THREE AFRICAN COUNTRIES IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION HAVE LAUNCHED A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR JOINT WILDLIFE TRACKING AND MONITORING AGREEMENT.
Conservation Feature By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
Three African states in the Great Lakes region have agreed to launch a joint project for monitoring of the movement of wildlife across their common borders.
The tripartite agreement between Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), involves the special and rare wild animal species that attract a lot of tourists from abroad, bringing in millions of dollars in foreign exchange.
The move, the three countries explained, is in order to have a coordinated approach to the management of contagious diseases, conservation of protected areas, and sharing out of tourism revenues.
The agreement is part of a long-term strategic plan to trans-boundary co-operation agreement reached in 2006 between three countries.
The agreement, however, is not legally binding, but forms the basis for recognition by the three governments of collaboration efforts that are currently on-going, including the setting up of, and co-coordinating other efforts that would eventually see a reduction in conflict between the three countries over wildlife resources.
The USD 92 million plan-to be funded by among other donors, the European Union and the United States International Development Agency {USAID}, entails conservation of biodiversity and other natural and cultural heritage across boundaries.
The areas to be covered are the protected Volcano National Park in Rwanda, Mgahinga Gorrila National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Rwenzori Mountain National Park, Kibale National Park all in Uganda, and the famous Virunga National Park in the DR Congo,
The monitoring component, according to an article in the current edition of the influential EASTAFRICAN weekly, is aimed at implementing the agreement clauses on transport, and sharing of revenues accruing from wildlife. For instance, one gorilla family from Uganda recently crossed into Rwanda after they were habituated, but Uganda will still benefit from the revenues accruing from that family.
According to the agreement ,the countries will share tourism revenue on a 50-50 basis as well as engage in research, and design of information management program.
“We shall ensure that we do not lose revenue through monitoring and research on a daily basis. We have to know where our groups of animals are. We already have a group of staff looking out,” Mr Moses was quoted by newspapers as saying.
Due to shared ecosystem, wild animals are known to cross between Rwanda and DR Congo or DR Congo and Uganda, with elephants and gorillas being the wild migratory heards. But gorillas are being, by far easier to monitor their activates, because game rangers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority trek the park daily. On the other hand, a number of elephants have been fitted with computerized collars which are monitored at the UWA headquarters in Kampala on daily basis.
“We even know when our collared animal is in danger, when it is hurt or has been taken ill “, Lilian Nsubuga of the UWA was quoted as saying. She disclosed that Rwanda and the DR Congo are also operating similar method of wildlife monitoring system.
Mountain gorilla tracking has continued to be the most popular in the three countries and continues to fetch the countries millions of dollars in foreign exchange through tourism.
Last year, Uganda earned USD 225 million from the apes, a figure that experts says could have been much higher If that country had vigorously promoted the primates through intensive worldwide publicity.
In a first case involving the three countries, similar charges have been imposed for gorilla tracking by their respective wildlife authorities. Gorilla tracking now costs USD 500 per day, per person and USD 270 for one to track a primate family of chimpanzees.
The three countries, however, have to know how many times a family has been tracked in order to work out he shares.
Other animals that often crosse borders include monkeys, chimpanzees, buffaloes, elephants and small and large antelopes with each of the animal groups attracting a different fees for tracking.
“We have agreed that visitors should see the animals wherever they are. If a group of habituated gorillas cross into Rwanda, visitors in Rwanda can track them there, but Uganda and Rwanda should share the tracking fees on 50-50 basis,”, said Mr. Wafula.
The three countries have also agreed to work out benefits of wildlife conservation and management to the surrounding communities, who are the main partners in the conservation efforts.
Among the priorities for community benefits is the provision of clean water to the communities living around Virunga National Park.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
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From: Leo Odera Omolo
Date: Tue, Sep 1, 2009 at 3:31 AM
Subject: Three great lakes African nations in agreement to monitor wildlife movements