Collaboration to Conserve Forests and Biodiversity in West Africa

More than 40 participants representing 34 donor organizations, private sector companies, executing agencies and civil society organisations have agreed to work together and develop the capacities of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) involved in biodiversity conservation and environmental management within the Guinean Forests of West Africa Biodiversity Hotspot.

During a biodiversity conservation donor roundtable on 12 -13 January 2017 in Accra, Ghana, conservation experts agreed to collaborate more closely to address key challenges facing grant making in the hotspot, by engaging more with local CSOs operating in the region. The two-day meeting was organised by BirdLife International, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund’s (CEPF) Regional Implementation Team (RIT) for the Guinean Forests of West Africa, in collaboration with the USAID - West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WABiCC).

The main objective of the roundtable was to establish a clear understanding of who the main stakeholders are, what they are supporting and where they are present within the hotspot, as well as to identify areas of synergy and establish a platform of collaboration for mutual benefit. “As a partnership itself, CEPF strongly believes that it is necessary to work together with others to address the environmental problems facing our planet,” said Jack Tordoff, CEPF Managing Director.

http://www.birdlife.org/africa/news/improved-collaboration-conserve-forests-biodiversity-west-africa

Nathanael Stanek

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