The long-term preservation and protection of Pendjari National Park can only be achieved with active participation and engagement with local communities and local authorities. With at least 40,000 people living around the park, building long-term support is a top priority. Agriculture is the main occupation, and limited space for planting crops is the main issue faced by local populations.
On the outskirts of Pendjari, 30,000 hectares are utilised by local communities for agricultural production and livestock. Therefore, in collaboration with the Village Associations Union for Wildlife Reserves Management (AVIGREF), sustainable livelihood projects have been initiated and increased support provided to vulnerable communities, including a revised security strategy.
The community team has grown in strength thanks to excellent collaboration with AVIGREF and the communal councils of the municipalities bordering the Pendjari Complex. Reorganisation of land use has enabled community land users to be recorded and the regulation of more than 3,500 ha of agricultural land. This has helped to promote organic farming, such as cotton production, and has facilitated human wildlife conflict management. Over 2023, Pendjari’s 12 community facilitators organised 116 awareness-raising sessions attended by nearly 5,000 people.
The park’s aim is to provide quality education that will support economic and social transformation while raising awareness of environmental issues. So far, 23 local schools on Pendjari’s periphery are being supported with buildings, teaching materials and desks, teachers’ salaries are supplemented. Thirteen monthly environmental clubs reach400 schoolchildren annually.
The creation of alternative and more sustainable livelihoods is a priority for African Parks. In addition to the regulation of more than 3,500 ha of agricultural land, a total of 768 hectares of cotton and soybean fields in the Controlled Occupation Zones (ZOC) – buffer areas in the south west of Pendjari – were converted into organic and sustainable agricultural systems, managed by 515 farmers. A sustainable grazing pilot project is under development in the hunting zones and 12,834 seedlings were planted around the community areas on the outskirts of the Complex in 2023.
Four local cooperatives (vegetable oil processors and beekeepers) have been formalised, creating micro-enterprises around the park. Community residents also receive authorisation to access park resources, such as fisheries, grazing, shea nut and medicinal plants.
To provide water for communities and livestock, two waterholes have been opened with more under construction. Over 45,000 cattle have been vaccinated since 2017, strengthening community engagement and reducing the risk of disease transmission from domestic animals to wildlife.
The reforestation programme on the outskirts of the Pendjari Complex has over 12,000 seedlings being planted around the community areas annually.