WESTERN CHIMPANZEE CONSERVATION - Regional Coordination - NEWSLETTER |
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Welcome to the first edition of our bimonthly newsletter! We are excited to share with you some updates and news from the world of western chimpanzee conservation! This marks the first edition of a bimonthly newsletter series designed to share information, updates, and opportunities within the western chimpanzee conservation community, along with news from the Western Chimpanzee Action Plan (WCAP) Implementation Committee (ImpCom).
As members of this community, we encourage you to use this avenue to contribute your voice to the present and future of western chimpanzee conservation!
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Read our End of the Year Report Last year was a year full of activities for our community. We’ve summarized many of these initiatives in an end of the year report. We intend to share these reports annually with the community. EN | FR |
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Elections of the WCAP Implementation Committee 2024-2026 In December, we held elections to nominate the members of the WCAP ImpCom for the term 2024-2026. Established in 2021, the WCAP ImpCom is a committee tasked with coordinating stakeholders and organizing activities for the efficient implementation of the Western Chimpanzee Action Plan. It currently consists of 37 members, comprising a mix of elected seats and chosen governmental representatives from across all western chimpanzee range states, covering major topics within the WCAP. Check out here the list of names and contact information of the ImpCom members. |
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Workshop for the design of Côte d'Ivoire's Chimpanzee National Action Plan We extend our congratulations to Dr. Simone Ban, Col. Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, and the team of 10 ImpCom members and WCAP stakeholders for successfully organizing a 2-day workshop in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, in December 2023. This workshop marks the initial phase of designing a National Action Plan for chimpanzees in the country. The event saw the participation of the Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Réserves (OIPR) and other key stakeholders dedicated to the conservation of chimpanzees in parks and reserves across Côte d'Ivoire. |
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Get to know our community! In this newsletter series, we are excited to introduce members of our community actively engaged in the conservation of western chimpanzees. Each edition will feature introduction of two individuals. |
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Stefano Lucchesi Stefano completed his PhD in Primatology at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, focusing on the socioecological factors influencing intergroup encounters in wild bonobos. He has substantial field experience, having worked with gorillas and chimpanzees in Gabon and bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Currently, he works with the Section on Great Apes (SGA) of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group (PSG) assisting the WCAP Coordinator and ImpCom Chair Dr. Erin Wessling with the management of the Western Chimpanzee Regional Coordination. |
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Simone Ban Simone earned her M.Sc and PhD in Primatology at the University Félix Hophouët Boigny in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, focusing on the foraging behavior of wild chimpanzees in the Taï National Park in Côte d’Ivoire. Presently, she is employed at the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, an NGO dedicated to safeguarding wild chimpanzees and their habitats in West Africa. In this role, she designs and leads the implementation of various initiatives related to conservation, education, and awareness. With Col. Diarrassouba, she holds the national seat for Côte d’Ivoire within the ImpCom. |
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Resources The WCAP Implementation Committee created a series of pamphlets to draw attention to important issues in western chimpanzee conservation. These are great documents to share with all stakeholders, and are ready for print! |
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| | Private Industry in Western chimpanzee habitats (EN) |
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| | Protecting chimpanzee diversity (EN | FR) |
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| | Strengthening Legal Frameworks for Chimpanzee Protection (EN) |
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| | WCAP Implementation Committee (EN | FR) |
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Make sure to visit our website at westernchimp.org! Here you can find comprehensive information about the WCAP and the ImpCom. The site also provides regular updates and announcements related to western chimpanzee conservation, along with access to the WCAP document itself. |
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Access the full Western Chimpanzee Action Plan EN | FR |
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We need your help! Active participation of stakeholders in a connected regional network is paramount to achieve success in western chimpanzee conservation. This requires that each voice is heard and represented, information is centralized, and all actors are actively engaged. For this purpose, three years after the publication of the WCAP, we formulated a questionnaire seeking information from stakeholders who may be directly or indirectly involved with the Action Plan. If you haven't done so already, please complete the following questionnaire online: EN | FR | PT. If you prefer to download a printable version of the questionnaire, please refer to these documents: EN | FR | PT. Furthermore, if you are affiliated with an NGO, please be aware that we will soon initiate contact to enquire specifically about the implementation status of any ongoing or planned activities related to WCAP objectives. If you wish to participate in this initiative, kindly complete this brief form: EN | FR. |
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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! |
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