Lubango — Angolan minister of Sciences and Technology, Maria Cândida Teixeira, Monday defended the need of training of experts for the assessment and monitoring of the country's biodiversity.

Addressing the opening of the first scientific activities on Biodiversity, held at the Higher Institute of Education Sciences in Lubango, southern Huila province, Maria Cândida Teixeira said that this will enable the country to have capable technicians for gathering and process the obtained data.

According to the Cabinet minister, the best strategy to achieve this goal, in meddle term, depends on encouraging the new generations to be engaged in this duty, providing them with training in this domain.

She quoted several causes, such as inadequate management of forests and jungles, intensive farming, weak farming rotation, poor control of trading and illegal possession of natural species, poaching and non-abiding by the law in force, are accounted for the loss of biodiversity.

The five-day event, that will discuss issues related to the biodiversity programme in Angola and its objectives, preliminary experiences in gathering plants for Lubango Herbarium among others, is being guided by the experts from Angola, South Africa, Brazil, Mozambique, US, Namibia, Germany, England and Zimbabwe.