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Guinea - 2007
Creating Sustainable Livelihoods to Protect Chimpanzees in Guinea
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Habitat loss, human population growth, and unchecked hunting are having significant impact on the long-term viability of chimpanzee populations, and a US$123,600 Alcoa Foundation grant is helping increase the odds of survival for these highly intelligent primates in Guinea by focusing on sustainable economic development and community capacity building.
"Today, Guinea is one of 10 countries that have chimpanzee populations exceeding 1,000," said Keith Brown, executive vice president of Africa Programs for the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), recipient of the Alcoa Foundation grant. "We strongly believe that one of the most significant obstacles to chimpanzee and habitat conservation is the ongoing economic hardship facing the human population in the regions where the animals can be found. To be successful, conservation programs must find ways to enable local people to benefit, both directly and indirectly, from protecting habitats and species."
JGI will use the Alcoa Foundation grant to expand existing awareness-raising and sustainable economic development activities to Guinea's Boké region, where Alcoa has investments in bauxite mining and is exploring the feasibility of building a refinery. The Alcoa Foundation grant also supports the implementation of eco-development projects that were developed with assistance from JGI's Chimpanzee Conservation and Sensitization Program, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, in two communities adjacent to Boké.
Guinea has high inflation and unemployment and a per-capita gross national income of just US$370 per person. The majority of its citizens earn their living through small-scale agriculture.
The country's rural populations currently have very limited incentives for conserving wildlife and wildlife habitat, and the legal penalties for the hunting or capture of endangered species are poorly publicized and enforced.
Since 2005, JGI has been spearheading a coordinated multi-media awareness campaign at the local and national levels to remind Guinea's citizens that chimpanzees are protected by law and to communicate the primates' vital role in the ecosystem.
Considered a keystone species, chimpanzees are important seed dispersers, and their presence is a strong indicator of the overall health of the forest environment. If such a large species disappears, there will be significant impacts on the remaining plants and animals.
In April 2007, JGI began rolling out the economic development component of the grant in the Boké region. Community leaders are being trained as para-biologists and para-technicians in sustainable natural resource management and to create eco-development plans for their communities and rural development districts.
The selected leaders will inventory all of the natural resources and ecosystem services that their communities use or depend on. This inventory is then used to determine how they can manage and develop these resources in the future. They also will identify sustainable businesses they can develop, such as eco-tourism and the harvesting of non-timber forest products. Through the Alcoa Foundation grant, JGI provides training in business development and marketing skills as well as funding and implementation assistance for these small-scale sustainable businesses.
"Another benefit to the economic development component is that it increases dialogue between governments and communities about how sustainable development should proceed in these rural areas," said Jim Tolisano, eco-development specialist with JGI. "It also gives communities a solid foundation from which they can participate in economic development activities with government and business interests."
Perhaps most of all, it ensures chimpanzees will continue to roam the forests of Guinea.
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