jupiter house, Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2JD, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1223 579482
Fax: N/a
E-mail:chloe.hodgkinson@fauna-flora.org
***If your grant has an end date other than JUNE 30, please
complete the tables on the following pages***

Performance Tracking Report Addendum
CEPF Global Targets
(Enter Grant Term)
Provide a numerical amount and brief description of the results achieved by your grant.
Please respond to only those questions that are relevant to your project.
Project Results
1. Did your project strengthen
management of a protected area
guided by a sustainable
management plan? Please indicate
number of hectares improved.
2. How many hectares of new
and/or expanded protected areas
did your project help establish
through a legal declaration or
community agreement?
3. Did your project strengthen
biodiversity conservation and/or
natural resources management
inside a key biodiversity area
identified in the CEPF ecosystem
profile? If so, please indicate how
many hectares.
4. Did your project effectively
introduce or strengthen biodiversity
conservation in management
practices outside protected areas?
If so, please indicate how many
hectares.
5. If your project promotes the
sustainable use of natural
resources, how many local
communities accrued tangible
socioeconomic benefits? Please
complete Table 1below.
Is this
question
relevant?
No
If yes,
provide your
numerical
response for
results
achieved
during the
annual
period.
Provide
your
numerical
response
for project
from
inception
of CEPF
support to
date.
No - -
Yes 21,780 ha 145,200 ha
Yes 123,420 ha 123,420 ha
Yes 4 6
If you answered yes to question 5, please complete the following table
N/A
Describe the principal results
achieved from
July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.
(Attach annexes if necessary)
Reduced hunting in Nimba Mountain Guinea
KBA: 3 core protected areas: 21,780 ha;
transition zone: 88,280 ha; and buffer zone:
35,140 ha)
Reduced hunting and encroachment due to
farming in Nimba Mountain Guinea: transition
zone: 88,280 ha; and buffer zone: 35,140 ha
Improved household income and food security-
Initially Lola, Bossou, Gbakore and Zouguepo –
expanded to N’Zoo and Tounkara towards end of
funding phase

Table 1. Socioeconomic Benefits to Target Communities
Please complete this table if your project provided concrete socioeconomic benefits to local communities. List the name of each community in column one. In the subsequent columns
under Community Characteristics and Nature of Socioeconomic Benefit, place an X in all relevant boxes. In the bottom row, provide the totals of the Xs for each column.
Name of Community
Small landowners
Community Characteristics Nature of Socioeconomic Benefit
Subsistence economy
Indigenous/ ethnic peoples
Pastoralists/nomadic peoples
Recent migrants
Urban communities
Communities falling below the
poverty rate
Other
Increased Income due to:
Adoption of sustainable
natural resources
management practices
Increased food security due
to the adoption of sustainable
fishing, hunting, or
agricultural practices
Nimba Guinea
Lola X X X X X X
Bossou X X X X X
Gbakore X X X X X X
Zouguepo X X X x X X
N’Zoo X X X X X
Tounkarata X x x x X
Total 6 5 1 6 6 2 6 6
If you marked “Other”, please provide detail on the nature of the Community Characteristic and Socioeconomic Benefit:
Ecotourism revenues
Park management
activities
Payment for
environmental services
More secure access to water
resources
Improved tenure in land or other
natural resource due to titling,
reduction of colonization, etc.
Reduced risk of natural
disasters (fires, landslides,
flooding, etc)
More secure sources of
energy
Increased access to public
services, such as education,
health, or credit
Improved use of traditional
knowledge for environmental
management
More participatory decisionmaking
due to strengthened
civil society and governance.
Other