Larger than elephants Inputs for the design of an EU strategic approach to Wildlife Conservation in Africa Volume 5: West Africa DRAFT DOCUMENT Volume 5 WEST AFRICA WEST AFRICA Inputs for the design of an EU strategic approach to wildlife conservation in Africa Page 1 Final report Volume 5 WEST AFRICA TABLE OF CONTENTS 0. RATIONALE ...................................................................................................................................................................... 9 1. SPECIAL FEATURES OF WEST AFRICA ..................................................................................................................... 13 1.1 COUNTRIES OF WEST AFRICA .................................................................................................................................... 13 1.1.1 Development indicators .......................................................................................................................................................... 13 1.1.2 Conflict .................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 1.1.3 Food crisis ............................................................................................................................................................................... 15 1.1.4 West Africa and the Millennium Development Goals .............................................................................................................. 16 1.1.5 Climate change ....................................................................................................................................................................... 16 1.1.6 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................................................. 17 1.2 OVERVIEW OF ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WEST AFRICAN REGION ............................................................ 17 1.2.1 Major Ecotypes ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17 1.2.2 Conservation issues and challenges (key and threatened, rare and high value species) ...................................................... 19 1.3 OVERVIEW OF REGIONAL-SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE WEST AFRICAN REGION................................................................ 24 1.3.1 Regional institutional support .................................................................................................................................................. 24 1.3.2 Conservation capacity building in WA ..................................................................................................................................... 24 2. CONSERVATION CHALLENGES AND ISSUES ........................................................................................................... 25 2.1 KEY DIRECT THREATS TO CONSERVATION IN WA ......................................................................................................... 25 2.1.1 Availability of funds for PAs .................................................................................................................................................... 26 2.1.2 Institutional governance of PAs .............................................................................................................................................. 26 2.1.3 Illegal wildlife trade income and corruption ............................................................................................................................. 27 2.1.4 Weak planning, management effectiveness and monitoring of PAs....................................................................................... 30 2.2 KEY INDIRECT THREATS TO CONSERVATION ................................................................................................................ 31 2.2.1 Population growth and poverty ............................................................................................................................................... 31 2.2.2 Fragmentation, reduction and isolation of PA in the landscape.............................................................................................. 31 2.2.3 Coup d’états, rebellions, civil unrest and religion fundamentalism, Ebola and refugee crises ............................................... 32 2.2.4 Negative economic trends ...................................................................................................................................................... 32 2.2.5 Policy and sectorial approach ................................................................................................................................................. 33 3. ONGOING CONSERVATION EFFORTS........................................................................................................................ 34 3.1 DESERTS .................................................................................................................................................................. 34 3.2 SAVANNAS ................................................................................................................................................................ 34 3.3 FORESTS .................................................................................................................................................................. 34 3.4 MANGROVES/COASTAL .............................................................................................................................................. 34 4. LESSONS LEARNED AND PROMISING APPROACHES ............................................................................................ 36 4.1 NEGATIVE LESSONS LEARNED .................................................................................................................................... 36 4.2 POSITIVE LESSONS LEARNED ..................................................................................................................................... 36 4.3 PROMISING APPROACHES .......................................................................................................................................... 37 4.3.1 Constant and specific intervention on the ground ................................................................................................................... 37 4.3.2 Biodiversity and Management Information System ................................................................................................................ 38 4.3.3 Shared political and institutional decisions ............................................................................................................................. 39 5. INDICATIVE CONSERVATION ACTIONS / PRIORITY CONSERVATION NEEDS ...................................................... 40 5.1 ACTIVE PROCESS ...................................................................................................................................................... 42 5.1.1 Dissemination and analysis of the proposals about sites and conservation priorities in WA ................................................. 42 5.1.2 Support for conservation of the major ecotypes: Deserts, Savannas, Forests and Mangroves/Coastal ............................... 42 5.1.3 Specific strategies and actions for the major Desert ecotypes ............................................................................................... 43 5.1.4 Specific strategies and actions for the major Savanna ecotypes ........................................................................................... 48 5.1.5 Specific strategies and actions for major Forest ecotypes ..................................................................................................... 58 5.1.6 Specific strategies and actions for major Mangroves/Coastal ecotypes ................................................................................ 68 5.1.7 Dismantling Wildlife traffic network ......................................................................................................................................... 74 5.1.8 Special analysis ...................................................................................................................................................................... 75 5.1.9 Wildlife protection training ....................................................................................................................................................... 76 5.2 PROACTIVE PROCESS ............................................................................................................................................... 77 5.2.1 Institutional support and coordination ..................................................................................................................................... 77 5.2.2 Monitoring and planning .......................................................................................................................................................... 78 5.2.3 Communication ....................................................................................................................................................................... 79 Inputs for the design of an EU strategic approach to wildlife conservation