Protected Areas in Africa in the 21st Century

Elizabeth Wangari

p. 26-27


Texte intégral

1The African continent contains a wealth of fauna and flora which constitute rich and complex ecosystems. Protected areas in Africa cover a significant land area: about 10.5 % (for central and western Africa) and about 14.5 % (for eastern and southern Africa) (Unep 2003). The overriding challenges are on ways that protected areas can assist Africa to address the key economic, social and environmental issues of the 21st Century.

2The interest accorded to global protected areas can be justified from several points of view and on the basis of some determining indicators, in particular the fact that protected areas cover nearly 10 % of the earth’s surface. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognizes six conservation categories on the basis of their objectives. Some natural protected areas in Africa harbour ecosystems of exceptional or outstanding universal value (OUV) which have been or are in the process of being inscribed on the World Heritage List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). In Africa for example these include: the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania; the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda; the Garamba and Virunga National Parks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary in Senegal; the natural and integrated reserve of Tsingy Bemaraha in Madagascar; ‘W’ National Park in Niger; the strict natural reserve of Mount Nimba in Guinea; the Manovo Gounda Saint Floris National Park in Central African Republic; the National Park of Lake Turkana and Mount Kenya in Kenya; and the Drakensburg and the Cape Flora Region in South Africa. It should be noted that Africa represents one of the largest pools of biodiversity in the world.

3Protected areas in Africa are subject to various forms of human pressure. They often occupy spaces coveted by different actors of society for different types of land use and are therefore the focus of local, national and international interest. They are also currently facing numerous threats such as: poaching, war, deliberate destruction, industrial pollution, uncontrolled urbanisation, mineral extraction, unlimited tourism development and natural disasters. All pose challenges that must be addressed.

4The necessity for governments and society to take into consideration the issues of the environment, conservation and sustainable development is thus inevitable. Considerable efforts are currently being made by some countries in this regard. Interest in conservation manifests itself on the one hand through “traditional” conservation practices that respect ancestral customs passed down from one generation to the next, and on the other hand by the conservation and research activities of various national and international organizations, both governmental and non-governmental.

5Protected areas are today at the centre of strategies for the conservation of our planet. They are at the heart of and play a vital role in working out models for sustainable development and tools for the legislative reform of legal conservation texts, for research, for environmental education and training, for conflict prevention, for tourism and leisure activities, and for socio-economic development. These socio-economic and environmental challenges necessitate the establishment of a continuous process of dialogue among the multiple stakeholders.

6With such an approach, the objectives of the conservation of protected areas can only be attained by concerted action among stakeholders at different levels of interest and responsibility.

7Reconciling the conservation of biodiversity and the reinforcement of educational programmes in order to stimulate the interest and participation of local communities and local civil society in the conservation of natural resources should equally be supported.


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