News

Helping bats enrich the soils in the Togo mountains

08.11.2013

Les Compagnons Ruraux, a Togolese non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes the conservation of mountain ecosystems and their biodiversity, is looking for partners and donors to set up field activities in the Tsamé Mountain Chain.

The Tsamé Mountains, located in the southwestern part of the West African country, is a range high in biodiversity where vast populations of gregarious bats live. The excrements of the bats are important sources of soil enrichment in the area. In addition to environmental benefits, the bats’ sanctuary at the bottom of the hillside, considered sacred by the local community since 1720, has become an eco-tourist attraction. Thus, the sanctuary also yields a financial profit for the community.

However, frequent bushfire is destroying many of the trees in the Tsamé area, and the bats are losing their habitats and sources of nourishment. For that reason, more than half of them, 55 percent, have migrated to a mountain 25 km away, which means that the soils in the Tsamé area are getting poorer.

Les Compagnons Ruraux is raising awareness and conducting advocacy campaigns to reverse the negative trends, conserve and restore bat habitats, search for methods to enrich the soils and promote sustainable tourism. “We consider ourselves a messenger, especially committed to informing young people, who can sustain the present and future environmental preservation actions,” says Jules Yawokouma Adjima, Les Compagnons Ruraux Executive Director, explaining why the NGO focuses on making people aware of the impact of their behavior has on their well-being and the environment. Read more

Photo: ©Jules Yawokouma Adjima