12/16/00 -- Central Africa Unites to Protect Congo Basin

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WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

Central Africa Unites to Protect Congo Basin

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12/16/00

OVERVIEW & COMMENTARY

If the goal is to conserve forests, and all their constituent

biodiversity and ecosystems, there is no substitute for protecting

habitats through strictly enforced preserves. Certified, sustainable

management of forests can maintain much in the way of natural

ecological patterns and processes across large areas. But long-term

ecological sustainability of these managed forests depends upon the

presence of nearby strictly protected areas within the forested

landscape. There is no substitute, in terms of biological

conservation, to maintaining large blocks of strictly protected

forest habitats. In any given still pristine forest landscape; it is

only after large, strictly protected ecological core areas have been

established, sufficient to serve as the basis for long-term and

upscale ecological sustainability, that thoughts can turn to

certified and sustainable management of buffer areas.

It is heartening that three Central African nations have agreed to

share management of 28,000 square kilometers of forest using such an

approach. The agreement between Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and

the Central African Republic will create the Sangha Park, and

coordinate actions against poaching and illegal logging in the Congo

Basin. "The Congo Basin is second only in size to the forests of the

Amazon and unique because of its diverse eco-systems and wildlife."

The approach is very promising; linking protected zones in several

National Parks to increase the size and connectivity of habitat under

strict preservation, and also includes production forests and hunting

zones that surround the parks in the management.

The forest conservation movement is striving to reconcile the demands

of certified forestry and wilderness protection. My take is as

follows. No new areas of the World's last great forest wildernesses

- including but not limited to the Amazon, Guyana Shield, Central

Africa, Indo-Malaysian realm (including island of New Guinea), Russia

and Canada - should be open to any type of management unless 1)

strictly preserved and enforced protected areas constitute the vast

majority of the landscape. This ensures that sustainable management

occurs within an intact ecological context. Placing certified

logging within such a natural context is a prerequisite for rigorous

ecological sustainability of natural forest landscapes. 2) Local

peoples desire to manage their forests to meet their legitimate

needs. 3) Any forest management must strive for ecological

sustainability, and be certified by standards at least as rigorous as

the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC).

These last major forest epicenters must be maintained as operable,

large-scale global ecosystems; in order to continue driving the

World's ecological patterns and processes. Failure to maintain these

ecological systems would be a planetary catastrophe.

g.b.

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ITEM #1

Title: Central Africa Unites to Protect Congo Basin

http://ens.lycos.com/

Date: December 8, 2000

YAOUNDE, Cameroon, December 8, 2000 (ENS) - The battle against

poaching and illegal logging in the Congo Basin received a

significant boost Thursday as three Central African nations agreed to

share management of a 28,000 square kilometer stretch of forest.

The Congo Basin is second only in size to the forests of the Amazon

and unique because of its diverse eco-systems and wildlife. But these

forests are under threat. Four million hectares of African forests

are destroyed each year due to growing human population, illegal

logging, poaching and conversion of forest land to other uses.

The tri-national accord will create Sangha Park, an area of more than

one million hectares.

The agreement between Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and the Central

African Republic is the first of its kind in Central Africa. It will

link protected zones of Lobeke national park in Cameroon, the Dzanga-

Sangha in the Central African Republic, the Nouabale-Ndoki park in

the Republic of Congo and the production forests and hunting zones

that surround each of those parks.

The countries are now expected to harmonize their forestry laws and

implement a common management system on anti-poaching measures,

ecological monitoring and logging.

For the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), it marks the culmination of

more than a decade of work.

"This is an extremely positive development," said Dr. Chris Elliott,

WWF's Forests for Life Campaign Director. "It not only represents the

first concrete example of sub-regional collaboration on the

protection and sustainable management of forests, but is also the

fruition of more than 15 years work on WWF's part."

"A more coherent approach towards logging and anti-poaching will go a

long way to guaranteeing the future of these important forests and

the wildlife that live within them."

The ministerial meeting included representatives from Chad,

Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It gathered to agree on ways to

implement the Yaound, Declaration, a 12-point resolution signed last

year by the six Central African heads of state on the conservation

and sustainable management of the forests of the Congo Basin.

The six countries agreed to a series of measures, including the

creation of a trust fund to implement programs and a coordination and

monitoring body to be based in Yaound,. The signatories have also

agreed to protect a minimum of 10 percent of their forests.

"This is part of a biodiversity blueprint that WWF has also been

pushing for," said Elliott. "Now that the Democratic Republic of

Congo has declared its adherence to the principles of the Yaound,

Declaration, we should see a substantial area of rainforests here

come under protection."

Up to 50 percent of the rainforests in the Congo Basin lie in the

Democratic Republic of Congo.

Illegal logging is causing severe forest degradation and a huge

diversity of wildlife, including forest elephants, chimpanzees and

gorillas, are greatly hunted for their meat. Many other jungle

inhabitants remain threatened and even undiscovered.

Scientists believe these forests could hold the key to future medical

advances in the treatment of human ailments. The chimpanzee, for

example, recently disclosed as the potential source of the HIV virus

in humans and vital to medical research, is severely endangered

because of logging and poaching.

Another ministerial meeting in March 2001 has been scheduled to

implement decisions taken this week.

ITEM #2

Title: Cameroon's conservation solution: Merge the reserves

Date: December 12, 2000

By: John Nchami

With the merging of two reserves in Cameroon in a corridor linking

the Boumba-Bek and Nki reserves in the country's southeastern

forests, the government of Cameroon has agreed to form what will be

the its largest protected area, covering more than 4,725 square

miles.

The World Wide Fund for Nature, which has worked since 1992 for the

protection of these two biologically significant areas, has new cause

for celebration.

"We have already accomplished the most difficult stages of the

process, which entailed extensive consultation with the local

communities to involve them in the plans and boundary demarcation,"

says Paul Noupa, WWF protected area adviser. "Now nobody will be able

to claim ignorance of the existence of the national park and the

local people will be involved in the conservation of the area."

WWF has also prepared a zoning plan and detailed technical document

for the area.

The Boumba-Bek and Nki reserves are the only two unlogged areas in

the Cameroon's southeastern forests. Both reserves are home to large

populations of elephants, buffaloes, chimpanzees, gorillas, bongos,

assorted drill species and antelopes.

Most of these animals, from the biggest elephant to the smallest

antelope, can be seen in the open forest clearings, or savanna, found

chiefly in Boumba-Bek Reserve.

These forest clearings offer wonderful opportunities for wildlife

management because it is relatively easy to follow the animals and

monitor their movements by radio tracking. The savannas also offer

excellent possibilities for eco-tourism.

A six- to 10-hour meandering boat ride down the Ngoko and Dja rivers

ends at the majestic Nki waterfalls. "Nobody who ever visited this

site has remained unmoved," says Noupa.

Two fish species, new to science, were recently discovered in the

waters of Nki Reserve, and the expectation is that much more is

out there to be discovered.

Although much has been achieved, much remains to be done. The two

biologically significant areas face a new threat by the recent

creation of logging concessions around them.

With the installation of sawmills in the logging concessions will

come an increase in human population and more pressure on natural

resources and wildlife. Poaching is likely to increase.

WWF's protected area adviser however, says the merger of Boumba-Bek

and Nki is a bonus in the battle against illegal hunting through the

public awareness it has created. Newly established transboundary

patrols are already helping to stem wildlife poaching within the

reserves.

John Nchami is the communications officer in WWF's Cameroon program

office in Yaounde.

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