In June, the SOS SAHEL team, accompanied by Mathieu Gueye, an ethnobotanist of the Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire (IFAN) conducted visits to three Dialacoto villages engaged in biodiversity monitoring training with support from a JRS planning grant. Local authorities and community leaders have shown great concern for the degradation of their natural resources and recognize the value of mapping the plant species most at risk in their region. This visit led to the identification of thirty individuals – including 6 women – who expressed keen interest in receiving training. Additionally, the team identified forty endangered species considered useful, yet threatened in the local survey area. Officials from the municipality and the Ministry of Environment will participate in a biodiversity training event in late September, at the close of the rainy season. These communities are key stewards of biodiversity in the buffer zone of the vast Niokolo-koba National Park, the largest protected area in Senegal.

Read more about the University of Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar (UNAD) & SOS SAHEL Senegal Niokolo-Koba National Park Buffer Zone Biodiversity Survey JRS grant here.