Prize for film about community management of forests in West Africa

Films produced for the Programme for the Preservation of Forest Ecosystems in West Africa (PAPFor) (2019-2024) have won a second award. ‘Wologizi-Wonegizi-Ziama: Where Communities Manage Forests’ (2024), won a Silver Award at the Terres Travel Festival in Spain (https://terresfestival.com/en/els-guanyadors-de-terres-festival-2025/), which took place on 18 and 19 September 2025 in Tortosa. 

It had been selected as a finalist in the ‘Social Responsibility’ category of the festival, which received a total of over 200 entries from 43 countries. 

In June, the entire series of 10 films made about the PAPFor programme by the same filmmakers was awarded a silver prize at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa.  

Film summary:

Filmed in April 2022 around the Ziama Biosphere Reserve in Guinea and the proposed Wologizi and Wonegizi protected areas in Liberia, the 10-minute film was made by a team including Ilse Tempelaar and André Le Moustarder (producers), Randal P. Jackson (drone operator) and Samuel Brewer (driver). The film explores how people can adopt sustainable activities to improve their livelihoods, rather than cutting down trees for timber. It explains why community participation in managing these unique forest landscapes is essential to protecting their rich biodiversity. 

Ilse Tempelaar said: 'As filmmakers, we believe it is important and urgent to provide accessible information about the state of the Upper Guinean forests and the threats they face. The aim of the series of films we made is to raise awareness about the need to preserve these incredible biodiversity hotspots, and to call for the strengthening of integrated, community-based management of these forests.'

Image

Information related to the film 

Title:                                 'Wologizi-Wonegizi-Ziama: Where communities manage forests'
Country:                           Liberia, Guinea
Copyright:                        Nomadic Motion
Duration (sec):                  10.53
Year:                                  2024 (June)
Music:                               Free copyright
Name music:                    ‘Above’ by Sapajou; unknown by Irié village women and men

Synopsis                         

The Guinean rainforests are home to a rich, unique biodiversity and play a crucial role in climate regulation, water resource management and environmental services. Yet they are under serious threat. Unsustainable human activities have led to one of the highest deforestation rates on earth whilst remaining forests are stripped of their flora and fauna, threatening species with extinction and leading to the loss of livelihoods and ancestral cultures. The urgent need to halt the loss of these biodiversity hotspots led to the creation of PAPFor, a European Union-funded programme to preserve the forests and develop sustainable solutions with and for local communities. The initiatives developed by PAPFor and its partners are showcased in 10 films made by Nomadic Motion and presented by AGRECO, member of the Eurata consortium entrusted with PAPFor’s visibility plan.

As part of the series, this film shows how communities practice agroforestry and manage natural resources in and around the Ziama Biosphere Reserve in Guinea and the proposed Wologizi and Wonegizi protected areas in Liberia. It shows how sustainable non-timber activities can improve local livelihoods and why community participation is essential to protect the rich biodiversity of these unique forest landscapes. 

Target audiences

Anyone concerned with the state of forests in West Africa (and elsewhere). Those interested in working with stakeholders at community level, those active in the landscape at national and cross-border level, policy makers, NGOs and other development partners.

Film credits
Producer:                          Nomadic Motion

Co-director film:               Ilse Tempelaar (i.tempelaar@gmail.com)

Co-director film:               André Le Moustarder

Camera:                            André Le Moustarder

Drone:                              Randall P Jackson

Editing:                             Ilse Tempelaar and André Le Moustarder

Transport:                         Samuel Brewer

Client:                               AGRECO as member of EURATA, for PAPFor (Programme d'Appui à la Préservation des Ecosystèmes Forestiers en Afrique de l'Ouest)

English version: https://vimeo.com/966753533

French version: https://vimeo.com/966899107

For more details about PAPFor and to view the programme's other films, visit https://papfor.org/

PAPFor was an initiative of the West African Economic and Monetary Union UEMOA and the European Union. NaturAfrica West Africa builds on the lessons and results of PAPFor and other regional programmes and continues to support key landscapes for conservation and development in West Africa.