Support an elephant conservation effort in pendjari and w national parks by strengthening biological monitoring, elephant protection, and community engagement

As part of the WAP complex forest elephant stronghold (a unesco world heritage site), this ecosystem is home to west africa's largest remaining elephant population, with approximately 4,178 individuals, of which more than half (approximately 2,272 elephants) are located in pendjari and w national parks. This project is intended to conserve african forest elephants and their habitat by addressing the impacts of poaching, human-elephant conflict (HEC), livestock encroachment, and regional insecurity. Specific activities include: (1) deploying elephant satellite global positioning system (GPS) collars; (2) conducting ranger-led elephant monitoring and HEC incident response patrols; (3) conducting a biennial large mammal aerial survey; and (4) engaging with pastoralists and reducing livestock encroachment through an annual livestock vaccination campaign at the periphery of the protected areas.