March 3rd is World Wildlife Day – a United Nations International day to celebrate all the world’s wild animals and plants and the contribution that they make to our lives and the health of the planet.
March 3rd is World Wildlife Day – a United Nations International day to celebrate all the world’s wild animals and plants and the contribution that they make to our lives and the health of the planet. This year’s theme, “Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation“, highlights the critical role of collaborative working to support both human communities and wildlife. Such partnerships are fundamental to our work at Well Grounded.
The Congo Basin is home to some of the world’s most biodiverse and fragile ecosystems, It is also under threat from a range of environmental and social pressures. Well Grounded is working to support civil society organisations in the region that are focused on protecting forests and wildlife through sustainable forest management and conservation practices.
Our partnership approach in the Congo Basin is based on the recognition that local communities are often the best stewards of their own natural resources. By working closely with these communities, Well Grounded is able to provide them with the organisational development approaches they need to succeed in their conservation efforts. This not only helps to protect critical habitats and species, but also helps to improve the lives of people who depend on these resources for their livelihoods.
Through their partnership, we are providing leadership and organisational development support for CSOs in the Congo Basin, helping them to develop sustainable forest management plans and implement conservation strategies that benefit both people and nature. Our work with AGSAC, for example, demonstrates the value of our leadership development approach which supports their teams to enable an inclusive and participatory approach with indigenous peoples, promotes their economic and social development whilst also working to help the conservation of great apes.
On this International World Wildlife Day, let us celebrate Well Grounded’s Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation in the Congo Basin and commit to supporting community-based conservation efforts around the world. By working together in partnerships, we can create a more sustainable future for both people and planet, and ensure that wildlife and their habitats are protected for generations to come.
Created in October 2016, in Limbé, Cameroon, the Alliance for the Conservation of Great Apes in Africa (AGSAC) is a network of NGOs based in Cameroon, Gabon, DRC and the Republic of Congo working to help the conservation of great apes in sites of high ecological value.