National Consultant - Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is a small country wedged between the sub-Saharan arid ecosystems and the Guinean moist forest ecoregion. The resulting combination creates majestic terrestrial landscapes and a patchy mosaic of dense and open forests, gallery forests and woodland savannah that are rich in globally significant plant and animal life and a refuge for many migratory species that move across the West-African savannahs. The forest belt region of Guinea-Bissau (south and southwest) contains several and rare and threatened species of birds, higher plants, reptiles and mammals, including elephants (Loxodonta africana), large ungulates such as the buffalo (Syncerus manus), hippopotamus (Hyppopotamus amphibius) and the eland (Taurotragus derbianus). Dozens of families of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) inhabit that area and are poorly studies. These outstanding terrestrial ecosystems have until now remained unprotected. In turn, protection of the coastal and marine region of western Guinea-Bissau –also extremely rich in biodiversity – has received for the past decade the undisputed attention of both donors and Government in their effort to conserve the country’s natural endowment. Six marine and coastal parks have been created and are being effectively managed. They cover almost 15% of the country’s territory.

This GEF-UNDP project proposes to correct this imbalance in conservation priorities with respect to ecosystem representation. It will focus on the conservation of the Dulombi-Boé-Tchetche (DBT) Complex of protected areas in the forest belt region of Guinea-Bissau. The area large remnants of forest and savannah habitat and cover 319,000 hectares of terrestrial ecosystems under increased threat.

Through this project, the Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas (IBAP), which has the broad responsibility for biodiversity conservation in Guinea-Bissau, intends to expand the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP) onto the southeastern forest belt region and protect an additional 8.8% of the country territory seeking the following results:

(i) Better ecosystem representation in the SNAP;(ii) Enhanced ecological connectivity;(iii) The enabling of trans-frontier migration of large mammals and threatened and endangered species (including elephants); and(iv) Increased resilience of the Complex overall to the effects of climate change and desertification process.

Five new protected areas will be created and managed: Dulombi National Park with 98,951 ha; Boé National Park with 95,280 ha; Tchetche Wildlife Corridor with 33,604 ha; Cuntabane-Quebo Wildlife Corridor with 55,003 ha; and Salifo Wildlife Corridor with 36,162 ha. In this unique arrangement of protected areas with core parks and connecting wildlife corridors, the DBT Complex, rural communities, grass root organizations and local NGOs will share responsibilities for achieving conservation objectives, while obtaining concrete benefits from sustainable use of natural resources through ecotourism, sustainable farming and animal husbandry, and the production of ecosystem services. Engaged communities with their livelihood and cultural survival at stake will become strategic partners in participatory conservation management arrangements, increase cost effectiveness and provide a living laboratory of harmonic coexistence of humans and biodiversity. This project is part of the GEF’s Strategic Programme for West Africa (SPWA), Sub-component on Biodiversity. Despite being one of the poorest nations on Earth, the Guinea-Bissau is showing great courage in conservation and expects through this project to protect almost a quarter of its territory, preserve globally important biodiversity, maintain regionally critical migratory routes, protect emblematic species such as the western chimpanzee and the African elephant and give its people viable options for sustainable development.

The project’s goal is to conserve globally significant biodiversity in Guinea-Bissau’s forest belt region by creating and strengthening protected areas. The project objective is to establish and operationalize terrestrial PAs in the Dulombi-Boé-Tchetche (DBT) complex and thereby significantly expand and strengthen Guinea-Bissau’s PA system.

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