Community Baboon Sanctuary
In 1985, Fallet Young, landowner in the smal town of Bermudian Landing founded a Sanctuary for the Black Howler Monkeys (known as Baboon in local Creole dialect). He received the support from 12 landowners who pledged to conserve their land for the protection of the Baboon and worked on improving the conditions for this unique animal (see also our post on the visit to this amazing place).
Today the Community Baboon Sanctuary has grown to over 200 private landowners and 20 square miles of voluntary preservation. The project is a pioneering project in voluntary grassroots conservation. Their goal is to sustain the habitat of the Black Howler Monkey while promoting the economic development of the participating communities. A great initiative that has seen the local community benefit directly from conservation due to tourism. We were there as tourists as well and can recommend it! The opportunity of a guided walk with one of the rangers of the sanctuary is not to be missed.
Many more people benefit indirectly through the educational programs. Moreover, the population of the Black Howler Monkey in the Sanctuary has risen to over 2,000 monkeys. A win-win situation.
The conservation, education, research, and tourism combination has become a model for other sanctuaries throughout the world. As it has grown, it has helped ensure the protection of not just Black Howler Monkeys, but many species of flora and fauna in the area as well. In 1998, the Women’s Conservation Group was formed, which currently manages the CBS. They also operate the small campground next to the visitor centre, and camping next to the Baboons is an amazing experience!
The greatest threat to the monkeys continues to be habitat disturbance due to agriculture, logging and hunting. The Sanctuary was established to help address this threat by showing landowners the benefits of preserving their lands for the monkeys. The CBS works to make sustainable tourism an attractive alternative to destructive land management practices. At the same time, the Sanctuary helps educate both the local community and visitors about the importance of biodiversity and sustainability. Have a look at the website at www.howlermonkeys.org and read about the good work they do. It’s one of those projects that showed us that there are so many wonderful people all over the world doing the most heart warming things. Have a look at the video they posted and please help them to help the Baboons.
