Eco-Sys Action attends the OGRAN meeting in the Pendjari Park, Benin, March 2008.

The OGRAN (North and West African Cheetah Conservation Institute) aims to gather more information on the very rare North African cheetahs and to enforce conservation programs. The exchange of information between the members of this network is an important step to saving this endangered species.

Delegates from Algeria, Togo, Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Benin came together and presented the different findings on the status of the cheetahs. During this meeting Christine Breitenmoser, co-chair of IUCN Cat Specialist Group, and Sarah Durant, who coordinates the cheetah program in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, presented global information on cheetahs in Africa and Iran.

Park rangers from the Pendjari and W National Parks were trained on identification and biology.

By working with park rangers and managements, the OGRAN organization will gather more data on the little known status of cheetah in North and West Africa and establish plan to help its conservation.

It was a great opportunity for Eco-Sys Action to meet with these people and understand the needs of such an endeavour. The first focus for Eco-Sys Action will be in the Benin part of the W National Park, in the Banikoara area.