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Combined action to tackle land conflict threat in Virunga20/09/2010 14:05:07Gorillas increasingly at risk September 2010: A new agreement is now in place to tackle land conflict issues that are posing an increasing threat to the Virunga National Park , in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, that is noted for its mountain gorillas.
UN-HABITAT and the WWF have signed the agreement which is official recognition that despite the agencies' differing mandates there is a common interest in reducing conflict over land that has intensified due to refugee flows from conflict in the area. UN-HABITAT has been implementing a large-scale land conflict resolution programme in eastern Congo, including areas around the Virunga National Park, to assist refugees and internally displaced people returning home. WWF and its Virunga Environmental Programme works on preserving the biodiversity of the park and creating a harmony between the park and the development of the communities living around it. The agencies share the common objective to achieve the Millennium Development Goal related to environmental sustainability and recognise the impact of human settlement and displacement on biodiversity and the natural environment especially in the post-conflict situation in the east of the country. WWF's participatory demarcation approach will contribute to the resolution of several conflicts linked to land tenure bordering the protected area. UN-HABITAT has a solid experience in land conflict mediation, land administration and land management. It is hoped the two organisations can combine their expertise to develop a joint long-term programme in the Congo, especially its Eastern Province.
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I am a member of the Gorilla Organisation (London) and received an appeal from them recently for funds to further equip their rangers.
One part of their remit is where 16 gorillas remain of a group that has just lost 3 members due to poaching. This is result of terrorists in the area. I was upset to learn that one warden had been hacked to death. I phoned and complained that I felt that their work was futile with that area and that the wardens should not be endangered. I alsos expressed my belief that there is no hope for such bands of gorillas surviving and that resources should be centred in areas where military and strong local support is present. The situation is that world-wide the whole of wildlife populations are under severe threat, and that the 16 remaining gorillas should be relocated, if possible, to another area where they could settle without competing. My suggestion may be impractical, but leaving them where they are is attritive and a danger to wardens.
In fact, I would say the whole structure of wildlife conservation should appraised and retreats made where possible. It could be like foreign aid where much of it goes missing, goes in bribes or just plain wasted. It all has to come down to total world governmental support for the conservation of species and habitats. How can this be done when our banking sector is shelving out money for "development" all over the place, e.g. palm and soya plantations, drug companies ransacking for primates for laboratory testing, tropical hardwood imports, overfishing, pollution of the oceans etc. If it were not for NGOs nothing would be left, but these are having a hard time keeping up appearances to draw in donations. I was collecting for tiger conservation in the streets of Glasgow over 20 years ago, and the tiger is still in decline. My country Scotland, we can hardly get the duffers in our parliament to take conservation and animal rights seriously enough to produce the legislation to protect what is left. The same good old boys dominate in every country to ensure that exploitation goes on. The developing nations are under severe pressure to give up territory to China for vast agribusinesses and mineral exploitation. Its population increases so it will expand into other countries and its middle classes will spend more of its wealth on wildlife products, e.g. tiger parts. The Japs do as they please with cetaceans and trophy hunting proliferates, and David Cameron wants to restore fox-hunting and other sports for his chums who tour the world for their jolies. A new force is needed to change the whole way the world is managed; it is a piecemeal process at present with us cap in hand to a bunch of greedy dictators, vested interest representative politicians. The World Bank is a joke.
WAS I CORRECT IN NOT MAKING A DONATION TO THE GORILLA ORGANISATION?
MR GREER HART, THE SCOTTISH TREE TRUST
Posted by: Mr Greer Hart, Scotland | 25 Sep 2010 20:38:07