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SOS
Rhino
: In the News :
Conservation area between Angola and Namibia may be launched in 2008 |
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Conservation area between Angola and Namibia may be launched in 2008 |
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[2006-06-06]
MacauHub
Luanda, Angola, 06 June - The creation of a cross-border nature conservation
area between Angola and Namibia could become a reality in 2008, as preparation
for the project is due to begin this month at a bilateral ministerial meeting,
official said.
The scheduling of this meeting follows the approval of the memorandum
of understanding with Namibia by the Angolan government, which outlines the creation
of a cross-border area covering the Iona National Park in Angola and the Skeleton
Coast Park in Namibia.
The creation of the cross-border park in the South of
Angola and North Namibia aims to improve the management of these protected areas
in both countries, promoting the integrity of their ecosystems, the conservation
of biodiversity and sustainable development.
The new park, which may come to
be called the Iona Skeleton Coast Park, began to be negotiated by the authorities
of the two countries over three years ago with the aim of making it possible
to recover the Iona National Park.
In August 2003, the Environment Ministries
of both countries signed an agreement to create a ministerial committee for developing
this project.
The protected area is intended to boost the animal population
of Iona National Park, which covers and area of 15,000 square kilometers in the
province of Namibe in Southern Angola.
Iona was once home to large numbers of
rhinoceros, lions, elephants, zebras and ostriches and was seriously affected
by poaching, which led animals to search for safer locations.
Namibia has said
it is willing to transfer some of the large population of animals it has in the
Skeleton Coast Park to Angola.
Angolafs national parks and natural reserves,
which were all but abandoned during the countryfs civil war, cover an area of
82,000 square kilometers of a total of 1.2 million square kilometers for the
whole country. (macauhub)
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