Beni, DR Congo | AFP | The threatened Virunga National Park in DR Congo announced on Thursday it has banned the felling of trees throughout the nature reserve. “The management of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature wishes to bring to the attention of the resident of Beni …
Read More »Tackle Lake Chad environment to stop Boko Haram: experts
Maiduguri, Nigeria | AFP | Revitalising Lake Chad will stop Boko Haram from gaining a long-term foothold in the region, experts said on Wednesday, as four countries wrapped up talks aimed at ending in the conflict. The insurgency began in 2009 and has killed at least 20,000 in northeast Nigeria …
Read More »S.African film-maker killed by giraffe
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A South African film-maker was killed by a giraffe while filming on a reserve outside Johannesburg, the game lodge’s owner has said, adding that he died after being air-lifted to hospital. The giraffe hit Carlos Carvalho in the head at the Glen Afric Country …
Read More »DR Congo planning to allow oil exploration in national parks: NGO
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Democratic Republic of Congo’s government is seeking to reclassify swathes of two UNESCO-listed parks so that oil exploration can be carried out there, an investigative group said. The London-based NGO Global Witness said it had seen documents about a scheme to “redraw the boundaries” …
Read More »Six endangered black rhinos flown from S. Africa to Chad
Addo, South Africa | AFP | Six critically endangered black rhinos were flown from South Africa to Chad on Thursday in a pioneering project to re-introduce the animals to a country where they were wiped out by poaching nearly 50 years ago. The wild black rhinos were loaded onto a …
Read More »After the gold rush: Mining boom in Cameroon leaves ‘open tombs’
Bétaré Oya, Cameroon | AFP | For a time, the land around the village of Longa Mali in eastern Cameroon was one of the most prized in Africa, and powerful machines gnawed greedily into its soil to extract precious gold. Today, abandoned with almost the same speed as it was …
Read More »Lake Victoria biodiversity being ‘decimated’
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Three quarters of freshwater species endemic to East Africa’s Lake Victoria basin face the threat of extinction, conservationists said Monday, warning the biodiversity there was being “decimated”. A fresh report backed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessed the extinction risk of …
Read More »Uganda delegation meets Vodokanal
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A Uganda delegation from the Water and Environment Sector is in St Petersburg, Russia for a five-day business visit that has seen them interact with officials from Vodokanal. The company is responsible for water supply and waste management in St Petersburg. The delegation met the …
Read More »Nations pledge billions to protect Global Environment
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Close to 30 countries have jointly pledged a contribution of USD 4.1 billion (15 trillion Shillings) to protect the future of the planet and human well-being. The funding is expected to help the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to support its new four-year investment cycle, …
Read More »W.Africa gorillas more numerous than thought, but still endangered
Miami, United States | AFP | Gorillas and chimpanzees may be twice as numerous in West Africa as previously thought, but the apes are still endangered, declining fast and in dire need of protection, an international study found Wednesday. Prior estimates were based on nest counts taken from isolated areas …
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