Africa Protected Areas Congress
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Africa Protected Areas Congress
Subject: Environment
Section: Biodiversity
Context: The first-ever Africa Protected Areas Congress has convened in in Kigali, Rwanda to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature.
Content:
- A $200 billion trust fund has been initiated to conserve around 8,600 protected areas covering 26 million square kilometres in Africa.
- The trust was one of the many outcomes of the Africa Protected Areas Congress.
- Rwanda became the first country to commit to the trust.
- The concept for a Pan-African Conservation Trust was co-created by Anthropology of Social Change and Development (APAD)– international association working for social development, African Wildlife Foundation– conservation organization focussing on Africa’s wildlife and wildlands and IUCN.
- Conservationists have called for global contributions to it.
- The AWF head said global contributions to the fund were required as Africa was bearing the brunt of other countries’ actions.
Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC)
- The congress was the first continent-wide gathering of African leaders, citizens and interest groups.
- It was organised by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) from 18 to 23 July 2022.
- The overarching objective was to position 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.
- It explored on 3 thematic areas– Protected areas, People and
- It discussed upon the role of protected areas in conserving nature, safeguarding Africa’s iconic wildlife, delivering vital life-supporting ecosystem services, promoting sustainable development while conserving Africa’s cultural heritage and traditions.
- The congress culminated with the adoption of the Kigali Call to Action by the participants.
IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)
- IUCN’s WCPA is the world’s premier network of protected area expertise, administered by IUCN’s Global Programme on Protected Areas.
- WCPA works by helping governments and others plan protected areas and integrate them into all sectors; by providing strategic advice to policy makers; by strengthening capacity and investment in protected areas; and by convening the diverse constituency of protected area stakeholders to address challenging issues.
