The Foundation's Mission
The Somaliland Biodiversity Foundation was established in 2016. At that time, most knowledge of the country’s biodiversity came from foreigners, primarily because there was no opportunity to gain the necessary knowledge and skills within Somaliland. The Foundation's mission is to change that situation by helping create, within Somaliland, the necessary resources and opportunities.
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SomalilandSomaliland is an unrecognized country on the south side of the Gulf of Aden that used to be known as British Somaliland. After becoming independent in 1961, it united with Italian Somaliland to form Somalia, but civil war broke out in the 1980s. In 1991, Somaliland unilaterally declared its independence of Somalia. It now has an effective democratic government system focused on enabling its citizens to succeed. Despite Somaliland's growing urbanization, most Somalilanders rely, directly or indirectly, on the country’s natural resources for their livelihoods. The Foundation's goal is to help Somalilanders recognize and manage these resources these resources.
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Somaliland's biodiversitySomaliland is a “global biodiversity hotspot.” This means it has an unusually high number of species, many known only from Somaliland. Some of have not been seen for some time, others have become less common. Another problem is the lack of knowledge about many species groups, such as insects, and fungi. Such knowledge is critical to creation of management practices that conserve Somaliland's existing biodiversity while improving the well-being of its people.
