We bring together everyone in the landscape with a vested interest—including community members, government officials, and Indigenous people—to shape conservation strategy. With our technical assistance, the parties have created strategies that prioritized not only wildlife protection but also the improvement of local livelihoods.

The reserve is home to one of the most prominent Indigenous Peoples in Africa, the Baka people. In recent years, their traditional livelihoods have been threatened by increased logging and poaching. To sustain their livelihoods and counter poaching and wildlife trafficking, we are partnering with the community to increase their incomes and diversify food sources.

AWF has provided rangers with essential anti-poaching equipment and training. Our Conservation Geography team helps park staff map poaching hotspots to inform decision-making about where to deploy patrols. We also established ranger bases at four priority sites in the reserve and installed camera traps and acoustic sensors to support wildlife monitoring and anti-poaching efforts.