Page 77 - The Book For Men Spring/Summer 2024

designated as an official community reserve.
The challenges he has faced in protecting this vital tract of rainforest
are many, and include illegal logging, poaching, pollution, and a plan to turn three-quarters of the 11,000-hectare area into an oil palm plantation. “They promised to create thousands of jobs, to build schools, and to build roads, so it was challenging to convince people to continue with the conservation efforts,” says Koné. “Fortunately, we had time to help them understand the concept of sustainability, and today we are proud to have a critical mass of people who understand what sustainably means, and what it entails.”
Community engagement, Koné believes, is crucial when it comes to the preservation of areas such as the Tanoé-Ehy Forest, and thus has been a key principle of his conservation strategy. “We have to understand that you cannot and should not protect nature against people,” he says. “People are an integral part of nature, so if you want to protect nature, you have to do that with people, for the benefit of people.”
As part of this strategy, Koné has convinced former poachers to become conservation stewards, and trained them in the use of drones for surveying, eDNA sampling, camera trap mounting, and other invaluable data-gathering
techniques. He has also assisted local villagers in finding sustainable alternatives to bushmeat by establishing a small cassava processing plant. “People have to understand that you don’t value monkeys over humans, and you don’t value the forest over the villages,” he explains. “You have to take into account their ways of living, their cultures, and you have to be there for the long term.”
Every two years, five laureates are chosen as recipients of the Rolex Award for Enterprise, and they each receive funding to implement their proposed projects. Koné plans to use his newly won resources to create a comprehensive management plan for the forest, to train additional locals in the ways of conservation and research, and to promote the importance of conservation among young people in Côte d’Ivoire. And, despite the obstacles that he continues to face in his work, the primatologist remains optimistic. “I think we have many reasons for hope,” he reasons. “More and more people in different regions of the world are understanding that conservation is not a luxury, but an economic necessity. Politicians and decision-makers are now talking about conservation, especially in Africa, and this was not the case a couple of years ago. I think we should take advantage of this to make a difference, and anyone can contribute to making this difference.”
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