Community Development

Engaging with the communities surrounding Siniaka Minia is crucial to ensure its long-term sustainability. Part of this engagement includes the interaction of transhumance sensitisation teams and sustainable access to resources for the current and future generations. In addition, support is provided to the neighbouring communities through educational programmes, and the development of income-generating activities. Finally, most of the staff working at Siniaka Minia are from villages in the park's peripheral zone.

Community engagement

Overall, almost 40,000 people from the surrounding communities engaged with the park through 558 community meetings in 2023.

Transhumance sensitisation teams, known as PeriFerrick, interact and mediate with nomadic and transhumant communities. The goal of the PeriFerrick teams is to sensitise and engage with pastoralist communities, offering information on safe passage and access to food, water and basic supplies. Additionally, they function reactively as unarmed negotiators in the event of illegal activities and support the mitigation of human-wildlife conflict (HWC). Together with the Periferrick of Zakouma, the teams reached 50,000 nomads in 2023.

Moreover, African Parks’ community facilitators (known as ‘animators’) are directly connected with both sedentary and nomad communities. They are involved in engaging people on different subjects, supporting communities through environmental educational programmes, developing income-generating activities, and collecting information on human-wildlife conflicts.

A draft of a Land Use Management Plan for the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem (GZE) is being created and is awaiting validation at different local, regional, and national levels. The primary goal of this plan is to ensure all local stakeholders align a practical, suitable, and integrated land management plan for the entire GZE, creating the baseline for a conservation-led economy in this part of Chad.

Education and Environmental Awareness

Aiming to boost local capacities, value chains, and livelihoods. 1,018 local producers of different associations are supported, with 42 local cooperatives benefitting so far from training, equipment, infrastructure, machines and the improvement of trade chains at local and national levels. Over 1,000 households are supported in the extraction and commercialisation of honey, balanites (desert date) oil, shea butter, poultry farming, horticulture and chebé (a hair beauty powder made of grains traditionally used in Chad).

Two unions and 39 agricultural cooperatives with 914 members actively support the value chain development of local products. The villages around Siniaka Minia produced 462 litres of balanites oil and 144 kg of shea butter, and harvested 255 kg of vegetables in 2023. Almost 200 beekeepers are producing over 500 kg of honey annually.

Sustainable Enterprise Development

Aiming to boost local capacities, value chains, and livelihoods. 1,018 local producers of different associations are supported, with 42 local cooperatives benefitting so far from training, equipment, infrastructure, machines and the improvement of trade chains at local and national levels. Over 1,000 households are supported in the extraction and commercialisation of honey, balanites (desert date) oil, shea butter, poultry farming, horticulture and chebé (a hair beauty powder made of grains traditionally used in Chad).

Two unions and 39 agricultural cooperatives with 914 members actively support the value chain development of local products. The villages around Siniaka Minia produced 462 litres of balanites oil and 144 kg of shea butter, and harvested 255 kg of vegetables in 2023. Almost 200 beekeepers are producing over 500 kg of honey annually.