The purpose of this project is to support a conservation effort on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, by addressing the illegal wildlife trade in the island’s most important wildlife reserve, Gran Caldera, and protecting seven species of monkeys and one of the world’s largest nesting populations of leatherback turtles from illegal and unsustainable harvest. Specific activities include: (1) conducting market and restaurant surveys, including Central Africa’s longest running market survey (ongoing in Malabo since 1997) and secondary markets in suburbs and roadside sales; (2) ensuring the effective operation of field camps, that serve as a base for monitoring and patrols and provide a protective presence for nesting sea turtles and forest primates; (3) supporting marine monitoring activities that disrupt the illegal commerce of turtles and other wildlife, and related safety training in marine operations; (4) promoting ecotourism, micro-enterprise activities, public engagement and environmental education, including teacher workshops; and (5) conducting an impact assessment of road and ecotourism development, including monitoring surveys and ecotourism plan development. For the 2020 implementation, the project included an element of “Increasing public awareness of the bushmeat crisis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Equatorial Guinea.” (2019-2021)
Former Project Titles
- Reducing bushmeat supply and demand by increasing wildlife security on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea (2017-2019)
- The purpose of this project is to support a conservation effort on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, by combating the illegal bushmeat trade in the islands most important wildlife reserve and by providing technical assistance to the countrys wildlife authority, INDEFOR. This project is intended to protect wildlife, including seven species of monkeys and one of the worlds largest nesting populations of leatherback turtles, in the Gran Caldera Scientific Reserve (GCSR) from illegal and unsustainable harvest. Specific activities include: (1) support for INDEFOR ecoguards and a reserve management taskforce to improve protection in the reserve; (2) forest patrols and beach camps to discourage the harvest of wildlife and supply of illegal bushmeat reaching the market; (3) analysis and expansion of monitoring efforts to include restaurants and three bushmeat markets in Malabo, hunters, law enforcement, and acoustic data in wildlife habitat; and (4) educational and public awareness campaigns to reduce consumer demand for bushmeat.
- Reducing bushmeat supply and demand by increasing wildlife security on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea (2015-2017)
- The purpose of this project is to support a conservation effort on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, by combatting the illegal bushmeat trade in the islands most important wildlife reserve. This project is intended to protect wildlife, including seven species of monkeys and one of the worlds largest nesting population of leatherback turtles, in the Gran Caldera and Southern Highlands Scientific Reserve from illegal and unsustainable harvest. Specific activities include: (1) a science and policy workshop with government and regional stakeholders to clarify the legal and management status of the reserve, and to build support for both a comprehensive management plan and an effort to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the reserve; (2) an impact assessment of the new paved road connecting Luba, the islands second biggest city, to the 80-person coastal village of Ureca, including the need for road blocks to control access by illegal hunters; (3) daily beach and monthly forest patrols to census and protect sea turtles and forest wildlife from poaching, including support for equipment, training, and two camps (Moraka Playa and Moaba Playa) and monitoring of three control sites with less project presence to evaluate patrol effectiveness at focal sites; (4) training of local workers to work in ecotourism and on monitoring teams to provide an alternative livelihood to the bushmeat and turtle trade; (5) a public campaign to reduce demand for bushmeat consumption, including surveys, public service announcements, and school outreach.
- Biodiversity conservation on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea (2013-2015)
- The purpose of this project is to preserve the wildlife and natural habitats of the Gulf of Guineas Bioko Island from the immediate threat of unsustainable commercial bushmeat hunting (a situation now intensified by road construction through protected areas) through increased protection, monitoring and awareness raising. The project will: 1) Increase passive protection of wildlife by extending the Bioko Biodiversity Protection Project (BBPP) research and patrol presence by establishing a new semi-permanent field camp at Morka Playa. Protection activities include: 1.1) Recruiting participants, 1.2) Purchasing equipment, 1.3) Training participants, 1.4) Setting up and maintaining the Moraka Playa Camp. 2) Monitor the conservation status of wildlife. Monitoring activities include: 2.1) Conducting a census of the Moraka Playa forest and beach, 2.2) Continuing census and analyzing Malabo bushmeat market data. 3) Provide proof of appeal of ecotourists. Ecotourism activities include: 3.1) Publicizing and facilitating visits to Moraka Playa, 3.2) Engaging visitors in ongoing monitoring activities, 3.3) Surveying visitors.