English - Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund

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.