After giving the green light to the population to kill elephants that ravage plantations or break up houses, Gabon’s President of the Transition is reversing his decision. Giving pride of place to the human element, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema acknowledges that human-elephant conflicts must be settled in strict compliance with the law. This clarification was backed up by a press release from the Gabonese Ministry of Justice on the conditions governing the slaughter of elephant pests.
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
After giving the green light to the population to kill elephants that ravage plantations or break up houses, Gabon’s President of the Transition is reversing his decision. Giving pride of place to the human element, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema acknowledges that human-elephant conflicts must be settled in strict compliance with the law. This clarification was backed up by a press release from the Gabonese Ministry of Justice on the conditions governing the slaughter of elephant pests.
The transitional Gabonese government has reviewed its decision on the slaughter of crop-raiding elephants. At the New Year’s Eve ceremony on 4 January 2024 at the presidential palace in Libreville, the head of state pointed out that the man-elephant conflict in Gabon must be settled in strict compliance with the law. « Yes, we must protect people from elephants. But protecting people whose flesh or property is attacked does not mean slaughtering elephants, which are a fundamental part of our environment. Everything must therefore be done in accordance with our laws and regulations on the subject », declared General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.
Only shoot pachyderms in self-defence
On the same day, a press release from the Ministry of Justice provided further details of this warning from the Gabonese President of the Transition. According to the Ministry, the measures taken by the President of the Transition are based on article 172 of law no. 016/01 of 31 December 2001 on the Forestry Code in the Gabonese Republic, which stipulates that « legitimate defence is understood to mean the prohibited act of hunting carried out in the immediate need to defend oneself, others or one’s harvest ».
The Ministry of Justice press release also points out that « apart from legitimate self-defence, fully protected animal species, in particular the elephant, may not be hunted or captured. Those responsible for poaching are therefore liable to prosecution and penalties ranging from 15 years’ imprisonment to 3 to 6 months’ ritual imprisonment, in addition to a fine of between one million and 10 million CFA francs ».
At least 4 elephants have already been slaughtered
The Gabonese government’s new stance on the slaughter of elephants was prompted by the controversy surrounding the announcement made by the President of the Transition at the beginning of December 2023. During a tour of the interior of the country, he met and exchanged views with the local population, who presented him with their concerns, including the horrors of the human-elephant conflict. In no uncertain terms, the Head of State called for the killing of elephants that attack crops and the release of all those imprisoned for killing a pachyderm.
Since Oligui Nguema’s announcement, local media have reported that at least four elephants have already been killed.
Fanta Mabo
Dans un communiqué signé le 22 décembre 2023, le ministre camerounais des Mines, de l’Industrie et du Développement technologique par intérim, interdit toute activité minière artisanale et artisanale semi-mécanisée, pratiquée au-delà de 30 mètres de profondeur. La mesure vise à protéger non seulement l’environnement, mais aussi les vies humaines. Entre 2015 et 2022, 205 décès ont été enregistrés dans les sites miniers des régions de l’Est et de l’Adamaoua.
Au Cameroun, les activités minières laissent des trous béants qui se transforment en lacs artificiels, dégradant l’environnement et mettant les populations riveraines en danger de mort. Selon un recensement effectué par l’organisation non gouvernementale Foder (Forêts et développement rural) entre 2015 et 2022, 205 décès ont été enregistrés dans les sites miniers des régions de l’Est et de l’Adamaoua, dont 12 cas de noyades dans des lacs artificiels. Les 193 autres décès étaient dus aux éboulements et glissements de terrain causés par des trous béants abandonnés.
La législation camerounaise oblige pourtant les artisans et les sociétés minières à refermer les trous miniers après exploitation. Mais cette mesure est foulée au pied par bon nombre d’opérateurs, en raison de manquements liés à l’applicabilité de la loi. C’est sans doute pour combler cette faille qu’intervient la décision prise le 22 décembre 2023 par le ministre camerounais des Mines, de l’Industrie et du Développement technologique par intérim. Fuh Calistus Gentry a publié un communiqué « interdisant désormais toute activité minière artisanale et artisanale semi-mécanisée au-delà de 30 m de profondeur ».
Le ministre invite tous les opérateurs dont les profondeurs des sites d’exploitation vont au-delà de la profondeur susmentionnée à « suspendre immédiatement leurs activités, à évacuer leurs machines et équipements de production, à restaurer et à fermer lesdits sites ». Pour les semi-mécanisées, seuls feront exception les exploitants miniers qui auront « préalablement présenter un plan d’exploitation et une étude géotechnique sur la stabilité des talus, avec pour objectif de migrer vers la petite mine », précise Fuh Calistus Gentry.
Le gouvernement camerounais n’est pas à sa première action contre l’exploitation non-conforme des sites miniers. Dans une correspondance datant du 18 août 2023, Fuh Calistus Gentry, a saisi les responsables régionaux et départementaux de son département ministériel pour leur rappeler de formaliser les activités d’exploitation minière artisanale semi-mécanisée. En d’autres termes, le ministre demandait à ces collaborateurs de procéder sans délai à la fermeture de tous les sites des exploitants qui ne se sont pas conformés au code minier en vigueur.
Boris Ngounou
CAMEROUN : les artisans miniers ne creuseront plus au-delà de 30 m de profondeur
Dans un communiqué signé le 22 décembre 2023, le ministre camerounais des Mines, de l’Industrie et du Développement technologique par intérim, interdit toute activité minière artisanale et artisanale semi-mécanisée, pratiquée au-delà de 30 mètres de profondeur. La mesure vise à protéger non seulement l’environnement, mais aussi les vies humaines. Entre 2015 et 2022, 205 décès ont été enregistrés dans les sites miniers des régions de l’Est et de l’Adamaoua.
This is one of the first operational missions assigned to Kenya’s very first 100% earth observation satellite. Over the next five years, the satellite images and meteorological data provided by Taifa-1 will help to protect the mountain bongo, a species of antelope threatened with extinction.
The Kenya Space Agency
(KSA) and the Mount Kenya Nature Reserve (MKWC) signed a partnership agreement
on 5 December 2023 in the capital, Nairobi, to save the mountain bongo from
extinction through the use of geospatial technologies. The five-year
partnership will make use of satellite images and meteorological data provided
by Taifa-1, Kenya's first satellite.
Thanks to data from
Taifa-1, it will now be possible to track the movements of mountain bongos,
providing invaluable information for ensuring their safety and promoting their
development in the country's mountainous regions. This cutting-edge technology
will also make it possible to obtain precise meteorological data, providing
essential information for monitoring the environmental conditions affecting the
bongo population and their natural habitat.
The mountain bongo, whose
scientific name is Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci, is a critically endangered
species. This animal now lives in only a few regions of Kenya, including the
Aberdare Mountains, Mount Kenya and the Mau Forest in the Great Rift Valley.
Their population is now estimated at just a hundred individuals.
The Taifa-1 satellite
Taifa-1 is not the first
mission of its kind. In July 2023, a collaboration was established between the
Kenyan Space Agency and the American NGO Tomorrow Now, with the aim of using
space data to better anticipate climate crises such as droughts and floods.
Taifa-1 is not the first
mission of its kind. In July 2023, a collaboration was established between the
Kenyan Space Agency and the American NGO Tomorrow Now, with the aim of using
space data to better anticipate climate crises such as droughts and floods.
Taifa-1, which means
Nation-1 in Swahili, is the very first earth observation satellite, designed
entirely by Kenyan engineers. Equipped
with optical sensors capable of taking photos simultaneously in several
frequency ranges, within and beyond the visible light spectrum, the satellite
was launched into orbit on 15 April 2023 from a US base in California. With
this operation, Kenya joins the fifteen or so African countries that have
embarked on the conquest of space.
Fanta Mabo
KENYA: the Taifa-1 satellite aims to save the mountain bongo from extinction
This is one of the first operational missions assigned to Kenya’s very first 100% earth observation satellite. Over the next five years, the satellite images and meteorological data provided by Taifa-1 will help to protect the mountain bongo, a species of antelope threatened with extinction.
Madagascar is the world leader in the vanilla industry, accounting for almost 70% of the supply, but its cultivation of the world’s most prized flavour is causing ecological damage. In a study published at the end of December 2023, researchers from the University of Göttingen in Germany indicate that vanilla cultivation in the forest leads to a 47% reduction in endemic species. This drop in biodiversity can be avoided if vanilla is grown on fallow land.
A new study highlights the harmful impact of vanilla cultivation on Madagascar’s biodiversity. An alarming 47% drop in endemic species has been observed when this spice is grown in forests. This is a worrying figure, especially as the island of Madagascar is renowned for its unique species. Nearly 90% of species are endemic to the island, according to official figures.
The study, published at the end of December 2023 in the journal Natural Communications by researchers from the University of Göttingen in Germany, focused on biodiversity in the north-east region of Madagascar, delving into the wealth of flora and fauna to take a close look at trees, herbaceous plants, birds, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies and ants. The study also found that the density and length of vanilla plants could have an impact on certain aspects of biodiversity. Denser and longer plants, while beneficial for yields, could have a negative impact on the development of certain tree and reptile species.
Vanilla, a « green gold » for Madagascar
Vanilla cultivation and export are vital to Madagascar and to thousands of small farmers in the north-east of the island. Sold at 250 dollars a kilogram, vanilla is the most expensive spice in the world after saffron. This is a godsend for Madagascar, which exports nearly 2,500 tonnes a year – 70% of the world’s supply – and will generate revenue of around $602 million in 2021, according to figures from the Central Bank of Madagascar.
To reconcile economic prosperity and biodiversity conservation in Madagascan vanilla cultivation, the team of researchers from the University of Göttingen is advising farmers to turn to fallow land, i.e. farmland left uncultivated for a certain period of time. « The good news is that farmers do not need to clear their land to obtain high yields. In fact, they can add value to the biodiversity of fallow land by growing vanilla on it », said Dr Annemarie Wurz, lead author of the study.
Fanta Mabo
MADAGASCAR: vanilla cultivation in the forest threatens 47% of endemic species
Madagascar is the world leader in the vanilla industry, accounting for almost 70% of the supply, but its cultivation of the world’s most prized flavour is causing ecological damage. In a study published at the end of December 2023, researchers from the University of Göttingen in Germany indicate that vanilla cultivation in the forest leads to a 47% reduction in endemic species. This drop in biodiversity can be avoided if vanilla is grown on fallow land.