Specific Plans to Boost
Conservation of Gorillas in Virunga National
Park
Paris/Nairobi, 26 October 2007 - Conservation
of gorillas and sustainable livelihoods
in the Virungas are among the objectives
of a new initiative to assist the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) better manage its
economically-important nature-based assets.
The initiative, being undertaken by the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and announced
today at the close of the Paris Meetings
on Primates and their Habitats, will assist
the government in drafting and developing
national environmental laws, regulations
and guidelines.
Legal safeguards are urgently needed at
a time of rapidly rising multi-billion dollar
international investments in the country's
forest, mining and agricultural sectors,
the government there believes.
The wide-ranging strategy also includes
a provision for a post-conflict environmental
assessment to be undertaken when the security
situation improves in the eastern part of
the country.
It will mirror similar assessments undertaken
by UNEP in the Balkans; Afghanistan; the
Occupied Palestinian Territories; Iraq;
Liberia, Lebanon and the Sudan aimed at
assisting countries to set priorities during
reconstruction and rehabilitation phases.
The strategy also calls for the posting
of a UNEP expert in the country to provide
environmental support to the UN Mission
in the DRC (MONUC) and UN Country Team including
environmental impact assessments for proposed
development and investment projects.
Specific actions in the Virungas, home
to some of the world's last gorilla populations
and a site at the centre of current tensions
and conflicts include? Support to staff
of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) and NGOs such as WWF and CARE International
on providing sustainable energy sources
for internally displaced people?currently
most refugees are forced to over exploit
local forests for fuel.
? The establishment of forum, involving
local people and the humanitarian, security
and environmental actors in the area, aimed
at delivering sustainable livelihoods around
one of Africa's most famous and important
national parks.
? A commitment from the UN Mission in the
DRC (MONUC) to carry out joint patrols with
park rangers of the Congolese Institute
for the Conservation of Nature when the
current security situation improves.
? UNEP will also assess the possibilities
for boosting cooperation between the DRC,
Rwanda and Uganda to stem illegal flows
of natural resources such as charcoal and
transboundary exploitation of oil and methane
gas.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General
and UNEP Executive Director, said:"
This new initiative follows a UNEP mission
to the DRC in September. The catalyst for
that mission was a request for assistance
from the minister of the environment amid
mounting national and international alarm
over the slaughter of gorillas and damage
to one of Africa's most famous national
parks".
"But it soon became clear from field
visits and discussions with a wide-range
of experts and officials that the challenges
and opportunities confronting the DRC go
beyond the current tensions in the east
off the country," he added.
"The DRC's abundant natural and nature-based
resources have been a source of tensions
and conflict, but they also represent a
major opportunity to fight poverty, fuel
economic growth and build peace over the
coming years and decades- if intelligently
and sustainably managed," said Mr Steiner.
He said now was the right time to assist
the government in balancing its economic,
development and environmental aims.
"Major international investments are
starting to be made in the DRC with $2.7
billion already contracted and another five
billion dollars announced. The government
of the DRC recognizes that there is a unique
opportunity over the next few months to
influence the course of this investment
and to ensure environmental safeguards,"
said Mr Steiner.
He said crucial to the success of the new
initiative would be cooperation with existing
national and international organizations
operating in the DRC.
Mr Steiner said UNEP looked forward to
working closely with ministries; fellow
UN agencies; representatives of humanitarian,
development and environmental organizations
and the private sector in realizing the
government and the country's sustainability
goals.
UNEP is providing funding of $300,000 to
kick start the new programme. Up to $3 million
will be needed to fully complete the initial
more than two year strategy and donors are
being urged to back the initiative.
Other Key Recommendations and Observations
Information Sharing on Illegal Activities
MONUC has agreed to share information of
security matters and illegal activities
such as the killing of gorillas and illegal
timber extraction with organizations including
the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural
Organization who are responsible for World
Heritage Sites and a joint founder with
UNEP of the Great Ape Survival Project (GRASP).
Sharing of information will also happen
with relevant NGOs including IUCN-the World
Conservation Union; the Frankfurt Zoological
Society; WWF; IGCP; Gorilla Organization;
the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund; London Zoological
Society, WCS and WildlifeDirect)
MONUC's mandate includes monitoring use
of natural resources but has not been put
into practice or enforced. The UNEP report
suggests this is reviewed during the review
of MONUC's mandate in December.
Improved Coordination
The September mission found a wide range
of actors involved in activities including
community conservation projects; revenue
sharing; the provision of technical support
to the ICCN and its rangers; the formulation
of a draft environmental framework law for
the country. The International Gorilla Conservation
Programme has assisted in dialogue between
the transboundary countries which led to
the Goma Declaration.
Nevertheless, there remain gaps in the
current assistance programme which can be
strengthened through the convening of a
forum involving all actors in the area.
The Specific Challenge of Wood for Fuel
The mission learnt that the four camps for
internally displaced people are heavily
dependent on resources in the Virunga National
Park for fuelwood and charcoal with UNHCR
and the World Food Programme providing humanitarian
assistance and food but not energy.
WWF, which along with the CARE International
are providing some fuelwood calculates that
four IDP camps together currently, requires
600 tons of firewood a week.
UNEP would like to bring its experience
and expertise acquired in Liberia to mitigate
damage to the fragile park resources and
ecosystems as a result of this high local
demand for wood.
Two outstanding projects against climate
change will receive the 2007 UNEP Sasakawa
Prize in New York
Nairobi,26 September 2007 -The 2007 UNEP
Sasakawa Prize will be awarded to Jeunesse
Park of South Africa and Bangladeshi NGO
Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha at an award
ceremony on 27 October at New York's Museum
of Natural History.
The $200,000 prize is awarded every year
to individuals or institutions who have
made a substantial contribution to the protection
and management of the environment. This
year's winners were chosen because of their
outstanding and inspirational projects in
the area of climate change ? this year's
theme for the Sasakawa Prize.
Ms. Jeunesse Park is the founder and CEO
of Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA), South
Africa's only national greening and food
gardening NGO which promotes greening, sustainable
natural resource use and management and
food security.
The NGO Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha helps
to combat the effects of climate change
in Bangladesh ? particularly devastating
floods and rising water levels ? with 40
flat-bottomed boats which bring a range
of educational services and renewable energy
supplies to 88,000 families in the remote
Chalanbeel region.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General
and UNEP Executive Director, said: "These
two outstanding winners of the Sasakawa
Prize 2007 embody leadership in its finest
form ? namely creative and determined action
that demonstrates real and tangible difference
to the people and communities they serve.
In doing so our award winners are proving
that combating climate change is not only
do-able but links to the wider environmental,
social and economic aims enshrined in targets
such as the Millennium Development Goals."
For more information, go to: http://www.unep.org/sasakawa/
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson
