GREEN LEAF AWARD FOR ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT

Angolan conservation efforts were honored at the 7th World Wilderness Congress by the presentation of the Green Leaf Award to the Angolan government.

The award has only been presented by the United States-based WILD Foundation on two previous occasions– to China, and to the indigenous people of the Taymyr Peninsula in Russia.

The government and people of Angola were presented with the award in recognition of their “vision and perseverance in re-establishing and rehabilitating their national parks and wildlands,” says WILD Foundation director Vance Martin.

It was accepted on behalf of the Angolan government by Dr Alexandre Rodrigues, the Angolan ambassador to South Africa.

“Nature conservation represents a very important issue on the political agenda of the Angolan government,” says Dr Rodrigues.

In his acceptance speech at the congress, he said the government’s commitment to the environment dated back to 1977 when the first national conference on nature conservation was held in Luanda.

Despite ongoing war within the country, the government remained committed to conservation.

“Our government has ratified the RAMSAR Convention, the CMS Convention on marine turtles and the Memorandum of Abidjan for the conservation of marine turtles.

“The government is also in the process of reviewing and updating all national legislation relating to environmental protection and nature conservation, to sustain all the policies and programmes evolving in these areas.

“It is also putting the finishing touches to a national plan for the rehabilitation of the protected areas.”

The government is working with a number of non-governmental organisations, including the Kissama Foundation and the United 
Nations Development Programme.

A million dollars in funding has been provided through the Global Environment Facility (GEF).