Recommendation 30
Africa’s Protected Areas

Africa is home to almost one third of the World’s terrestrial biodiversity and African governments have set aside and committed resources for more than 1,200 national parks, wildlife reserves, and other protected areas, representing an area of more than 2 million sq. km., equal to 9% of Africa’s total land area.

The commitment of African countries to conservation has also been expressed through their ratification of a number of agreements including the African Convention for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on Wetlands (= Ramsar Convention), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.

Nevertheless, one of the most important environmental challenges facing Africa today is the need to reconcile its development needs with sustainable management of its natural resources.

Throughout Africa poverty remains one of the main causes and consequences of environmental degradation and resource depletion therefore without significant improvement in the living standard and livelihoods of the poor, environmental policies and conservation programmes will achieve little success. This is further exacerbated by the negative effects of international trade policies and practices.

Moreover, the transboundary nature of natural resource deterioration requires a regional and collective approach in order to use most effectively the available resources to address this problem.

Today, we recognize that Africa’s biodiversity is part of our common world heritage and the international community must urgently increase collaboration to protect it before large numbers of species of flora and fauna become extinct and unique ecosystems irreversibly collapse.

Therefore, PARTICIPANTS in sessions related to Africa Day at the Vth World Parks Congress, in Durban, South Africa (8-17 September 2003):

1. ENDORSE the decision of the African Ministers Conference on Environment (AMCEN) meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, June 9-10, 2003, to adopt the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) environment action plan and to establish the African Protected Areas Initiative (APAI) and the African Protected Areas Trust Fund (APATF) to ensure that Africa’s biodiversity is securely conserved in perpetuity while contributing to livelihoods and economic development; and

2. RECOMMEND that the international community:

a. Along with national, local and non-governmental organizations, provide technical and financial resources to operationalize the African Protected Areas Initiative (APAI); and

b. Establish partnerships with African institutions and organizations to promote the objectives of the African Protected Areas Initiative (APAI).

3. RECOMMEND that bilateral, multilateral, private sector, and NGOs provide financial and technical support to capitalize the African Protected Areas Trust Fund (APATF).

4. ENDORSE AND SUPPORT the Durban Consensus on Africa’s Protected Areas in the New Millennium.

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