Projects

Strengthening Biodiversity Conservation across Ziama – Wonegizi Transboundary Forest Reserves

Global Environmental Facility Small Grant (SGP); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and French Fund for Global Environment (FFEM)

2008 – 2015

Liberia and Guinea

Western Africa

Environment (Community Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation)

Project Summary

The Challenge:

The Ziama-Wonegizi Transboundary Forest Corridor (156,906.5 hectares) is a southern spur of the Guinea highlands, situated at the international frontier between Guinea and Liberia. This Transboundary forest block is home to extraordinary biodiversity and provides ecological and socioeconomic services to surrounding communities. It is also a source of river systems that directly benefit thousands of communities within the Mano River Basin.

Despite these important ecosystem services, shifting agriculture and unsustainable exploitation of forest’s resources are major causes of deforestation, soil degradation, water pollution, meager economic returns from forest resources, and overall biodiversity loss. Nevertheless, continued destruction of the Ziama-Wonegizi Transboundary forest is threatening not only Liberia and Guinea but the entire Mano River Basin.  

The Intervention:

In collaboration with the French Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Development Program – Liberia, and the Global Environmental Facility small grant program, VOSIEDA worked from 2008 – 2015 to improve biodiversity conservation through community forest management techniques, sustainable forest management planning (SFMP), and economic development opportunities through sustainable agriculture, which have reduced poverty, advanced rural development and supported sustainable livelihoods dependant on sound biodiversity conservation in the  transboundary forest zone.

Key facts:

Sector: Biodiversity Conservations, Climate Change and Community Forestry
Domain: Environment and Natural Resources Security
Benefiting zone: Miscellaneous Countries
Nature: Action Grants

Project 2

Funders: Global Environmental Facility Small Grant  (SGP); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and French Fund for Global Environment (FFEM)
Duration: 2008 – 2015
Region: Western Africa
Countries: Liberia and Guinea
Sector:  Environment (Biodiversity Conservation)

The Challenge:

The Ziama-Wonegizi Transboundary Forest Corridor (156,906.5 hectares) is a southern spur of the Guinea highlands, situated at the international frontier between Guinea and Liberia. This Transboundary forest block is home to extraordinary biodiversity and provides ecological and socioeconomic services to surrounding communities. It is also a source of river systems that directly benefit thousands of communities within the Mano River Basin.

Despite these important ecosystem services, shifting agriculture and unsustainable exploitation of forest’s resources are major causes of deforestation, soil degradation, water pollution, meager economic returns from forest resources, and overall biodiversity loss. Nevertheless, continued destruction of the Ziama-Wonegizi Transboundary forest is threatening not only Liberia and Guinea but the entire Mano River Basin.  

The Intervention:

In collaboration with the French Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Development Program – Liberia, and the Global Environmental Facility small grant program, VOSIEDA worked from 2008 – 2015 to improve biodiversity conservation through community forest management techniques, sustainable forest management planning (SFMP), and economic development opportunities through sustainable agriculture, which have reduced poverty, advanced rural development and supported sustainable livelihoods dependant on sound biodiversity conservation in the  transboundary forest zone.

Key facts:

Sector: Biodiversity Conversations, Climate Change and Community Forestry
Domain: Environment and Natural Resources Security
Benefiting zone: Miscellaneous Countries
Nature: Action Grants