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.
Toute l'actu sur la protection de l'environnement
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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.
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.
CONGO BASIN: Nyungwe and Odzala-Kokoua join Unesco heritage list
Nyungwe and Odzala-Kokoua national parks, in Rwanda and the Republic of Congo respectively, are now part of the world heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The decision was taken on Tuesday 19 September 2023, at a session of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
AFRICA: natural capital is gradually being taken into account
Long ignored and plundered by essentially capitalist exploitation, Africa’s natural capital is now emerging as a guarantee of a green economy and an opportunity for global climate action. Studied, quantified and sustainably developed, the potential of Africa’s natural capital offers opportunities that complement private capital flows and official development assistance.
GABON: CTRI wants to see through the management of forest resources?
Gabon’s Director General of Forests was arrested on 12 September 2023. Ghislain Moussavou’s arrest comes a few days after his meeting with the President of the Transitional Council for the Restoration of Institutions (CTRI). General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema had summoned the senior official from the Ministry of Water and Forests to return potentially embezzled funds within 48 hours.
DRC: 8th most dangerous country for environmental activists
Global Witness has drawn up a global report on crimes committed against environmental activists. In Africa, the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is worrying. The Central African country ranks 8th in the world for the number of murders of environmental activists. Between 2012 and 2022, at least 72 environmental activists were killed in the DRC.
LIBYA: climate is said to be the cause of the floods that ravaged East of the country
Global warming is being blamed as the main cause of storm Daniel, which devastated eastern Libya on 10 September 2023. Coming from Greece via Turkey and Bulgaria, the extreme weather phenomenon caused massive flooding, killing thousands of people. In its 6th report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted disastrous scenarios for Africa. Floods will displace 2.7 million people by 2050.
SOUTH AFRICA: Kavango-Zambèze, an area of stability for elephants
The 2023 survey report on elephants in the Kavango-Zambèze Transfrontier Area (KAZA) shows that elephant populations there are stable. In this region of southern Africa, which includes Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the elephant population is estimated at 227,900 individuals.
AFRICA: debt-for-climate swaps once again recommended
With Africa in need of more than $300 billion a year for climate adaptation, policymakers and government officials gathered at a high-level event on the sidelines of the African Climate Summit in Nairobi called for innovative mechanisms to unlock climate finance. The event, co-organised by AfriCatalyst and Open Society Foundations (OSF), explored how the continent can successfully leverage debt-for-nature swaps to finance climate action.