Institutional Collaboration

GENTE's founding partners, Drexel University and the National University of Equatorial Guinea (UNGE), have collaborated for over 25 years under the auspices of the Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program (BBPP).

Dr. Gail Hearn founded the program in 1992 to conserve Bioko Island’s biodiversity, especially its critically endangered primates and nesting marine turtles. Bioko is the largest of the archipelago islands in the Gulf of Guinea and is home to 11 of 30 primate species found in the country, half of which are endangered. In addition to championing environmental stewardship, Drexel University’s BBPP engages in activities to develop UNGE and INDEFOR-AP’s educational capacity. These include improving management skills, building English-language proficiency, enhancing teacher training, and equipping classrooms with office supplies, Internet access, and telecommunications.

Timeline