Wild chimpanzees are only found in tropical Africa, where their populations have declined by more than 66% in the last 30 years. This action plan focuses on one of the four chimpanzee subspecies, the western chimpanzee, which is one of the two subspecies most threatened with extinction. The aim of this publication is to halt or reverse the decline in chimpanzee numbers in West Africa by increasing awareness of their plight and by presenting a plan for action that represents a consensus among all parties concerned with the conservation of chimpanzees.