Chinko: A Peaceful Solution Pioneering a peaceful approach to meet the needs of people and wildlife

This story is an intimate look at the relationship between people, culture and biodiversity conservation in one of the most remote, uninhabited and biodiverse wilderness areas in Africa – Chinko in Central African Republic. At the centre of the story is the plight of the Sudanese herdsmen, nomadic pastoralists who move between Sudan, Chad and Central African Republic in search of safety for their families and grazing for their cattle. As the effects of human-induced habitat destruction and over use of resources takes hold in the Sahel Belt in Central Africa, these nomadic people speak of extreme drought and violent armed groups which has pushed them further and further south in search of safety and sustenance. But, although wealthy in arms and cattle, the herdsmen, who carry a deep knowledge of the landscape, are damaging the very land that sustains them by continuously moving their droves of livestock through this vast, yet vulnerable wilderness area. Without finding a way to help manage their movement and needs, the impact will have devastating consequences on this critically important biodiverse region, and in turn on their very own survival.

African Parks pioneered a first-ever engagement programme by employing local Fulani people as unarmed ‘tango’ guards to use their cultural and regional knowledge to help negotiate the needs of the herders - while at the same time encouraging them to respect the boundaries that protect Chinko’s wildlife and the biodiversity. At the heart of these negotiations lies a common desire for peace and security, which is often brought together in the simple act of sharing tea.