The Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC), the first ever continent-wide gathering of African leaders, citizens, and interest groups, is gathering in Kigali from Monday July 18 to July 23 to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature. Protected area is a geographical space, dedicated and managed for long term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural value. The congress will be attended by among others former African heads of state, ministers from different countries, heads of institutions, civil society, among others. Rwanda is hosting the conference in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) - the leading international conservation organization focused exclusively on Africas wildlife and wildlands. The gathering will also discuss financing for safeguarding Africa’s iconic wildlife, delivering vital life-supporting ecosystem services, promoting sustainable development while conserving Africa’s cultural heritage and traditions. Speaking exclusively to The New Times, Kaddu Sebunya, the CEO of AWF said that such a gathering was long overdue. “We are going to have discussions about understanding the protected areas, where they are, do we need them, because as conservationists we need to realize that we are going to lose some of them for Africa’s development and if so, which ones are we losing, among others,” Sebunya said. The congress will aim at positioning Africa’s protected and conserved areas within the broader goals of economic development and community well-being and to increase the understanding of the vital role parks play in conserving biodiversity and delivering the ecosystem services that underpin human welfare and livelihoods. Previously speaking on financing conservation Rwanda’s Minister for Environment, Jeanne D’arc Mujawamariya said: “The congress will be an opportunity to create a sustainable financing mechanism with particular focus on inclusiveness.” “It is an opportunity to chart a path for conserving natural capital. This must be done through strategic choices and investments driven by the best available knowledge and long-term thinking,” she said, adding the areas generate economic returns through eco-tourism and livelihoods. What is to be discussed at the congress? Among the topics to be discussed include reducing the impact of physical infrastructure on ecosystems and biodiversity in key African landscapes, building financial resilience for communities and their conserved areas, Science for Conservation in Africa with respect to rural men and women, Conflicts between farmers, pastoralists and wildlife and the interactions of climate change on people living adjacent to and within conserved areas. They also include Challenges and Opportunities for Protected and Conserved Areas, Unlocking the opportunities of biodiversity conservation in Africa, Impacts of COVID-19 and other pandemics in protected areas, investing in biodiversity by diversifying innovative financing models, supporting rangers for improved effectiveness of the protected areas management. The discussions will also focus on a climate resilient future for nature and people in and around protected areas in Africa among others. 1,200 protected areas face financing gap According to the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) there are over 1,200 national parks in Africa but they are not well managed due to financing gaps and this needs to be discussed at the congress in Kigali. “It requires $2.5 billion for these national parks in Africa but less than $500 million is currently allocated to run these parks. There is a gap. We need to run parks efficiently,” he said Launch of Nyandungu Ecotourism Park On Monday July 18, according to the ministry of environment, Edouard Ngirente, The Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda will officially launch Nyandungu Eco-Park. The 121-hectare park (70 hectares of wetland and 50 hectares of forest) features a medicinal garden, a Pope’s garden, five catchment ponds, three recreation ponds, an information centre, a restaurant as well as 10km of walkways and bike lanes. The park was restored within six years, is home to more than 62 local plant species and more than 100 bird species and is the first public recreational and touristic facility of its kind in Kigali. Rwanda has allocated 37.7 per cent of its land to conservation activities in part to maximise the economic benefits of nature-rich sites, according to Rwanda Development Board (RDB). Among the recent achievements included newly created Gishwati-Mukura National Park, which has been designated as a Unesco biosphere reserve. In 2016, Gishwati-Mukura was established as a legally protected area and the country’s fourth national park. Four years later, the landscape was named among the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by Unesco. Rwanda is planning to expand Volcanoes National Park due to its growing mountain gorilla population and vision for community livelihood improvement. A planned outlay of $255 million, the initiative will expand the park by approximately 23 per cent, increasing its size by 37.4 square kilometres or 3,740 hectares. The mountain gorilla population in the Virunga Massif has increased from 480 in 2010 to 604 as of June 2016.
