The project is a community initiative to restore, conserve and sustainably manage the remaining traditionally protected forests (sacred grooves) to conserve biological diversity of the coastal savannah woodlands and improve upon the soico-economic welbeing of the people. The project seeks to utilize indigenous knowledge, beliefs and systems to manage the natural resource managemant in the savanna area to create wealth and assests in six separate communities.

The project invovles developing the capacities of six community natural resource management groups in resource management, biodiversity conservation, incorporation of wildlife and trees in farm management and adoption of improved stoves to mitigate the climate.

Under the project, community natural resource management groups would be formed and trained in simple resource inventory and mapping using indigenous materials, species identification and classification based on indigenous knowledge and creation of buffer zone around sacred groves to fortify their protection.

The project will assist the community groups to introdcue wildlife management, apiculture, crab farming and culitvation of commercial non-timber forest products in the buffer zones to be created around the sacred groves. Within the buffer, the project will also introduce sericulture whichc will involve the cultivation of a host plant (mulberry) for the rearing of silkworms on mulberry leaves for the production of cocoons which may be reeled or spun to produce silk for sale .

Farmers would be introduced to small buisness enterprises that will seek to enhance biodiversity conservation. Two out the six potential ecotourism sites would be developed to take advantage of the rich cultural festivals and funerals of the area to promote community-based ecotourism.

The project will organize traditional health practitioners to improve on their business especially in the harvesting, processing, packaging and marketing of herbs. Households would be to introduced to improved woodfuels whilst the commercial woodfuel producers would be introduced to improved carbonization of wood using the cassamance and sisala technologies.