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Taï National Park and the neighboring Reserve N’Zo represent the largest intact and protected forest block in West Africa. The national park harbors more than 1400 species of vascular plants, 11 primate species, including the Western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), the West African forest leopard (Panthera pardus leopardus) and the pygmy hippo (Cheoropsis liberensis). Rising population densities surrounding the park and resulting increases in bushmeat hunting threaten this region’s biodiversity.
Club P.A.N. is a conservation education program operating in ten schools around the Taï National Park. Ivorians working for the project teach the school children about local flora and fauna, so that they know about and take pride in the biodiversity that exists in their region. The project also uses education tools to discourage the bushmeat trade and promote conservation activities in the area. Updates on this project can be found at: www.wildchimps.org/wcf/english/pan/members and clubpan.blogspot.com. Staff champion for this project is Dawn Devens, Education Department.
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