Fish trap section attached to the end of the Manatee trap.

The overall goal of this project is to ensure the protection and management of the West African Manatee and its habitat in Liberia through community’s empowerment. Key activities to be carried out during the project implementation will include but not limited to identifying and documenting major drivers of the threats to the animal; establishment of community-led management schemes in close consultation with project community and finally updating existing database on manatee in the Lake Piso Multiple Use Reserve (LPMUR) through periodic bio-monitoring using camera traps.

The project will contribute primarily to:

- Protecting and managing West African Manatee and its habitat through community empowerment focusing on major drivers of threats from these activities- fishing, hunting and firewood collecting;

- Establishing of community driven management schemes; and

- Improving existing database on manatee in the project area through bio-monitoring and camera trapping programme.

The below will be achieved at the close of the project:

- Community members will be involved in sustainable wildlife conservation activities such as fishing and use of eco-stoves to reduce the pressure of mangrove harvesting, thus protecting habitats for manatee.

- Community members will be fully capacitated to participate in bio-monitoring exercise and will be encouraged to get involve in yearly monitoring of manatee populations and the impact of project conservation action initiated.

- Communities’ dwellers awareness of the need to protect the manatee in their communities and a strong community-led conservation structure such as Nature Clubs continue the communities’ sensitization and monitoring of threats to the manatee after the project.