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Africa: Rwanda, Uganda, DRC Sign $92m Eco-Bid
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East African Business Week (Kampala)
18 February 2008
Posted to the web 19 February 2008
Bosco Hitimana
Kigali
Rwanda, Uganda and the DR Congo have launched a massive joint conservation programme in the Central Albertine rift.
Embedded in a 10-year action plan, with a 30- year vision, the joint transboundary conservation programme aims at protecting the environment in the Central Albertine rift and wild lives in it.
The three countries have devotedly agreed to protect the world's endangered species in the Central Albertine rift which is a major contributor to their tourism package.
The joint transboundary conservation campaign that was recently launched in Kigali and attended by bosses of three wild life conservation authorities from Rwanda, Uganda and DRC , seeks about $92million in ten years to kick off. The plan started in 2006 and ends in 2016.
The Netherlands government has already sponsored the campaign to the tune of 4.1million euros ($5.9million) while the Buffer Foundation contributed $9million to spark off implementation of the plan.
The involved countries, will in other obligations share challenges and benefits from the central albertine rift.
The director general of Rwanda Office of Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN) Ms. Rosette Rugamba who is the current chairperson of the core secretariat jointly established by the three respective states to foresee the implementation of the action plan, told East African Business Week recently in Kigali that the package aims at joint conservation of the Central Albertine rift regardless of geographical boundaries.
The move comes a few years after tourism and conservation ministers in three respective countries signed a pact affirming their commitment to carry out a joint conservation program in the named rift that holds Africa's species rich region.
The central Albertine rift is the most species rich region for the vertebrates on the African continent and has many endemics and threatened species.
The region boasts of 27 primate species and 40 species of ungulates. More than 50% of birds, 39% of mammals, 19% of amphibians and 14% of reptiles and plants of mainland Africa are found within this rift.
According to Rugamba, the environment and wild lives within the region continuously face problems of insecurity, land encroachment, poaching and many others that threaten the area.
The joint conservation program comes to scale down such problems and improve on the wellbeing of the people living around the region by reducing poverty, Rugamba said.
The Chief Executive of Uganda Wild Life Authority (UWA) Mr. Moses Mapesa who attended the launching ceremony in Kigali, disclosed to the East African Business Week that the joint transboundary programme was a result of the smooth collaboration of the wildlife authorities in the three countries involved.
"This programme is aimed at addressing common management challenges in tourism, research and monitoring, law enforcement and poaching and community conservation," Mr. Mapesa said, adding that Rwanda and Uganda signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly conserve the wild life.
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He further noted that the programme would certainly enhance tourism, allow for continuous tourism activity regardless of international boundaries and allow sharing of the benefits amongst the involved communities.
The central albertine rift covers Parc nationale de Virunga in DR Congo, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable and Queen Elizabeth national parks in Uganda.
It also covers Rwenzori Mountain, Semiliki and Kibale national parks in Uganda and Parc nationale des Volcans in Rwanda.
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| 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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