Conservation
There was a time when Central African Republic was given the epithet "an animal paradise". However, over the centuries, this situation changed even though several parks and reserves were created. As a result of uncontrolled poaching, the number of elephants dropped from 100,000 to less than 10,000 and the rhinoceros almost disappeared.
To conserve the rich wild life resources of the Central African Republic has therefore been a major issue of concern, in spite of establishing, with legal ordinances, national Parks, game reserves and so forth. The main reasons for this has been the vastness and impoverished status of the country as a whole. However, the effectiveness of wildlife crime law enforcement appears to be working now with the Central African Ministry of Water and Forests and the Central Police, with technical support from international environmental organizations such as WWF playing an effective role, to punish high-level traffickers with penal servitude and fines; a case cited is of a trafficker sentenced to a jail term of 6 months and a fine.
In the conservation efforts, WWF has persuaded the Baka, indigenous hunter-gatherers known as pygmies of Central African Republic to work for the conservation of the wild life in their homeland on which they subsisted. In a wild life reserve exclusively devoted to preserve the rights of the pygmies as also to prevent deforestation, bushmeat hunting and human migration, the Baka community has extended full cooperation and effective participation. By honouring the traditional rights of the community to fish, hunt and gather food, and also providing them alternate employment as trackers and park rangers with health care, and with income generated from ecotourism, there is an encouraging sign of elephant poaching figures showing drastic downward trend.
The forest department of Central African Republic has introduced new forest codes in 2008 to ensure better management of the forest resources on a sustainable basis to regulate and preserve the biodiversity by balancing the growth and employment requirements with due attention to check desertification. Under the new laws, border control inspectors with mobile squads to check the movement of lumber crossing the nation's borders, to enhance revenues from forestry with due cognisance of the forestry and wild life sources of the country have been introduced. A financial mechanism has also been introduced at a communal level for local management of funds.
Read more about this topic: Wildlife Of The Central African Republic
Famous quotes containing the word conservation:
“A country grows in history not only because of the heroism of its troops on the field of battle, it grows also when it turns to justice and to right for the conservation of its interests.”
—Aristide Briand (1862–1932)
“The putting into force of laws which shall secure the conservation of our resources, as far as they may be within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, including the more important work of saving and restoring our forests and the great improvement of waterways, are all proper government functions which must involve large expenditure if properly performed.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)