Establishment and enhancement of a buffer zone around Togodo Sud Park

Located in south-eastern Togo, Togodo Sud National Park, established in 2005, covers an area of 15,000 ha. 3,000 ha of its peripheral zone has been handed back to local riparian populations, so they can carry out income-generating activities there, thereby helping reduce pressure on the park.

This park is among the country’s 10 priority Protected Areas, being a Ramsar site frequented by migratory birds and other species such as the red-bellied guenon (classified as Vulnerable) or the pygmy hippopotamus, although no inventory of its biological resources has yet been carried out.

The low level of participation by riparian populations in park management, high poverty levels, and the scarcity of economic alternatives — which force local populations to rely heavily on forest resources — are behind the various violations observed within the park. As a result, the entire zone handed back to local populations has still not been fully released to them, out of concern that this would increase pressure on the area and lead to its degradation.

Les Amis de la Terre (ADT-Togo), an NGO that has existed for 22 years and works on income-generating activities around protected areas, is supporting local populations in implementing this project.

The overall objective is to strengthen biodiversity conservation in Togodo Sud Park through participatory, sustainable park management and the creation of economic alternatives.