Growing Diversity – West Africa

TITLE OF EXPERIENCE: Participative biodiversity management in the Monts-Tingui community

AUTHOR: Village communities from the site of Mont-Tingui, and GEPRENAF project

COUNTRY AND REGION: Côte d’Ivoire, Dabakala

ECOLOGICAL ZONE: Savannah

ABSTRACT

The Project for the Participative Management of Natural Resources and Fauna (GEPRENAF) is a pilot project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Belgian Government. The aim of GEPRENAF is to get people to develop alternative methods of managing biological resources which are economically and ecologically viable.

In order to achieve this aim, the project works on two levels: the agro-sylvo-pastoral (ASP) zone and the biodiversity zone. Within the agro-sylvo-pastoral zone, the project aims, amongst other things: to raise awareness amongst local people of the consequences of their way of exploiting the environment; to think about sustainable methods for exploiting and developing these techniques in a rural environment; the socio-economic development of the community. The approach adopted is based on making local populations responsible. Inter-village structures have been created and these form the bases of action by project workers.

The creation of the biodiversity zone, the protected forest of Kinkéné and protected areas of village land, followed a process of encouraging populations to take responsibility by raising their awareness through dialogue and negotiation. The biodiversity zone is made up of portions of adjoining land owned by 10 villages in the sub-prefectories of Dabakala and Kong. The leader in charge of the land from each village manages and distributes the plots of land to the local population, rules on disputes about ownership and organises the worship of fetishes and sacrifices. Relations between the villages seem to be good although there is not always harmonious co-operation between livestock farmers and crop farmers.

CONTACT:

Communautés villageoises du site des Monts-Tingui S/C, Projet « Gestion Participative des ressources naturelles de la faune - (GEPRENAF) » - Direction de la Protection de la Nature, 01 BP 932 – Abidjan 01 – COTE D’IVOIRE