Community-Led Conservation of Endangered Primates in Southeastern Côte D'ivoire: Implications for Decolonizing...

The Upper Guinean forests of West Africa are a major global hotspot for primate diversity, yet many areas remain understudied and insufficiently protected. Southeastern Côte d'Ivoire illustrates this conservation gap. Once home to several of West Africa's most threatened primate species, the region has experienced extensive deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and hunting pressure over recent decades. Consequently, many primate populations have declined or disappeared from large parts of their former range. The Tanoé-Ehy Forest, a swamp forest ecosystem located along the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana border, is now one of the last refuges for several endangered primates in the region. Since 2006, a long-term conservation initiative led by Ivorian scientists, in partnership with local communities, has aimed to protect this forest and its biodiversity through a community-based conservation approach. This article presents the Tanoé-Ehy conservation initiative as a case study demonstrating how locally led conservation efforts can support both biodiversity protection and community empowerment while contributing to changes in conservation practice in African primatology. Over nearly two decades, the project has combined ecological research, participatory governance, and socio-economic initiatives. Community members actively participate in wildlife monitoring, forest surveillance, environmental education, and livelihood diversification programs designed to reduce pressure on forest resources. Beyond biodiversity protection, the initiative highlights the importance of strengthening national scientific leadership and recognizing local communities as central actors in conservation governance. The Tanoé-Ehy experience shows that effective and sustainable conservation in biodiversity-rich regions depends on integrating local knowledge, equitable partnerships, and long-term community engagement.