Liberia's FDA and the Forestry Center ofN'Zerekore in Guinea Host Cross Border Workshop to Combat Wildlife Crime

27 November 2023
FrontPageAfrica (Monrovia)
By Press Release

Seredou — Liberia Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Guinea Forestry Center of N'Zerekore (CFZ), Fauna & Flora, and Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection organized a cross-border training for joint security and prosecutors thanks to support from the African Forest Elephant Foundation and Liberia's Conservation Works project. The training, held from September 5-8th in Seredou, Guinea, is part of a collaboration between Guinea and Liberia aimed at fighting illegal wildlife trade (IWT) in the Ziama Wonegizi-Wologizi landscape. FDA rangers, Liberia Immigration Service, Liberia National Police, customs officers, magistrates, prosecutors, and lawyers joined their Guinean counterparts in this three day intensive exchange.

Toupou Koighae, Senior Project Manager Ziama for Fauna & Flora, stated "This workshop was an opportunity to support the revitalization of the transboundary collaboration between Guinea and Liberia with the aim of reducing pressure on the wildlife and forests of the Ziama Wonegisi-Wologisi landscape, improving law enforcement and legal knowledge across both countries".

"AFEF is proud to continue its support of the important forest elephant conservation work being done in the region. We know from the elephant collaring data that these forest elephants travel vast distances between Guinea, Liberia & Cote D'Ivoire meaning transboundary collaboration and training on law enforcement such as this is vital for the protection of these keystone species."

The training commenced with opening remarks from Felix Fassa Ifono, Prefect of Macenta,who warmly welcomed participants and emphasized that "it is about time for full action to ensure adequate wildlife protection through the joined efforts of both countries." Cllr. Luthur Sumo, County Attorney, Lofa County, spoke on behalf of the Liberian participants, stating that "the workshop is full of enthusiasm and momentum...with the presence of authorities from both countries...[this] is remarkable in the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking."

Facilitated by Guinean conservation organization WARA, the training focused on elephants and chimpanzees and the fight to protect them across borders. Presentations were made by participants from both countries and covered a wide range of topics including an overview of the West Africa Strategy on Combating Wildlife Crime, international best practices for strengthening the criminal justice response to wildlife crime through national legislations, IWT networks, and intelligence-led law enforcement. The training included both theoretical and practical sessions, and offered the opportunity for group discussions on the many topics presented.

During the closing ceremony, Charlotte Houpline, Founder & Director of WARA expressed interest in working with park staff from both the Wonegizi and Ziama Landscapes in the fight against wildlife trafficking and called for increased collaboration between Liberia and Guinea. She thanked the authorities, African Forest Elephant Foundation, Fauna & Flora and Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection for their support and collaboration in making the training successful.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has identified IWT as the fourth largest illegal trade after arms, human trafficking and narcotics and it is often linked to such crimes, as well as money laundering and fraud. IWT decimates biodiversity, increases the risk of zoonotic disease transmission and threatens public health, the economy and national security.

For several decades, global populations of forest elephants and western chimpanzees have been declining due to the persistent threat of poaching, international trafficking and severe habitat degradation. These iconic species are classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which means they are at extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Both species are protected by law in Guinea and Liberia.

This event was a collaboration between African Forest Elephant Foundation, Fauna & Flora, and Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection and was jointly funded by African Forest Elephant Foundation with funds from the International Elephant Foundation and Liberia's Conservation Works project.Conservation Works partners are EcoHealth Alliance, Fauna & Flora, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection, Partners in Development, and Solimar International. The project is made possible through the generous support of the United States Agency for International Aid

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