The authors would like to thank the many people and organizations consulted in Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger during the preparation of this case study and others who were or are involved in the preparation and implementation of a transboundary approach for Park “W.” Special thanks go to Mr. Idé Niandou, Conservateur du Parc du W, and in Benin to Mr. Moussa Toure Arouna, ex Directeur du Projet d’Aménagement des Parcs Nationaux, Mr. Kakpo Théophile, ex Directeur du Projet de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles, and Mr. Tiemoko Djafarou, Directeur du Parc National de la Pendjari. We also would like to acknowledge comments we received from numerous colleagues on earlier draft versions and would like to mention in particular Thomas Price. Credit goes to Tim Green of WWF-US for preparing the map.
This paper was written under the aegis of the Biodiversity Support Program (BSP). For their sponsorship and support we are grateful. Special thanks are due to Harry van der Linde, BSP’s transboundary natural resource management (TBNRM) project coordinator, for his help in the preparation and editing process of this case study—and to Angela Reading and Stephanie Hando for managing the contractual arrangements to make this study possible.