The Northeast Protected Area Complex (NPAC) of the Central African Republic is a vastlandscape of 115,000 km2 with paramount importance to conservation and community development. Several million livelihoods rely on the rivers in the NPAC, which also feed the Lake Chad Basin. For this area however there is a severe shortage of data to inform local biodiversity and conservation strategies.

The Freshwater Biodiversity Data Collection system (FBDC) project aims to fill knowledge gaps on freshwater biodiversity (macroinvertebrates, reptiles, fish, aquatic birds) to inform decisions and policies that will support conservation and sustainable development goals for the Northeast Protected Area Complex.

The project will engage the landscape’s stakeholders and the academic community through several key activities: (1) Representatives from fisherman associations will learn to monitor fishing impacts using species populations as bioindicators of aquatic ecosystem quality. They will also be trained to exploit resources on the periphery of WCS-managed protected areas while fully respecting the spawning grounds located in the parks themselves, (2) Local graduate students will support research implementation and develop quantitative ecological skills and capacity, and (3) Decision makers will gain access to accurate data to better inform decisions about conservation and sustainable fishing policies and practices.

Stakeholders of all levels will benefit from an increased understanding of these water systems and will be better able to make decisions based on science and an ecosystem approach. WCS will ensure the project sustainability and its integration to conservation strategies, backed by a 25-year renewable PPP contract signed with the CAR government in 2018.

photo credit: Peter Prokosch

The main activities of the Freshwater biodiversity data collection system (FBDC) for conservation and sustainable development of the Northeast protected area complex (NPAC) and its landscape in the CAR project include:

1. Organize an international workshop of regional experts to collaborate on the design of necessary studies to collect useful data on freshwater biodiversity.
2. Conduct scientific research by engaging three masters’ students and one PhD student to support local research resulting in an ichthyological inventory of the NPAC rivers and tributaries with regional collaboration with Chad. Share new species data with the Museum of Natural History in Paris and the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren; Studies on key species under fishing pressure, identifying spawning grounds to protect them with the participation of local fishermen; Studies on the most abundant macro-invertebrates with particular attention to Odonata (Zygoptera and Anisoptera) at the larval (aquatic) and adult (aerial) stages which are bioindicators of ecosystem health; Conduct Reptile inventory focusing on snakes and aquatic turtles; Collect and store a permanent collection in alcohol formalin of the various species captured (macro-invertebrates, fish, reptiles).
3. Set up a long-term monitoring process of the ecological status of the upper Chari river
4. Develop a training program on fish monitoring and data collection techniques for fishermen
5. Disseminate the results of the FBDC system and bioindicator species through a permanent online platform, international journals with impact factor, and museums.

Dr. Felin Twagirashyaka is the Country Director of CAR with extensive experience in conservation spanning over 20 years. His deep connection with nature and his passion for conservation led him to study in North America, Europe and to work in Rwanda, Benin, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo, where he led impactful conservation efforts. In 2008, Felin joined WCS Congo as Director of the Lac Télé Community Reserve, where he worked for 9 years. He then served as Landscape Director for the Lac Tele – Lac Tumba landscape, which involved working with cross-functional teams of experts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. During this time, he was the architect of the negotiations which saw the two countries sign a cooperation agreement, which led to the creation of the second largest transboundary Ramsar site in Africa and the largest in the world.

Felin also has valuable experience gained in the dynamic German NGO sector. Prior to his appointment, he was program manager at Iriba-Brunnen e.V. at the One World Network, where he was responsible for the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He also worked as a lecturer at the University of Munster in Germany.

Felin Twagirashyaka holds an undergraduate degree in Forest Management from Laval University in Canada, a Master of Science in Tropical Forestry, and a PhD in Forest Science from the University of Göttingen in Germany.