incef

Thanks to support from the Arcus Foundation, the International Conservation and Education Fund’s (INCEF) effort to measure the impact of video-centered outreach is a step closer to reality. 

The Arcus Foundation’s work is driven by two goals: to achieve social justice that is inclusive of sexual orientation, gender identity and race; and to ensure conservation and respect of the great apes. The Arcus Great Apes Program supports conservation and policy advocacy efforts that promote the survival of the gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos and gibbons in the wild and in sanctuaries that offer safety and freedom from invasive research and other forms of exploitation.

In 2007, INCEF began its Great Ape Public Awareness Project (GAPAP) in the northern regions of Republic of Congo. Through GAPAP, INCEF’s Education Team travels to rural villages and screens locally-produced videos featuring local people speaking in their own words. The educators then lead discussions on key conservation and health messages, including the dangers of the bushmeat trade and spread of zoonotic diseases such as Ebola. From June of 2007 through August of 2008, four educators traveled more than 2500 kilometers, mostly on foot, and disseminated INCEF’s films to over 100,000 individuals. INCEF’s educators have observed impressive knowledge gains and strong indications of changes in attitudes that could result in future changes in behavior toward the hunting of gorillas and chimpanzees.

Over the next three years, Arcus funding will help support INCEF’s ongoing educational outreach and evaluation efforts, as well as a special monitoring team which will be sent to the region of Congo responsible for the highest level of hunting of both gorillas and chimpanzees -- the road between Ouesso and Souanke.  This Congolese team will meet with hunters and visit households to collect information to measure INCEF's impact.

Analysis of surveys completed by our Congolese education teams in 2008 in 81 villages where 70,664 individuals were shown the GAPAP videos indicate that the efforts of the educators are substantially increasing knowledge -- the first step toward changing attitudes and ultimately behavior regarding the hunting and eating of great apes. For many of GAPAP’s key educational messages, pre and post testing showed a 100 percent increase in knowledge.  INCEF’s ongoing work will help to reinforce retention of this increase. Subsequent steps will focus on how the increase in knowledge leads to changes in behavior and levels of hunting and eating of great apes.

These surveys also indicated that 35 percent of the population is killing gorillas for use in traditional circumcision ceremonies.  INCEF is responding to these findings by adding a new film to the GAPAP series that specifically addresses the use of great apes for ritual purposes.

Arcus has recognized INCEF’s efforts to save great apes in the wild and to change the behaviors of hunters who target great apes.  We are pleased by this opportunity to examine results on the ground as a measurement of whether or not our approach is making the ultimate difference.

Visit the Arcus Foundation's website to learn more.