Afi Biodiversity Center Project Kicks Off with Groundbreaking in Buanchor

| By Adora Onyile

On a humid Friday morning, beneath Buanchor's rich rainforest canopy, we hosted the groundbreaking ceremony for the Afi Biodiversity Center at Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. This event is a major step forward in our work to protect small mammals and their habitats, as it marks the start of construction of our second permanent field camp.

The event banner displayed at the Afi Biodiversity Center groundbreaking site

The new facility complements our Anape Natural Science Research Station at the Obudu Plateau. While the Anape station is currently under construction, it will feature residential facilities for up to 25 people, teaching spaces, and wet and dry labs to support diverse research, including acoustic and biomechanical studies. The Afi Biodiversity Center, on the other hand, will serve as a Fire Command Center for our wildfire management program, a training and research hub for both in-country and international students and scientists, and as a base for our conservation intervention programs (such as species monitoring, ranger patrols, and our seedbank and nursery).

The community's warm reception demonstrated the value of years of collaboration and trust. Community members, traditional leaders, government officials, and conservation partners were in attendance to mark the beginning of a new field camp.

Inieke Udokang, our Programs Manager for Conservation, opened the event, setting a tone of gratitude and reflection on how far the project had come. Chief Augustine Owan, Buanchor’s community chief, spoke next, expressing the people’s delight and the growing awareness of the forest’s value. He reflected on the new knowledge the community had gained about local wildlife, particularly bats, and emphasized the need to conserve the forest for future generations.

Representing the Cross River State Forestry Commission, Mr. Nyamso Donatus shared his hopes for the project’s success, noting that the community has long been the forest’s guardians.

Community Chairman, Ochang James, affirmed Buanchor’s status as a tourist hub and spoke of the shared responsibility to protect its natural assets. He recalled a past incident where his intervention prevented unauthorized land clearing, highlighting the community's proactive role and pledging their continued cooperation.

The Paramount Ruler of Boki, HRM Otu Fridalin Akando, performing the symbolic groundbreaking at the Afi Biodiversity Center site

The Paramount Ruler restated this call for stewardship by urging the youth to embrace conservation as a shared responsibility.

"Farming benefits individuals, but conservation benefits everyone. The rewards may not come immediately, but they will last for generations. I appeal to our youth to protect this forest, because they are the leaders of tomorrow."

He then performed the symbolic groundbreaking by digging at the site, an act greeted with applause and cheers from the crowd.

The ceremony concluded with Akelachi Kejeh, our Chief Partnership and Engagement Officer, expressing gratitude to everyone for their cooperation and support.

Throughout the day, one message stood out: conservation can only succeed through cooperation and mutual trust. Everyone, from the traditional leaders to youth representatives, emphasized the importance of working together to safeguard the forest.

The Afi Biodiversity Center is an important infrastructure because field stations serve as hubs for biodiversity science and conservation. They provide a base for scientists to observe wildlife, gather data, and test strategies that can inform conservation on a wider scale. Most of the time, field stations become central locations for scientific discovery and help ensure that conservation efforts are grounded in solid scientific research.

As development begins, follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the center’s progress and future activities at Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary.