|
|
East Africa: U.S. Brokers in Eco-Deal With Rwanda, DR Congo, Uganda
 |
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
East African Business Week (Kampala)
4 August 2008
Posted to the web 5 August 2008
Bosco Hitimana
Kigali
The U.S has brokered a conservation deal in Greater Virunga Landscape shared by the DR Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda.
Under the U.S initiative, the conservation agreements were recently signed in western Rwanda by Rwanda's trade and industry minister, Ms. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Uganda's tourism state minister, Mr. Serapio Rukundo and the Congolese secretary general in the environment, nature conservation and tourism ministry, Mr. Abel Léon Kalambayi Wa Kabongo.
The U.S Assistant sectary of state for Ocean Environment and Science, Ms. Claudia McMurray and the first secretary, great lakes, natural resources of the Kingdom of Netherlands Embassy in Rwanda, Ms. Maresa Oosterman witnessed the signing.
In the deal, the ministers from Rwanda, Uganda and DR Congo pledged to strengthen thee efforts to attract investment in the region of tourism, poverty alleviation and wildlife conservation.
They reiterated that the military groups operating in the DR Congo have created instability and threaten people and wildlife by preventing park authorities from entering parts of the DR Congo Virunga national Park.
Greater Virunga Landscape is home to 52% of Africa's bird species, 43% of Africa's mammals and the last remaining mountain gorilla populations in earth. The region boasts of 27 primate species and 40 species of ungulates. More than 19% of amphibians and 14% of reptiles and plants of mainland Africa are found within this region.
In May 2006, the three states through their respective tourism and conversation agencies adopted a ten year transboundry strategic plan with a 30 year vision. Early this year, the joint transboundary conservation deal was launched in Kigali seeking $92million for implementation.
The Netherlands embassy in Kigali has already sponsored the campaign to the tune of 4.1million euros (US$5.9million) while the Buffer Foundation contributed $9million to spark off implementation of the plan.
According to the director general of Rwanda Tourism Board (ORTPN), Ms. Rosette Rugamba, the environment and wildlife within the region continuously face problems of insecurity, land encroachment, poaching and many threatening dangers to the area.
In the conference, concrete steps to expand investments in eco-tourism infrastructure and revenue sharing with local communities to ensure sustainable livelihoods for the people living in the region were discussed.
The officials from three states in question also pledged their governments' commitments to ensure security in the parks that they share.
In the region, the major concern was the existence of the armed militant groups in the DRC who are threatening the habitat and wildlife, displacing local communities, destroying tourism infrastructure and preventing park rangers and conservation groups from entering more than 40% of the DR Congo Virunga National park.
"It is vital to rid Virunga National Park of militia groups who threaten both people and wildlife. Without security, economic growth from tourism and other investments will not occur," McMurray said.
The U.S began supporting conservation in the Greater Virunga Landscape in 2003
|
through the U.S Agency for International Development's Central African Regional Program for the Environment.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 East African Business Week. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
