Elephants’ “Highway Journey” from Guinea to Liberia Reveals Promise of Transboundary Agreements – West Africa Biodiversity and Local weather Change (WA BiCC)

By Chaz Kyser

Transboundary agreements between Guinea and Liberia to raised defend and handle their shared forests and wildlife proved helpful for 2 forest elephants that determined they didn’t want visas or face masks to journey between the 2 West African nations.

The elephants, “threatened with extinction” in keeping with the Conference on the Unlawful Commerce in Endangered Species, crossed from Guinea to Liberia in early September, inflicting harm to communities and crops alongside the best way. Such a wildlife-human contact typically ends with the killing of the elephants, on this case not for his or her ivory however out of concern for all times and property. Nonetheless, the 2019 transboundary agreements between Guinea and Liberia, which WA BiCC and its grantees helped facilitate, resulted in a distinct storyline this time. Transboundary initiatives reminiscent of this had been established to sensitize folks residing close to forests about defending wildlife and to allow partnerships and dialogue between authorities businesses tasked with defending each forests and animals.

Because of this, group members didn’t attempt to harm the elephants whilst their property was being broken when the animals handed by. Equally notable, after being alerted that the elephants had crossed the border, forest rangers in Guinea with assist from their ministry knowledgeable their Liberian counterparts. Collectively, park rangers on either side of the border shortly mobilized to trace the elephants, maintain them from hurt, and steer them again into the forest. WA BiCC’s Forestry and Panorama Coordinator additionally stepped in to assist direct efforts. The elephants at the moment are secure in Liberia and being intently monitored. Additionally they gained a little bit of notoriety because the incident shortly garnered widespread consideration in Liberia and the story was picked up by native media.

Kudos to the governments and folks of Guinea and Liberia for serving to the animals migrate safely throughout their pure residence vary, which on this case spans worldwide borders. As WA BiCC is working with numerous West African governments and companions to create “corridors,” or secure passages, between forests for wildlife, the elephants’ journey proves there’s a particular have to allow transboundary motion of animals throughout the area. However hopefully, this explicit pair of elephants will wish to keep put within the forest for some time!