Deforestation, fires, poaching, human-animal conflict and climate change are the main challenges to Angola’s natural heritage, according to the country’s president, who called for more international support to halt biodiversity loss.
João Lourenço was speaking in Luanda at the start of the International Conference on Biodiversity and Conservation Areas, which ended on Friday.
He said that the government, with the support of international funds, has made efforts to improve conservation, implementing projects to improve the management of protected areas and has started a process of animal repopulation, with giraffes reintroduced into the Quiçama and Iona National Parks.
He pointed to the survey of fauna in national parks, the construction of inspection posts, an increase in the number of inspectors, the mapping of conservation areas, and developing ecotourism as activities linked to strengthening conservation areas.
‘The conservation and protection of biodiversity is a global imperative for the health of our planet,’ he said, noting that the loss of biodiversity puts food security, water quality and the fight against climate change at risk.
‘Each country must contribute, but it is equally important that efforts are coordinated and that developing countries receive technical and financial support to face the challenges that threaten our natural heritage,’ he added.
João Lourenço said that Angola’s biodiversity, with 5,000 species of plants, 1,200 of which are endemic, is ‘one of the most important in Africa and the world’ and that the authorities have been implementing concrete policies regarding the conservation, preservation and sustainable use of the country’s resources.
The country is home to unique ecosystems and emblematic species, such as the Giant Sable and the Welwitschia Mirabilis, ‘a plant that defies time with its resilience in the Namib desert,’ Lourenço emphasised, also highlighting the geographical location that gives it a strategic role in the migratory routes of important species, such as African elephants and various aquatic birds.
Angola intends to expand the conservation areas from 13% to 16%, and new areas have been proposed in the provinces of Huambo (Morro do Moco), Kwanza Sul (Cumbira forest) and Uige (Serra do Pingano).
‘Later this year, we will have the first marine conservation area on the coast of Namibe province, as well as the first biosphere reserve, which will extend from Quissama National Park to the sea,’ he continued.
Angola currently has 14 terrestrial conservation areas, including nine national parks, one regional park, two integral nature reserves and two partial reserves.
In July 2016, the National Assembly approved eleven wetlands across the country as candidates for Ramsay Sites of International Importance.
Fonte: Lusa
