Welcome to the October edition of our newsletter!

We are excited to share with you some of the last updates and initiatives in the world of western chimpanzee conservation.

The Western Chimpanzee Conservation Regional Alliance:

exciting plans for the coming years!

As our community grows and our impact strengthens, we are excited to rebrand as the Western Chimpanzee Conservation Regional Alliance.

This new name reflects our mission to unite diverse stakeholders dedicated to protecting western chimpanzees across West Africa. In addition to the work of the Implementation Committee, we’re expanding our efforts to include activities such as publications, promotional materials, and more stakeholder initiatives. By fostering collaboration, we can maximize our collective impact, streamline resources, and work together as a powerful, unified force rather than pursuing separate goals.

We're also excited to share that, thanks to the generous support of the Arcus Foundation, we have secured funding for the next two years! During this time, we plan to enhance our platform to better meet your needs.

Among our planned activities, we will offer free, multi-week training courses in Project Planning, Project Management, and Grant Writing to western chimpanzee conservationists and stakeholders. In addition, we’ll provide targeted one-off courses on topics such as designing outreach strategies and addressing wildlife trade. If there are specific subjects you’d like us to cover, feel free to reach out with your suggestions at info@westernchimp.org.

The courses and application details will be announced at the beginning of next year, so stay tuned!

Furthermore, we will be offering small grants to support conservation projects that benefit western chimpanzees. These grants will be open to our community members and are aimed at promoting impactful conservation activities. Keep an eye out for the grant call announcements coming next year!

Get to know our community!

Continuing our series of introductions of representatives of the Western Chimpanzee Action Plan (WCAP) Implementation Committee (ImpCom), we are excited to present two more members.

To access the full list and contact information of all ImpCom members, consult the dedicated section on our website.

As co-director of the Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee (PanAf), she researches the ecology and evolution of all four subspecies of chimpanzees across over 40 research sites in Africa. Her work focuses on chimpanzee genetics, genomics, and microbiomes. She also co-leads the citizen science project Chimp&See and the AI platform ZambaCloud, which automates species detection from camera trap videos.

Currently, her research aims to develop more affordable and efficient techniques for using non-invasive samples in genetic amplification for biomonitoring. She is also exploring the use of conservation genomics from fecal samples to better understand great ape evolutionary trajectories. In addition, Mimi is an independent conservation consultant, specializing in genetic surveys for great ape monitoring, and co-chairs the Chimpanzee Genetic Diversity group within the ImpCom.

As a field scientist, Serge focuses on wild chimpanzees in Taï National Park, studying behavioral variations in tool use linked to cultural traditions. He also works on mammal monitoring and environmental education. He is a member of the African Primatological Society and the IUCN SGA Working Group on Chimpanzee Cultures (WGCC). Currently, Serge is a Research Associate at the Centre de Recherche en Ecologie (CRE) at Université Nangui Abrogoua, which leads research on natural and anthropized ecosystems in Côte d'Ivoire. The CRE represents the country in four international conventions: UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), UNESCO's World Heritage Convention (WHC), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). As a member of the ImpCom, Serge represents the Chimpanzee Cultural Diversity group.

The WCAP at the third African Primatological Society congress

The third African Primatological Society (APS) congress, held from September 25 to 28, 2024, in Potchefstroom, South Africa, gathered over 150 researchers and conservationists from across the continent. Under the theme Integrating Research and Conservation in African Primates, the discussions emphasized the urgent need for collaborative efforts to conserve primate habitats. The importance of engaging local communities in conservation efforts was also a key focus, with awareness and education identified as crucial tools for reducing human-wildlife conflict.

Picture of congress' participants from Simone Ban

Several WCAP Implementation Committee members attended the congress, including Simone Ban, Serge Soiret, and former members Lormie Menladi and Professor Inza Koné, who serves as president of the African Primatological Society.

WCAP Regional Alliance Coordinator Erin Wessling also contributed remotely, presenting our alliance’s strategy and impact on western chimpanzee conservation. You can access Erin’s presentation via the following link.

Reflecting on the event, he shared: "During the congress, discussions focused on the major issues involved in protecting primates, including chimpanzees in West Africa. According to Dr Russ Mittermeier, Congress sponsor, 49% of primate species are found in Africa, and almost 43% were threatened in 2023, of which 16% were endangered. Nearly 65% of African primate species face some level of threat. These statistics underline the urgent need for enhanced conservation action. A key point for the Western chimpanzee conservation community was the proposal to create an Institute for Great Ape Conservation Science. This institute aims to strengthen scientific research, promote international collaboration and train local experts. It also aims to improve access to A.P.E.S. Wiki data for local researchers in range countries, in order to develop more effective conservation strategies. Under the aegis of Professor Inza Koné, the congress reaffirmed its role as a platform for sharing knowledge and experience for effective primate conservation."

The discussions at APS provided valuable insights into these challenges. I am confident that, by collaborating with researchers and organizations and adopting evidence-based strategies, we can help ensure a sustainable future for chimpanzees in West Africa."

The Primate WATCH Network

The Primate WATCH program was established by the ARRC (Avoid, Reduce, Restore, Conserve) Task Force, which operates under the Section on Great Apes (SGA) and the Section on Gibbons and Siamangs (GAS) of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group (PSG) of the Species Survival Commission (SSC). The program aims to build the capacity of primatologists in great ape countries to advise the private sector on mitigating impacts on great apes. It has had two editions so far: West Africa (2021-2022) with nine participants from Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, and Central Africa (2022-2023) with eight participants from Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Participants of the Primate WATCH Network workshop during a field visit to the Singrobo-Ahouaty hydroelectric dam, Côte d'Ivoire, in September 2024.

Alexandre Konate, representative of the Guinea seat within the WCAP ImpCom and member of the Primate Watch, reflected: “Since the first Primate WATCH program in 2021-2022, my fellow participants and I have expressed a strong desire to stay connected and continue sharing experiences, knowledge, and lessons learned in our respective countries. We also hoped to meet face-to-face to better promote positive change—whether within companies, lenders, or government institutions involved in environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs).”

In response, the ARRC Task Force organized a workshop in Côte d'Ivoire from September 7-15, 2024, bringing together Primate WATCH cohorts from West and Central Africa. The workshop reunited 15 of the 17 primatologists and resulted in the creation of the Primate WATCH Network. It was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the Great Ape Survival Partnership (GRASP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The program helped me plan effective monitoring and management strategies for chimpanzees in the Pic de Fon classified forest. It also allowed me to push for greater consideration of West African chimpanzee conservation at the intersection of mining activities and environmental issues, particularly through the mitigation hierarchy, starting with avoidance measures.

I’m proud to be a founding member of the Primate WATCH Network, whose mission is to promote great ape conservation by providing technical advice to minimize the negative impacts of development projects. Our goal is to drive positive change through strategic development while increasing and sharing knowledge with primatologists in great ape range countries. Reconciling industrial development with ape conservation is ambitious but vital for the future of great apes—especially the chimpanzees of West Africa, where Guinea, home to the largest population, is also rich in mining resources.”

Supporting the Primate WATCH program are ImpCom members Dr. Geneviève Campbell, ARRC Task Force Director, Dr. Tatyana Humle, ARRC Task Force and Primate WATCH Program Coordinator, and Dr. Maegan Fitzgerald, Research and Communications Officer.

A grant to promote women leadership in the conservation of western chimpanzees

The Women in Leadership Grants (WLG) is a transformative 10-month program offering small grants of up to $5,000 to support women from West African countries in advancing their leadership in chimpanzee conservation.

We are excited to announce that the winners of this year's grants are Malon Magassouba, Trokon Grimes and Jenny Desmond.

Malon Magassouba, a Master's student at Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal, will use the grant to present her research on chimpanzees and sympatric mammals near the Dindéfélat Nature Reserve at the at the Société Francophone de Primatologie (SFDP) conference in Toulouse, France, in October.

Trokon Grimes, representative of the Forestry Development Authority within the Liberia ImpCom seat, will use the grant to provide training for local women to create awareness of wild chimpanzees and organize conservation education programs in schools and communities around the Lake Piso Multiple Sustainable Use Reserve, Liberia.

Jenny Desmond, founder of the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection and representative of the Law Enforcement/Sanctuary Coordination seat within the ImpCom, will use the grant to strengthen peaceful coexistence between humans and chimpanzees through the Women Led Human Chimpanzee Relations (HCR) Teams program in Nimba County.

A Centralized Funding Database for western

chimpanzee conservation

Searching for funding opportunities can feel overwhelming. It's often difficult to know where to start, and important opportunities to finance research and projects can slip by unnoticed. To support you, as conservation stakeholders in West Africa, we've created a Centralized Database where you can easily access funding opportunities and grants that are relevant, even indirectly, to western chimpanzee conservation. This database relies on user submissions, so we encourage you not only to use it to find available grants, but also to upload any funding opportunities you come across that you think might be of interest to the community.

Among the opportunities listed in the database, the Darwin Initiative Innovation Grant, which provides up to £200,000 for projects that explore innovative approaches to biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction, has applications due by October 21, 2024. Another opportunity is the GEF Small Grants Program, which offers up to $50,000 for the protection of landscapes and key species in situ, with submissions accepted year-round.

You can access the Database here (both in English and French), where you'll also find instructions on how to upload grants.

We need your help!

As one of the most charismatic flagship species, Western chimpanzees often draw significant attention for conservation efforts. However, they are just one of many threatened species in West Africa, where numerous other species and landscapes also need protection. Preserving these can also benefit chimpanzees.

If you are aware of or are working on an Action Plan for specific species or landscapes in West Africa, please get in touch with us at info@westernchimp.org.

We would love to hear from you!

This newsletter is distributed to stakeholders of western chimpanzee conservation. If anyone in your network is interested in receiving future newsletters and staying informed about western chimpanzee-related content, please direct them to this brief form to share their contact information with us: EN | FR | PT.

Do you have an announcement you would like to make, or an activity you would like to highlight? A success story you would like to share? Please get in touch so we can include your story in the next bimonthly newsletter!

For inquiries or submissions, please contact us at info@westernchimp.org. We welcome your engagement and questions!

You can access the French version of this newsletter, as well as past editions, on our website.