These declines are the result of widespread use of illegal fishing gear, overfishing, habitat degradation, and pollution. Together, these pressures highly threaten the WVR biodiversity, livelihoods and disrupt the delicate balance of the ecosystem. Previous initiatives in the WVB fishing communities showed that, though most fishers recognised the importance of conserving fish biodiversity, awareness of threatened species, conservation frameworks, and fisheries regulations remained low (Orou-Seko, 2025).

Weak knowledge of existing rules, combined with limited community engagement and lack of early conservation education, are major concerns that need urgent action for sustainable fisheries management in the WVB. This situation is likely due to the limited local awareness of their conservation status and the increasing fishing efforts to fulfil local demand, as the country has relatively high per capita consumption of fish. If nothing is done, these species may go extinct without even noticing.

Even aside from these behavioural stressors, many anthropogenic activities, such as riverbank disturbance, mining and pollution, are still exerting pressure on them and their habitats. Thus, this project has been designed to:
(1) assess local knowledge of the endangered Synodontis macrophthalmus, Fundulopanchax gularis, and Nimbapanchax petersi’s vulnerabilities and their conservation strategies,
(2) analyse and document existing local rules and regulations guiding fish species conservation and habitat management,
(3) reinforce local conservation rules and regulations, and
(4) educate schoolchildren on fish species conservation and ecosystem management.