WCC 2020 Rec 099 - Progress Report

Brief, several activities have been implemented involving several stakeholders since the adoption of IUCN Resolution 099 in 2020 which have let to the creation of one sub-regional network in Central Africa. The creation of a regional network for Eastern and West Africa is planned for 2023, while efforts in Southeast Asia are yet to result in sufficient interest from local partners.
One virtual and two in-person workshops have been organized to discuss the creation of regional networks for great ape conservation in Africa and Asia. Organized in December 2021 by the IUCN French Committee and the French Museum of Natural History, the virtual workshop has helped in the creation and legalization of one regional network for great ape conservation in Central Africa known as “Alliance pour la conservation des Grands Singes en Afrique Centrale (AGSAC)” made up of eight NGOs. AGSAC has already secured 130,000 € (ARCUS and PPI) to implement actions in 2023. In Eastern Africa, 11 Ugandan NGOs are scheduled to meet to create a network for great ape conservation and later expand it to other countries in East and West Africa. In Southeast Asia, efforts are being made to have sufficient number of local partners for the creation of a regional network, but not enough local partners have expressed interest. However, The Section on Great Apes of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group (SGA) has facilitated funding to FORINA, the lead national Indonesia Orangutan NGO to further develop their capacity.
A total of four in-person workshops have been organized, two workshops focused on the creation of regional networks in Africa and Asia and two workshops focused on western chimpanzees. Convened by the SGA, the chimpanzee workshop saw the participation of local actors from all 8 habitat countries of the western chimpanzee and resulted in the development of a regional biomonitoring strategy and an updated site information for all chimpanzee populations in the subregion.
There have also been some engagement with the private sector development partners to promote environmental safeguards in development projects. The SGA ARRC (Avoid, Reduce, Restore and Conserve) Task Force has engaged with fifteen industrial development projects in Africa and Indonesia, six banks and pension funds, providing advice to avoid financing projects that are highly detrimental to great apes, and to improve mitigation where avoidance is not possible.