The Gnanhouizounmè Nature Center is officially open! It all began with a promise to the people of Gnanhouizounmè. Now after a year of planning and construction the dreams of this rural community in southern Benin have been fulfilled (see post Building a Legacy for Current and Future Generations). On December 20, 2019, local stakeholders, including […]
LVDI International is built upon the bedrock principle that education is key to achieving long-term conservation success. Recently, in recognition of our education and outreach efforts in Madagascar, Ms. Rose Marie Randrianarison (Madagascar Program Coordinator) was invited by the President of African Primatological Society, Dr. Inza Kone, to serve as a contributing expert on their […]
LVDI International is excited to announce that our global conservation team has been awarded a number of external grants to save endangered species from the brink of extinction! Mr. Van Tuan Bui (Vietnam Conservation Program Coordinator) received a grant from Primate Conservation Incorporated to conduct the first behavioral ecology study on a newly discovered population […]
LVDI International and our partner, Organisation pour le Développement Durable et la Biodiversité or ODDB, are fulfilling one community’s dream! Over the past three months a 1,500-square-foot nature center is taking shape at Gnanhouizounmè, an eco-conscious village we serve in southern Benin. This village borders the Gnanhouizounmè Sacred Forest, one of the last few forest-savanna […]
Congratulations to Mr. Mariano Houngbedji (Benin Education Program Coordinator) for earning a prestigious place in the International Zoo Educators Association Sponsored Delegates Program! This October he will represent LVDI International and Organisation pour le Développement Durable et la Biodiversité (ODDB) at the bi-annual conference hosted by Al Ain Zoo in the United Arab Emirates. An important part of […]
LVDI International commends Mr. Mariano Houngbedji (Benin Education Program Coordinator) for his leadership role as a member of the African Primatological Society (APS) Steering Committee. He and other dedicated range-country conservationists have been drafting the Society’s constitution for this newly formed organization. Mr. Houngbedji, Ms. Chrystelle Dakpogan (Benin Conservation Program Coordinator) and Ms. Rose Marie […]
The Gnanhouizounmè Sacred Forest, located inland from Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin, is one of the country’s last refuges for endangered primates and other wildlife, most of which are also threatened at a national scale. Public surveys conducted by the staff of Organisation pour le Développement Durable et la Biodiversité (ODDB), LVDI International’s partner in […]