On the occasion of the 20-Year Forum of the Small-Scale Initiatives Program (PPI) organized in Senegal by the French Committee of IUCN, the IUCN-Med team, which coordinates the PPI OSCAN program (Small-Scale Initiatives Program for North African Civil Society), was invited to participate in this major event for civil society. These two programs, supported by the French Global Environment Facility (FFEM), share a common approach: supporting small-scale civil society initiatives (CSOs) engaged in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
The participation of the IUCN-Med team in this forum aimed to strengthen exchanges and synergies between the two programs, which operate in different regions of Africa but share similar objectives in supporting civil society. This presence helped intensify collaborations and foster mutual learning between CSOs from North Africa, Central Africa, and West Africa.
As part of this event, the Tunisian CSO Atrakouda, a beneficiary of PPI OSCAN, had the opportunity to participate. Its commitment to wildlife conservation and community engagement around protected areas aligned perfectly with the forum’s key themes. Through its expertise, the association contributed to discussions by sharing best practices in wildlife monitoring and local community involvement in conservation efforts.
Forum PPI, ©PPI, French Committee of IUCN
Rich exchanges on wildlife monitoring methods
During the forum, Atrakouda shared its experience in wildlife tracking and monitoring, particularly through the use of camera traps, drones, and other field technologies. In turn, the association was able to discover similar approaches used by CSOs from West and Central Africa, expanding its own technical toolkit and reinforcing its conservation practices.
“For us, as a Tunisian association, this was a very special experience, because in North Africa, there are not many organizations working on wildlife conservation or applying wildlife monitoring techniques. This made our participation even more valuable, as we were able to engage with organizations facing similar challenges and discover new methodologies and approaches that can enrich our work in the field.” — Atrakouda
Local communities at the heart of conservation
A central theme of the forum was the integration of local communities into conservation projects. Atrakouda was particularly inspired by the experience of other PPI partners who have taken meaningful steps toward community-led conservation, offering new insights and ideas for future projects in Tunisia.
“The PPI partner associations are clearly ahead of us in this area, and their experience gave us new perspectives on how to better engage local communities in our actions.” — Atrakouda
Forum PPI, ©PPI, French Committee of IUCN
A Media Commitment to African Biodiversity
Atrakouda was also honored to participate in a special episode of the podcast “C’est pas du vent” by RFI, alongside other African associations. This podcast shed light on the tools available to preserve African biodiversity and facilitated discussions on the challenges and innovative solutions implemented by CSOs in the field.
🎧 Listen to the podcast: What tools are available to preserve African biodiversity?
Immersion in Senegal: Meeting CORENA and Raising Awareness Among Youth
Following the forum, Atrakouda extended its stay in Senegal by visiting the headquarters of CORENA, an association supported by the PPI. This immersion allowed its members to take part in activities at the Boundou Community Reserve, including setting up a tree nursery and training a group of female leaders in natural resource management for their village.
One of the highlights of this exchange was an awareness-raising session with children and teenagers from surrounding villages. Atrakouda shared insights about wildlife in Tunisia’s Bouhedma National Park, drawing parallels with Senegal’s biodiversity. This initiative helped enhance local awareness of conservation issues, enabling young people to better understand the biodiversity challenges across different African ecosystems.
Strengthening Ties Between African CSOs
Atrakouda’s participation in the forum and post-event activities illustrated the importance of the network of CSOs supported by the PPI and PPI OSCAN programs. The collaborations and lessons learned from this experience open up new opportunities for sharing best practices and innovative conservation tools.
By fostering exchanges between CSOs from different countries and highlighting the importance of pan-African cooperation for biodiversity conservation, this forum served as a catalyst for strengthening the impact of local and international initiatives.
➡️ To learn more about PPI approach in North, Central and West Africa: V2_UICN_PPI_ENG.indd
PPI, PPI OSCAN and FFEM teams, ©PPI, UICN French Committee
