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
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.
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.
SENEGAL: a reforestation camp to combat coastal erosion in Diembering
A reforestation camp was launched on 24 August 2023 in Diembering, in the south of Senegal. The initiative by the Ziguinchor regional youth council aims to combat coastal erosion. Senegal’s Atlantic coast is suffering from severe erosion. Nearly 65% of the coastline is affected by this phenomenon, which has dramatic consequences for the local population.
GABON: international ivory trafficking network dismantled
The Gabonese authorities, in collaboration with the NGO Conservation Justice, are continuing to track down members of an international ivory trafficking network from Gabon to Cameroon. Five other suspected traffickers have been arrested in various locations. The alleged traffickers risk a prison sentence of up to 10 or even 20 years, as this is a transnational network organised as a criminal association.
BURUNDI: towards the protection of biodiversity around Kibira and Rusizi
A new project to conserve ecosystems and biodiversity around the Kibira and Rusizi protected areas in Burundi has just been launched. Supported by the European Union (EU), Belgium and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the project aims to have a positive impact on the quality of life of around 900,000 Burundians living in the areas around the two reserves.