Publications and Studies

Bioclimate – Biodiversity Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (BMEP)

Bombali District – July- August 2014

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS) was commissioned by Bioclimate Research & Development, to develop and implement the first phase of the Biodiversity Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (BMEP) as part of their Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Programme.

Bioclimate is working with local communities to sustainably manage their community forests, in order to protect important natural resources on which they rely, and so they can perform as a refuge for high value biodiversity in the region.

The BMEP is designed to capture a baseline of impacts on biodiversity within the community forests, and to measure if the community forest management plans that have been developed with the community are successful in improving biodiversity.

The first phase of the BMEP has taken place in Kortoh and Fintonia villages in Priority Zone 1 (PZ1) in the STEWARD programme. Both communities are in the Tambakka chiefdom in the Bombali district.

The BMEP included interviews to the farmers, camera trapping and reconnaissance walks. There have been two levels of training: one directed to the Bioclimate management team and another to the forest monitors selected from each village, who will carry out the ongoing biodiversity monitoring in the community forests in the following months.

Report: Bioclimate – Biodiversity Monitoring & Evaluation Programme (BMEP) – Bombali District (2014)

Study of Chimpanzee Populations using Camera Traps in Non-Protected Disturbed-Fragmented Habitats in Sierra Leone

Moyamba and Port Loko Districts, 2013-2014

The objectives of this study were to obtain data on the wild chimpanzee population living in human-disturbed habitats, to estimate biodiversity richness, and to learn about the impact of crop raiding by chimpanzees and other wildlife. The research was conducted in two districts of Sierra Leone, Moyamba (2013) and Port Loko (2014) districts.

We thank the Barcelona Zoo, Rufford Small Grants Foundation, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund for the funding provided and to Dr. Tatyana Humle from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology for her support and advice.

Study of Chimpanzee Populations using Camera Traps in Non-Protected Disturbed Fragmented Habitats in Moyamba District, Sierra Leone (2013)

Study of Chimpanzee Populations using Camera Traps in Non-Protected Disturbed Fragmented Habitats in Port Loko District, Sierra Leone (2014)

Evaluation of the wildlife crop raiding impact on seasonal crops in 5 farming communities adjacent to the Gola Rainforest National Park

2013-2014

Since 2010, Welthungerhilfe (WWH) has been implementing the “Project on Food Security and Economic Development” (FoSED) in Sierra Leone, promoting the cultivation of tree crop plantations in farming communities bordering the Gola Rainforest National Park (GRNP) as well as improving the agricultural practices in upland and lowland farming ecosystems. This study was commissioned to investigate the impact of animal crop raiding in five rural communities bordering the GRNP that are involved in FoSED activities. The study area is located in the Kenema district, Tunkia chiefdom, with a landscape dominated by active and fallow agricultural farms.

Report: Evaluation of the Wildlife Crop Raiding Impact on Seasonal Crops in Five Farming Communities Adjacent to the GRNP (2013-2014)

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)

Chimpanzee Rapid Survey Assessment – Bandajuma-Liberia Border Road (2017)

Tacugama has been involved with several more EIAs in both dry and wet season environments in Yiben, Bumbuna, as part of the upgrade of the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Power Plant. The goal was to establish if primates and mammals of conservation concern are present and compare the results with previous surveys. A determination of critical habitat and mitigation measures, as well as recommendations for further survey work are all part of the EIA prior to the commencement of any construction. These reports are not publicly available.