While the situation is dire and requires immediate response, initiatives are under way that provide solutions and show hope for the future. One such effort is the STEWARD Program (Sustainable and Thriving Environments for West African Regional Development) which began in 2007 out of an agreement between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, International Programs. STEWARD fosters regional, transboundary collaboration, policy innovation and harmonization and the promotion of forest-based livelihood opportunities that support natural resource management, information sharing & knowledge exchange, and peace building in high priority, transboundary, biodiversity conservation sites in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Ghana.

This film provides an opportunity to learn more about the region’s exceptional biodiversity and the STEWARD Program’s network of partners’ efforts to promote conservation and sustainable natural resource management.