Support for community management of the Afito Hippo Ponds Complex

The hippopotamus pool complex (544 ha), located in the prefecture of Yoto, Maritime Region of Togo about 80 km north-east of Lomé, is an integral part of the Mono transboundary Biosphere Reserve (142,500 ha). The area is home to a remarkable biodiversity such as the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius, VU), the Sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii, LC), the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus, LC) as well as species of primates (patas, vervet) and amphibians. The complex is threatened by the fragmentation of habitats, overexploitation of natural resources (wood, fishery resources, etc.), anthropization with, as a corollary, the physical (Nangbéto dam on the Mono, etc.) and human (dwellings, fields). , etc.).

The hippopotamus populations (about 30 individuals) are, in addition, particularly affected by poaching (for the ivory of their teeth) and human-hippopotamus conflicts following the damage recorded on crops and which are likely to exacerbate the case of poaching and / or killing of hippopotamus in retaliation.

The Center for the Development of Community Actions (CDAC), created in 1999, has been carrying out conservation and development actions with a participatory approach since 2006, notably with the support of GIZ.

The main objective of this project is to strengthen the governance and management of the hippopotamus pool complex by local communities while supporting the revitalization of sustainable and profitable economic sectors in the peripheral areas of the complex.