Luanda - Angola has made huge investments in the protection of natural resources and efforts to improve the conservation of biodiversity, the country’s Head of State João Lourenço said Thursday in Luanda.
Speaking at the opening of the International Conference on Biodiversity and Protected Areas (CIBAC), the president pointed to the implementation of the project to expand and strengthen the protected areas system as one of the measures.
João Lourenço explained that a major process of animal repopulation is currently underway, especially for giraffes, which have been reintroduced in the Kissama and Iona National Parks, in the provinces of Icolo e Bengo and Namibe.
Many efforts have been made, the President said, to protect refuges for some rare, endemic or endangered species, such as the Damba forest in Uíge, with an important population of deer, and the Mungo forest in Huambo, home to millions of red-footed falcons.
João Lourenço said that protected areas will also be strengthened and new ones created, as well as improving the infrastructure management of national parks and nature reserves.
According to the Angolan President, the fauna in the national parks will be surveyed, control posts will be built, inspectors will be trained and increased, and protected areas will be mapped.
Lourenço also highlighted the implementation of the National Biodiversity Project, the development of ecotourism in protected areas, environmental education and the plan to phase out single-use plastics.
For João Lourenço, the conservation and protection of biodiversity is a global imperative for the health of the planet, stressing that the balance of ecosystems, the loss of biodiversity endangers food security, water quality and the fight against climate change.
The President called for coordinated efforts and for developing countries to provide technical and financial assistance to address the challenges facing the world's natural heritage.
Protecting natural resources
To protect natural resources, the Head of State said, Angola has implemented the Ecotourism Initiative, which aims to turn protected areas into engines of sustainable development for the benefit of local communities and to promote scientific research.
The Head of State added that the country has strengthened environmental legislation with a presidential decree on the sustainable use of protected areas to ensure a balance between economic development and environmental conservation.
Lourenço recalled that these policies are in line with the National Development Program 2023-2027, the African Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Agenda 2030.
The Conference
The International Conference on Biodiversity and Protected Areas, which is taking place in Luanda until Friday, is organized by the Ministry of Environment and is attended by specialists from Africa, Europe, America and Asia, with the aim of promoting the exchange of experiences and strengthening environmental protection in Angola.
The two-day event will address topics such as the need for financial mechanisms for conservation, inclusive and sustainable solutions, the role of local communities in the conservation of endangered species, environmental justice, human rights and the importance of protected areas. VIC/AMP
