Chimpanzees caught on camera trap in Cameroon. Every year on World Chimpanzee Day (July 14), people around the world celebrate one of our closest living relatives. Chimpanzees are intelligent. They use tools, form lifelong social bonds, communicate with one another, and care for their young. Yet across Africa, their populations continue to decline as forests … Continue reading Blog post: The Forest Grew Quieter. A Community Refused to Let the Chimpanzees Disappear.
A letter from our Executive Director, Dr. Teri Allendorf Last fall, during a visit to a village in Nepal, a woman asked me how Community Conservation funded its work. She assumed the answer would involve a major institution. USAID. WWF. A large international organization with endless resources and infrastructure. When I told her the truth, … Continue reading When Big Funders Say No, Communities Keep Conservation Alive
Why Conservation Works Best When Communities Lead Around the world, forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. In response, conservation efforts have often focused on protected areas, national parks, and top-down enforcement. These approaches are an option, but they are not enough because forests are not empty. They are home to the people who live … Continue reading Community Forestry and the Power of Local People
As the world heads into 2026, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of environmental challenges we face. Climate instability, habitat loss, and biodiversity decline can make progress feel distant or fragile. But community-led conservation tells a different story—one grounded in measurable results, local leadership, and steady, long-term change. In 2025, Community Conservation and … Continue reading Impacts 2025 – What Community-Led Conservation Achieved This Year
Guest Contributor Adrian Odi-Eban of Community-Based Biosynergy Management (CBBM) Adrian Odi-Eban in the field Community conservation in Cameroon is often interpreted by international NGOs as the provision of alternative livelihoods to local and indigenous communities to reduce pressure on forests and encourage biodiversity protection, especially around protected areas. This strategy tends to reflect a top-down … Continue reading Top-Down vs. Community-Led Conservation in Cameroon: A Partner’s Perspective
We and our partners, along with many communities around the globe, had a dynamic year. Read on to see the biggest accomplishments you, our donors, have made possible. DOING Community-based Conservation From July 2023 to June 2024, we worked with local communities around the world to protect biodiversity in their own backyards… Thailand: Protecting Tigers … Continue reading Impacts 2024
We recently formed a group of past and current partners to meet regularly and share ideas…
We and our partners around the globe have had a dynamic last 12 months. Read on to see the biggest accomplishments you, our donors, have made possible. DOING Community-based Conservation Working with local communities to protect biodiversity in their own backyards… 1. Community camera trapping workshops for pangolin and other protected species in Nepal. We … Continue reading Impacts 2022
In recent years, a local community in Somié, Western Cameroon has reported hearing chimpanzee calls further away and less frequently than normal. A lack of chimpanzee calls plus illegal grazing in the forest motivated the community into action. This project site was selected by His Royal Highness Gamgbe Kounaka Ernest as a forest to be … Continue reading Community Seeks to Conserve Chimpanzee Habitat – Cameroon
We work with our partner in Cameroon, Community-Based Biosynergy Management, to support community conservation near the Dja Faunal Reserve. The Reserve is a UNESCO World heritage site with prime habitat for elephants, chimpanzees, leopards, mandrills and lowland gorillas. It’s also home to the Baka pygmies, an indigenous group of hunter-gatherers who have maintained the balance of the … Continue reading Community-Managed Forest Corridor – Cameroon
