An ecoguard post is now operational in Hwange National Park in north-western Zimbabwe. It is a permanent base camp for ecoguards to prevent wildlife crime and protect local communities. The facility is the result of cooperation between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
CHAD: After a 20-year absence, the lion reappears in Sena Oura National Park
A team of Chadian ecologists and scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have announced the return of the lion to Sena Oura National Park in southwestern Chad. A lioness was photographed on 22 February 2023 in the park. Conservationists welcome the return of lions to a national park where the species has not been seen since 2004.
CHAD: A sudden resumption of elephant poaching worries civil society
At least five elephants were shot and stripped of their tusks in early April 2023 in southern Chad. Shocked by this wildlife crime, the organisation SOS Elephants of Chad is calling on the government to act firmly against the resurgence of poaching of Chad’s endangered elephants.
AFRICA: WRI mobilises $100m to restore forests in five countries
The World Resources Institute (WRI), an American think tank specialising in environmental issues, has just secured funding of $100 million, or 59.8 billion CFA francs. The funds will be used to encourage tree planting in the Lake Kivu and Rusizi River Basin, which straddles the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi and Rwanda, as well as in the cocoa belt in Ghana and the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.
AFRICA: What can EU law do against imported deforestation?
The European Parliament has just passed new legislation that will ban the sale of deforestation-related goods in member states. However, African researchers and specialists doubt the effectiveness of such a European measure.
CONGO: More than 200 security agents trained to handle seized animals
More than 200 law enforcement officers will be trained in the handling of animals seized during anti-wildlife trafficking operations. The Republic of Congo is one of three countries to benefit from the project, which is managed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) with funding from the US State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
CONGO: Towards a national framework for the implementation of the green economy
The Republic of Congo will soon have a harmonised framework for the implementation of the green economy. Actors from various backgrounds were consulted to this effect on 31 March 2023 in Brazzaville. The workshop, co-organised by the Congolese Ministry of Forest Economy and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), was held within the framework of the Regional Programme for the Environment in Central Africa (CARPE).
TANZANIA: USAID releases $8.4 million for coastal biodiversity conservation
The United States of America and Tanzania launched the Heshimu Bahari (Swahili for « respect the oceans ») project on April 4, 2023. With a five-year implementation period and initial funding of $8.4 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the project aims to strengthen the conservation of Tanzania’s coastal biodiversity.
MOROCCO: Kingdom promotes the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has adopted a resolution on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The text, sponsored by five countries including Morocco, aims to commit states to adopt an effective legal framework and policies at the national and local levels to ensure the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
GABON: Four suspected ivory traffickers arrested in Makokou
Four individuals involved in the illegal trafficking of four ivory tips were arrested on April 5 and 6, 2023 in Makokou, a town in northeastern Gabon. The elephant population in Gabon remains threatened despite regular ivory seizures by Water and Forestry agents. This observation has led civil society to explore actions upstream of the ivory trade process.