MAVA presents legacy of 25 years of conservation commitment in West Africa at Africa Protected Areas Congress

Rwanda: The first African Protected Areas Congress (APAC) started on Monday 18 July 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda, and will run through July 23rd, 2022. The MAVA Foundation, an event sponsor, intends to highlight its 25-year impact on nature conservation in Africa on this occasion.

Since its inception in 1994 by its founder, Dr. Luc Hoffmann, with the mission of conserving biodiversity by funding, mobilising, and strengthening the conservation community, the MAVA foundation has supported over 1,570 projects worldwide.

The Foundation has made a significant contribution to the success of conservation in several countries and communities in West Africa.

More than $150 million has been invested to protect the most important critical habitats for endangered marine species, conserve priority coastal habitats, prevent and reduce the impact of coastal development activities, contribute to sustainable fisheries and bycatch reduction, support indigenous and community conserve areas, and strengthen grassroots conservation organisations.

MAVA has not only invested in the preservation of the planet's natural beauty over the years, but has also contributed to the formation and institutional development of organisations that are now recognised as conservation behemoths, such as WWF, Wetlands International, and IUCN.

MAVA's participation in the first African Protected Areas Congress, through a series of events organised in collaboration with its partners in its pavilion as a way of passing the torch, marks a watershed moment as the foundation prepares for its closure in late 2022.

"APAC is the first African congress to be held in Africa, on protected areas in Africa, by Africans, for Africans. The MAVA Foundation decided to sponsor this congress because we believe that it is the moment for Africans to identify their priorities and their good practices, to exchange among themselves and to take the necessary decisions to be able to implement actions on the ground in order to place protected areas at the center of the discussions on sustainable development, on the conservation of biodiversity and on the fight against climate change" explains Charlotte Karibuhoye, Regional Director of the MAVA Foundation for West Africa.

As MAVA comes to a close, it leaves behind a vibrant community of conservationists who will serve as stewards of this rich biodiversity. This community will be represented by key partners such as the Regional Partnership for Coastal and Marine Conservation in West Africa (PRCM), the Regional Network of Marine Protected Areas in West Africa (RAMPAO), BirdLife International Africa, and Wetlands International during APAC to tell the Foundation's inspiring story through their achievements.

“MAVA has been key in empowering the BirdLife Africa Partnership in West Africa. We now have ten BirdLife Partners, and a strong team of experts within the Secretariat, split into 3 offices – Dakar, Accra, and São Tomé. With a cross-cutting strategy for the conservation of birds and biodiversity, for the benefit of nature and people, we have an advanced and diverse projects portfolio. Our Partners are involved in the protection of marine, coastal, and terrestrial landscapes. The APAC is an extraordinary opportunity to share our experience and put our actions into perspective. We are grateful to our financial partners, and in particular the MAVA foundation, for entrusting us”, explains Jean-Baptiste Deffontaines, Head of West Africa sub-regional office at BirdLife International.

The MAVA pavilion at the APAC Congress will be an ideal location to highlight the Foundation's successes in West Africa. On Tuesday, July 18, at 14:00, MAVA will present the lessons learned from its 25-year conservation journey in West Africa, as well as the week's programme of activities.

The expose will also serve as a platform for MAVA to share information about its transition journey in order to ensure that its conservation impact extends beyond 2022.