Tomboronkoto Biodiversity Offset Project, Senegal

TLLG worked with Resolute Mining and its subsidiary Petowal Mining Company on the development of a community-based biodiversity offset project. The project was being implemented in the Commune of Tomboronkoto in the Region of Kedougou, south-eastern Senegal, implemented in collaboration with the Municipal Council of the Commune. The project was a component of a broader biodiversity offset programme which aims to achieve a net gain for species impacted by the development of the Mako Gold Mine, including West African Chimpanzees and Hippopotamus, and a no net loss of priority habitats such as gallery forests, with the aim of maintaining ecological connectivity in the landscape.

The project was in an 18 months pilot phase, which started in 2020. It was a good example of a landscape-scale conservation project which is being implemented with communities on community-owned land. The mixture of land use and the variety of stakeholder interests required effective stakeholder engagement. The project undertook land use planning which aimed to account for social, economic, cultural and biodiversity values in the landscape. Livelihood development opportunities, including natural resource enterprises and development of agricultural and other value chains, were assessed, to enable communities and local stakeholders to adapt land use, where necessary, and conserve core conservation areas within the landscape. TLLG supported the project in 2020, including the socioeconomic baseline, stakeholder engagement, identification of capacity needs, establishment the institutional and governance arrangements for the programme, and management of environmental and social risks.

Photo: Participatory mapping in Tomboronkoto Commune

Client: Resolute Mining

Period: August to December 2020