C’est la plus grande mobilisation de ces 10 dernières années. Des centaines de militants climatiques, déployés et harangués par Greenpeace à travers plus de 550 manifestations menées dans 60 pays dont le Cameroun, et la République Démocratique du Congo. Les militants de Greenpeace expriment ainsi leur soutien à l’appel lancé par le Secrétaire des Nations Unies. Les 20 septembre dernier lors des travaux de 78eme Assemblée générale des Nations Unies, Antonio Guterres a exhorté les chefs d’Etats à la prise d’engagements ambitieux, pour l’élimination progressive des combustibles fossiles, notamment le pétrole et charbon.
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
C’est la plus grande mobilisation de ces 10 dernières années. Des centaines de militants climatiques, déployés et harangués par Greenpeace à travers plus de 550 manifestations menées dans 60 pays dont le Cameroun, et la République Démocratique du Congo. Les militants de Greenpeace expriment ainsi leur soutien à l’appel lancé par le Secrétaire des Nations Unies. Les 20 septembre dernier lors des travaux de 78eme Assemblée générale des Nations Unies, Antonio Guterres a exhorté les chefs d’Etats à la prise d’engagements ambitieux, pour l’élimination progressive des combustibles fossiles, notamment le pétrole et charbon.
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Dans cette nouvelle production d’Environnementales, le point sur la mobilisation contre la pollution plastique et les énergies fossiles, organisée le 15 septembre dernier à Yaoundé par les militants de Greenpeace Afrique. Egalement dans cette édition, les explications d’Oulie Keita. Au lendemain de sa participation au premier Sommet africain sur le climat, achevé le 6 septembre dernier à Nairobi au Kenya, la directrice exécutive de Greenpeace Afrique pointe du doigt la responsabilité des pays industrialisés dans le dérèglement climatique.
Mesdames et messieurs, chers auditeurs, chers internautes, bienvenu dans environnementales.
Since August 2023, many Zimbabwean elephants have crossed the border into neighbouring Botswana in search of water. The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZIMPARKS) fears that this mass migration will lead to an increase in confrontations between the animals and humans.
The survival of elephants and wildlife in general is under threat in Zimbabwe. Animals in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest, are migrating en masse to neighbouring Botswana because of the drought. The East African country’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) is concerned about the situation. « I can’t give a precise number of elephants that have moved, it could be hundreds or thousands. But in any case, there are a lot of them, » laments ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo.
Hwange Park, located in the west of the country and covering an area of some 14,600 km², is normally home to 50,000 elephants. The migration of its wildlife towards Botswana is not a new phenomenon, but this year it is notable for its earliness, according to the ZimParks spokesman. « Natural waterholes have dried up earlier this year than usual due to a lack of rainfall », he explains.
The risk of human-wildlife conflict
Zimbabwe has around 100,000 elephants, almost double the capacity of its parks, according to conservationists. But with the climatic migration of its wildlife, it will be up to the destination country to deal with the problems of elephant overpopulation. Especially as Botswana is already home to the world’s largest elephant population, with 130,000 specimens.
« More animals will invade communities and water points will be discussed between farmers and elephants », fears the ZimParks spokesman. According to the Zimbabwean government, at least 60 people were killed by elephants in 2022. This is understandable, given that the noise associated with coal mining, particularly around Hwange National Park, causes the pachyderms to flee to the plantations of local residents. This obviously accentuates the conflict between man and wildlife and poaching.
Fanta Mabo
ZIMBABWE: Thousands of elephants forced to migrate by drought
Since August 2023, many Zimbabwean elephants have crossed the border into neighbouring Botswana in search of water. The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZIMPARKS) fears that this mass migration will lead to an increase in confrontations between the animals and humans.
Researchers from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have combined rhino estimates from various African countries for the year 2022. The continental assessment obtained from this work was published on 21 September 2023, on the eve of World Rhino Day. Among other findings, it shows that the white rhino population has increased in Africa for the first time since 2012. However, the threat of extinction continues to hang over these emblematic mammals of the savannah.
This is the first increase in the number of white rhinos in Africa since 2012. According to the results of a census of rhinos in various countries on the continent by researchers from the International Union for Conservation (IUCN), there are now around 16,803 white rhinos, an increase of 5.6%.
« With this good news, we can breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in a decade. However, it is imperative that we further consolidate and build on this positive development and not let our guard down, » said Dr Michael Knight, Chair of the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group (AfRSG), which initiated the study.
Black rhinos not left behind
The count carried out in various African countries by the AfRSG has resulted in a global population of 6,487 black rhinos in Africa in 2022, an increase of 4.2% compared to 2021.
South Africa remains the continent’s leading country in terms of rhino numbers, but continues to suffer high losses due to poaching, which at the same time is driving up the cost of securing reserves. Nearly 448 rhinos were killed for their horns in 2022, compared with 451 in 2021. Neighbouring Namibia recorded 93 rhinos poached in 2022, compared with 47 the previous year. In East Africa, Kenya shows the best progress, with just one rhino poached in 2022, compared with six the previous year. To mark World Rhino Day on 22 September 2023, the AfRSG and IUCN have called for increased protection for this large land mammal. Rhinos, like Africa’s other large animals, are important drivers of biodiversity and ecology. They create habitats for other species, offering opportunities for future ecosystem restoration options on a global scale. The prosperity of Africa’s wild rhinos can also contribute to the livelihoods and well-being of local people, attracting tourists from around the world, creating employment opportunities and contributing to economic development.
Fanta Mabo
AFRICA: white rhino population is increasing, but the subspecies remains threatened
Researchers from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have combined rhino estimates from various African countries for the year 2022. The continental assessment obtained from this work was published on 21 September 2023, on the eve of World Rhino Day. Among other findings, it shows that the white rhino population has increased in Africa for the first time since 2012. However, the threat of extinction continues to hang over these emblematic mammals of the savannah.
The Wild Africa Fund (WAF), a non-governmental wildlife protection organisation, is calling on Nigerians to protect the unique Cross River gorillas. There are only 100 of them left in Nigeria. The alert was issued on 24 September 2023, World Gorilla Day.
The Cross River gorilla, one of Nigeria’s most emblematic and beloved wildlife species, faces a number of threats, including hunting and habitat loss due to agricultural expansion and commercial logging. According to the Wild Africa Fund (WAF), there are only around 300 Cross River gorillas left in the wild, 100 of which live in Cross River State in south-east Nigeria and the rest in south-west Cameroon.
On 24 September 2023, World Gorilla Day, which celebrates these primates, considered to be one of the world’s most endangered species, WAF issued a statement on the situation of gorillas in Nigeria. The South Africa-based wildlife conservation organisation urges the Nigerian public to protect the unique Cross River gorillas, by supporting ongoing efforts to safeguard their populations and habitat, and by reducing the demand for commercial bushmeat that threatens them.
Gorilla conservation and tourism revenues
Referring to the gorilla conservation models in place in Rwanda and Uganda, the fund points out that gorillas can be a source of revenue through tourism. « There are several advantages to protecting these great apes. Gorilla-based tourism is an invaluable asset for certain African countries such as Rwanda and Uganda, offering a win-win scenario for both conservation and economic development. Tourists from all over the world are attracted by the magic of gorilla encounters, making gorilla tourism a source of foreign exchange and funding for community development projects such as schools and health centres, » explains Peter Knights OBE, co-founder and CEO of WAF.
Gorilla trekking accounted for 14% of the $498 million Rwanda earned from tourism in 2018, when the government doubled the cost of gorilla trekking permits to US$1,500 per person. In 2018-2019, tourism earned Uganda $1.6 billion, contributing 7.7% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employing at least 667,000 people.
To improve gorilla conservation in Nigeria, WAF has launched a public awareness campaign. The month-long operation uses radio, television, newspapers, billboards and social media to inform the public about the threats to the Cross Rivers gorillas and to amplify the wildlife laws and anti-poaching measures that protect them. The campaign features messages from famous ambassadors, including musical artists Davido, Laycon, Emanuella and Alex Iwobi. Short documentaries highlighting ongoing efforts to protect gorillas and their habitat are also planned.
Fanta Mabo
NIGERIA: taking inspiration from the Rwandan model to protect the Cross River gorilla
The Wild Africa Fund (WAF), a non-governmental wildlife protection organisation, is calling on Nigerians to protect the unique Cross River gorillas. There are only 100 of them left in Nigeria. The alert was issued on 24 September 2023, World Gorilla Day.
L’Assemblée générale constitutive de la Kikot Hydro Power Company (KHPC) a lieu ce 25 septembre 2023 à Yaoundé. Constituée par l’État du Cameroun et la société publique française Électricité de France (EDF), la KHPC a pour mission, la construction et l’exploitation d’un projet hydroélectrique de 550 Kilowatts (le plus puissant du Cameroun), à Kikot, localité située dans la région du Littoral.
Kikot Hydro Power
Company (KHPC), est une sorte de joint-venture. Une Coentreprise, dont les
actions sont détenues à la fois par le gouvernement camerounais à travers son
ministère de l’économie, et celui de France, à travers l’entreprise publique
française, Électricité de France.
Ces deux entités se mettent
ensemble dans le cadre d’une entreprise commune. La KHPC voit le jour, quatre
ans, après la signature du protocole d’accord y relatif. Elle a pour objectifs
principaux, la construction et l’exploitation du projet hydroélectrique de
Kikot, prévu sur le fleuve Sanaga, dans le département de la Sanaga-Maritime, région
du Littoral.
Le projet énergétique
situé à 60 kilomètres de Yaoundé aura une capacité maximale de production
estimée à 550 kilowatts d’électricité, soit la plus puissante du Cameroun. Le
coût du projet s’élève à environ 650 milliards de FCFA. La mobilisation de ce
financement est annoncée pour l’année prochaine. Le démarrage des travaux sur
le terrain est prévu pour 2025, alors
que la mise en service du barrage interviendra en 2030.
Le modèle de gestion du
projet hydroélectrique de Kikot s’inscrit dans le domaine des Partenariats
Public Privé (PPP) identifiés dans la Stratégie Nationale de développement
(SND30) du Cameroun. Ce mode de partenariat est d’ailleurs celui qui a permis
le lancement des travaux de l’aménagement hydroélectrique de Nachtigal dans la
région du centre. Un barrage d’une capacité de 420 MW, dont la mise en service
intégrale est prévue pour l’année prochaine.
L’orientation du
gouvernement camerounais vers les Partenariats Public Privé, est en effet, une
correction aux précédents échecs rencontrés
dans la construction des infrastructures hydroélectriques au Cameroun. Il
s’agit entre autres des projets Mekin et de Mêmve ELe dans la région du sud, et
du barrage de Bini à Warrak, dans la région de l’Adamaoua.
Boris Ngounou
Infrastructure énergétique : Une nouvelle société de développement hydroélectrique voit le jour au Cameroun
L’Assemblée générale constitutive de la Kikot Hydro Power Company (KHPC) a lieu ce 25 septembre 2023 à Yaoundé. Constituée par l’État du Cameroun et la société publique française Électricité de France (EDF), la KHPC a pour mission, la construction et l’exploitation d’un projet hydroélectrique de 550 Kilowatts (le plus puissant du Cameroun), à Kikot, localité située dans la région du Littoral.