Community Development

Around 30,000 people legally live within or move through the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve every year. In its contemporary setting, Ennedi hosts semi-nomadic groups of herders who move their livestock through the Massif. The livelihoods of these groups, and the thousands of inhabitants of the area and surrounding regions, are tied to the availability of water, pastures and other benefits emanating from this oasis, thus accentuating the importance of supporting sustainable livelihoods within this fragile ecosystem

Engaging with local communities and raising environmental awareness is crucial to the long-term survival of Ennedi’s biodiversity © African Parks

The communities in the area are integral to and thus important stakeholders in the conservation of Ennedi, and collaboration with them is essential to secure its long-term conservation. The Community Development team has prioritised conservation and environmental awareness-raising, developing comprehensive environmental education programmes and socio-economic initiatives.

In 2024, seven community meetings were held to guide the development of a Land Use Plan for the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve. These sessions ensured that local voices shaped how land is used and managed, following the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). A grievance mechanism was also put in place for communities to raise concerns and build trust with those managing the reserve. In addition, a basic needs survey helped identify and prioritise what communities need most, laying the groundwork for future support and sustainable development.

Educating children on Ennedi’s biodiversity is a priority for the park’s community team © African Parks

The primary goal of the Community team over the past few years has been to continue building a solid educational system in the reserve and to help counteract one of the major challenges on Ennedi, which is to promote schooling for children, especially girls, and to engage the local communities in topics such as conservation and biodiversity.

In 2024, in partnership with three local NGOs and the Delegation of National Education and Civic Promotion, four MOUs were signed to strengthen this aim. These agreements supported salaries for 13 community teachers and enabled the operation of ten schools; 349 students, including 91 girls, benefitted from both the national education curriculum and an environmental education programme. 

The “Petits Mouflons” – a one-of-a-kind educational truck that travels across Ennedi ensuring remote communities also have access to education and awareness raising – reaches over 1,500 people annually. Completing 10 days in the field at a time, both children and adults are encouraged to participate in the truck’s many activities which include guessing the names of the different animals in the reserve to win prizes of books, pens and t-shirts and a short movie of Ennedi’s ostriches.

Primary school teachers are being trained in environmental education, aiming to integrate the team’s Environmental Education Guide into the national primary education curriculum, covering topics such as biodiversity, archaeology, waste management and natural resources. Two primary schools (Aloba Community School and Archei Public School) were renovated in 2024, including a school canteen at Aloba to improve nutrition. 

Ensuring that the nomadic groups who have lived here for thousands of years can continue to do so in a way that supports the conservation of Ennedi as well as realising the benefits of biodiversity conservation is key. Thanks to conservation efforts in partnership with communities, African Parks is working to actualise revenue opportunities, through well-run niche tourism and other small enterprises in which it is investing. 

Sustainable pastoral programmes and training to boost skills development with a view to encouraging conservation-led economic development is ongoing. The gardening project in Fada continues to be successful, with local women tending plots and cultivating various crops, including watermelon, lettuce, tomato, onion, garlic, chilli, and sorrel. Market gardeners cultivate nearly three hectares and provide seed to over 40 market gardeners’ associations. After conducting several awareness-raising training sessions, the team’s agronomist implemented a new system to enhance harvest monitoring. Seed distribution extended to the Fada communal garden and similar gardening structures in Wei, Nohi and Tébi. Literacy courses were also run for 45 women vegetable gardeners in Fada and Nohi, further promoting economic development and improved nutrition.

Lifestyles in Fada are improving with the development of a few shops that have expanded due to the operational requirements of the reserve. Ennedi is the second-largest provider of employment in the Ennedi Ouest province, after the Chadian government.