Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve

Agricultural pressure, deforestation, mining, poaching, weak management capacity, lack of transborder cooperation.

A report was received from the State Party of Côte d’Ivoire, dated 6 January 2005. At the time of the preparation of the document, no report was received from the State Party of Guinea. No additional information was provided on the expected restarting of the exploration studies in the mining enclave for which the concession rights were acquired by the Euronimba consortium, as requested by the Committee at its 28th session (Suzhou, 2004).

The State Party of Côte d’Ivoire confirms that, since 2002, the property is no longer under Government control as the area is occupied by rebel forces. This has resulted in the suspension of all conservation activities, including the European Union funded Côte d’Ivoire Protected Areas Programme, which provided major funding for the property. For security reasons, all protected area staff were relocated to the Government controlled territory. All of the Park’s equipment was looted and the Park administration buildings and guard posts taken over by these rebel forces. The State Party reports nonetheless that, due to the relative calm in the region, local communities who had fled into the Park have now returned to their camps and villages outside the Park and that, since the terrain is mountainous and difficult, illegal forest and agricultural exploitation has not been reported. However, the report notes that an abundance of bush meat has appeared on the market, suggesting increased poaching.

Although no report was received from the State Party of Guinea, information received by the World Heritage Centre and IUCN indicates that significant progress is being achieved on the Guinean side of the Nimba Mountains, as well as in the Guinean Nimba Mountains Biosphere Reserve.

UNDP confirmed the launch in April 2005 of a long-term US$11 million Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project, entitled "Conservation of the Biodiversity of the Nimba Mountains through Integrated and Participatory Management". This project, under preparation since 2001 and supported by UNDP, the GEF, the World Heritage Centre, Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and the State Party of Guinea, will seek to reconcile mining and the preservation of the natural resources of the mountains, using an integrated and participatory ecosystem management approach. In addition to the FFI and GEF, Mount Nimba Management Centre (CEGEN) began implementing a project in August 2004 addressing hunting and the bush meat trade in the Guinean Nimba Mountains. This project will develop recommendations and start experimenting alternative activities with hunters of several key villages to eliminate hunting in the Reserve while responding to local dietary and economic needs. In 2004, FFI, with support from the Guinean Government, UNESCO and the Société des Mines de Fer de Guinée, coordinated an action resulting in agricultural colonists leaving the Déré Forest, adjacent to the Nimba Mountains. The forest's boundary was demarcated and key degraded areas were planted with quick growing tree species. However, significant numbers of Ivorians allegedly have now arrived from neighbouring Côte d'Ivoire to re-colonize the area, claiming it as part of Côte d'Ivoire.

Little progress has been possible in co-ordinating transboundary management because of the lack of any effective management authority for the Ivorian portion of the property. However in Liberia, with support from Conservation International and the United States Government, demarcation of the boundary of the Liberian Nimba Nature Reserve is imminent. This will be accompanied by village meetings to raise awareness of the existence of the Nature Reserve, restoration of key degraded areas, and installation of basic infrastructure and posting of staff from the Liberian Forestry Development Authority.

At its 28th session (Suzhou, 2004), the Committee invited the State Party of Liberia to consider an extension of the property when preparing its Tentative List. The State Party did request International Assistance in 2004 for capacity building and to prepare its Tentative List. However, the objectives of the request were not clearly focused and required reformulation. The State Party has not yet resubmitted the reformulated request.