Preserving Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park Essay Example

poaching of the black rhinoceros and elephant in the park has been so profound, that in turn it has devastated leopard and crocodiles as well. Also, poachers catch other species like lions and hyenas, all the animals are in danger of human encroachment (www. unep-wcmc. org).

This is the reason why Manovo-Gounda St floris National Park was place on the endangered list is do to “the information reported of its illegal poaching and illegal cattle grazing by armed hunters, who have destroyed at least eighty percent of the park's plant and wildlife (unep-wcmc. rg). ” The murder of the four park staff in 1997 and the broad-spectrum of failing security from the military have brought all improvement projects and tourism is at a standstill. The Park is not safe for individuals to go and enjoy the Parks natural beauty. The government of the Central African Republic has expected to be assigning site management task to a undisclosed Foundation to help out with the progress.

The research of a comprehensive management report and remedy plan for the site has been suggested by the World Heritage Committee (www. unesco. org). “Other factors cause concerns are fires in the park, whether started by, poachers, cattle grazers, hunters or guards who accidentally start them. The fire threat is do to the fact that illegal grazing occurs during the dry season, with huge numbers of cattle moving through the park which also introduces diseases to the parks wildlife as well (unep-wcmc.

org). ” So on top of the poachers harming the animal and the plants, the diseases that they introduce to the park will get the wildlife as well. The

cattle grazers may feel that they do not have a choice or their life stock will die off, feeling that the sacrifice of the Park is worth it.Where will they go when they have demolished the park? What area will they destroy next? The human population in most of the area has been sparingly populated. “However, with the fact of having illegal cattle herders and there live stock being between thirty thousand and forty thousand, entering Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park during the winter do to their dry season.

” With this fact and the poachers have been the main problems with humans encroaching on the land (unep-wcmc. org, CAR, 1992). So we can see that urbanization is not a risk for the forest at all.According to the Central African Republic many efforts have been made to help protect the wild life and the land that they use for there home from illegal cattle herding and poaching of the animals by trying to improve management for the park. “In the past Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park was said to be the best protected in the country (CAR, 1987).

” “The FAO has also been working with the Central African Republic to improve wildlife management. Many have seen the need of help in improving the parks management to protect the park.Recommendations are also being made by a series of successive studies (Temporal,1985; Barber et al. 1980). ” The majority of the existing management effort goes into limiting illegal poaching by hunters and putting a stop to illegal grazing from cattle within the park borders.

This is with the little help they have to protect the park.

Some army support is provided for anti-poaching work, but this has been infrequent and temporary (IUCN,1988, unep-wcmc. org). If this is so, I do not understand why there is not that many staff members for the park if that is were the majority of the money is being budgeted.

The EEC and FED started a ten-year project in 1988, costing 27million to enrich the substance of the Park, and access into it, also to aid research and develop staff and facilities. All the same, pillaging continued no matter how much money was funded (UNESCO, 1997, unep-wcmc. org). “In 1997, the government of the Central African Republic was to give site accountability to a undisclosed foundation which was trying to raise money to help provide staff workers to help protect the park and provide new equipment for the park as well (IUCN,1997).

” In 2001 an IUCN operation visited the site to organize for fund raising and produce a practical work plan for the next two years for the Park's rehabilitation, and the combination of local communities in participating management. The government was also encouraged to seek the cooperation of neighboring states in limiting illegal poaching (UNESCO, 2002, unep-wcmc. org). ” Getting cooperation from others is the key in the success of education ones on not poaching the wildlife.

Also fines should be implemented to those who are caught. This should in turn make others think of the consequences before illegally poaching and cattle grazing.All efforts are being made to fund the improvements and protection of the park. But it seems that the lack of protection against the armed poachers who murdered 4 of the park staff

has put a damper on the progress of protecting the park against these intruders. With the inconsistent help from the military for protection, it is evident that the park management is in fear, and that there job has become a dangerous job to protect the endangered animal and plant life.

It seems that it would be beneficial to use the majority of the budget for armed protection.On top of the grant that the EEU/FED gave in 1988 to help the control of illegal cattle grazing and illegal poaching in 2001 the world Heritage Bureau approved a grant for 150,000 for an emergency rehabilitation plan (UNESCO, 2002). I have not come across any more recent efforts being made after the report from UNESCO in 2002 on how the grant provided by the World Heritage Bureau has been utilized. The fact that the park is one of the major biogeography crossroads of central Africa, and is the largest savanna park in west and central Africa should encourage locals to become evolved and educated on how to protect the animal and wild life.If the damage goes unfixed then we will see a great loss in the parks wild life. This thus will upset the ecosystem even more, thus the plant life will no longer exist and West Africa’s Woodland-Savanna will no longer exist.

Reference: Central Africa Republic (1992). Manovo-Gounda St Floris park. Report of the Haut Commissary of the Zone Franche Ecologique to UNESCO. Central Africa Republic (1987). Nomination of the National Manovo-Gounda-St Flori parks to the World Heritage bureau.

IUCN, (1988). The World Heritage Nomination and Technical Evaluation. Report to WWF. IUCN (1997) State of Conservation of

Natural World Heritage Properties.

Report prepared for the World Heritage Bureau, 21st session, UNESCO, Paris. 7pp. Spinage, C. (1976). CAF/72/010.

FAO Temporal, J-L. (1985). Report on the activities of the Manovo-Gounda St Floris Park. UNESCO World Heritage Committee (1997).

Report on the 20th Session of the World Heritage Committee UNESCO World Heritage Committee (1998). Report on the 21st Session of the World Heritage Committee UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2002). Report on the 25th Session of the World Heritage Committee http://www. unep-wcmc.

org/sites/wh/manovo. html. http://www. unesco. org/africa/portal/patrimoine/sites/475. htm