WEDBILA DEMONSTRATION FARM

It is the new project of Clark Lungren, initiator of the Nazinga ranch and the extension programme that led to the GEPRENAF projects (hence the Classée Classée and the Partielle-Léraba Partial Wildlife Reserve managed by the riparian population organized for this purpose in the south-west of the country). It still pursues the same objective: sustainable wildlife management for the benefit of rural populations. In Wédbila, he is supported by his sons, Derek and Loren. Therefore, work from the Centre for Wildlife Production development (CCP), based on the farm, to support the development of extensive, semi-intensive and intensive production of wildlife across the subregion. The underlying idea is simple: directly and individually interest rural populations in wildlife management. Natural heritage, including wildlife, is now protected on national reserves and parks. These protected, indispensable spaces suffer from self-financing difficulties and are difficult for riparian rural communities. The buffer zones adjacent to these total reserves are often assigned to private dealers, who generally practise hunting activity. Again, nature is protected, but benefits to riparian populations are not obvious. These devices are, moreover, sometimes poorly perceived by the people who are excluded from the process, losing access to their traditional hunting land and receiving little benefit from this recovery of wild fauna. They also support the side effects of these protective measures, which take the form of damage to their crops caused by elephants and herbivores or livestock losses due to predators. The observation is general: it is necessary to integrate riparian populations into the management of wild fauna and to direct maximum profits towards them so that they find a genuine economic interest in conservation. This so-called participatory management has existed for several decades. She knows locally of (too often temporary) successes and some experiences are very encouraging in Burkina Faso (Forêt Leraba Forest, Mare aux Hippo…). However, this Community management is struggling to put itself in place in a sustainable manner, with profit sharing being an fluctuating concept according to the actors involved! The end observer of the situation, Clark Lungren, a wild wildlife enthusiast, believed that the management of wildlife was a matter of personal investment. In order for riparian populations in the wilderness to participate in their conservation, they need to be individually interested. Hence the concept of farm farm. The aim is to show that such farms can be financially viable by diversifying and optimizing their activities for the recovery of wild fauna (production of animals or animal products for sale, tourism, hunting…). These individual enterprises, on the edge of protected areas and in villages, will participate in the conservation of natural environments while being driving local development (combating poverty, undernourishment, unemployment, etc.). It is expected that the Training Centre for the CCP will be used to train young farmers through practical training followed by a technical and commercial framework once their own farms are engaged. To date the farm is at the experimental stage and has not yet entered the production phase. Breeding pens are open to visit and can be used to observe many species that cannot be seen elsewhere under such conditions. The list is impressive: Burrowing squirrels, porcupines, caracals, chives, rayés flancs kebab, striped hyenas, white queue, Egyptian mongooses, Egyptian chives, afrique defassa, warthogs, Grimm céphalophes, céphalophes bai, aulacodes (agoutis), Gambia rats, ourébis, villier, libye (, gambie, hippotragues, ostriches, Libya cats, libye, Libya chats, Libya cats, Libya Red front… Already several visitors have come to admire them, including schoolchildren for whom the visit is guaranteed at reduced rates as part of an environmental education program. The farm is still in development. Besides breeding, a superb lodge, the "Kounoukweri de Koubri" is under construction. In the long term, 70 hectares will be closed and part of the herbivores will be released so that they can take on the reserve. This animal farm concept will surprise some travellers who do not consider compatibility between production and contemplation of wild fauna. It is true that the issue can be debated, but it must be noted that in a world driven by economic imperatives, pressure on natural environments and their fauna is strong, so it is probably necessary to exploit them in every possible way at the risk of seeing them disappear. The visit of the farm gives rise to this problem. This initiative has the merit of proposing solutions. Strongly recommended.