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DAY 3 - WORKING SESSIONS- 7TH NOVEMBER 2001

Today the Congress programme included a main plenary session addressing the issues of wilderness and wildlife in Africa. more...

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DAY 3 - WORKING SESSIONS

Edward Posey (Gaia Foundation, UK) and Dr Wangari Mathaai (Green Belt Movement, Kenya)

Within the morning sessions the issue of wilderness and sustainability was discussed, introduced through a short presentation by Mr. Michael Sweatman, Chairman of the WILD foundation. He mentioned two important factors to consider; the inclusion of local people into the venture and sufficient economic interest in order to allow for long term economic gain. It was argued that both could be achieved through eco-tourism, and keeping areas as wilderness, rather than consumptive activities such as the bushmeat trade, logging or mining.

Mr. Malcolm McCulloch discussed the need to consider business capabilities, within the context of the end goal, before venturing into sustainable tourism. He cited examples from Ndumo and Rocktail Bay. Rocktail Bay focuses on international tourists where the community is a shareholder in the eco-tourism venture and is thus involved in the ups and downs of the venture. Ndumo, on the other hand, with a community of 22,000 depending on eco-tourism, attracts a specific type of tourist, for example birdwatchers, and is currently going through some difficulties.

Dr Kasren Ross (Conservation International, Southern Africa)

This was followed by a presentation from Dr. Simon Metcalfe and Mr Nesbert Samu of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) about the Four Corners initiative of tourism, ecology and community. During this presentation the balance between wildlife, tourism, sustainable development and human-wildlife interactions was considered. It was highlighted that AWF can measure sustainable wildlife, community and tourism using the following indicators: predators, disease, endangered and human-wildlife interactions. AWF also has support networks in place to rapidly deploy staff and support to various sites in order to allow communities and their development to live in harmony with wildlife.

Four Corners is a three-year project funded by USAID. It facilitates regional co-operation of the management of shared natural resources between Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana. At a later stage, if all goes well, it could also incorporate Angola as a 'fifth' corner. This would extend the initiative to 260,000km2, anchored by several protected areas that are linked through community areas along the Zambezi River. An important wildlife tourism industry already exists and the region also contains Victoria Falls, which attracts a large number of tourists annually. Currently, 10 corridors between the four countries have been identified for use as migratory paths for species including elephants, zebra and wilder beast and an ecological monitoring system is in place. Important trans-boundary work needs to be considered, with communities and the cultural landscape being central to this. From a tourism perspective, it is possible to view this region as one destination made up of four countries each offering a different African experience. This talk highlighted the considerations for Trans-Frontier Conservation Areas (TFCA's) to be successful so that all stakeholders gain - communities, business, wildlife and wilderness.

Kirstin Miller, from EcoCities, examined future cities and the fate of wilderness. During this presentation, Kirstin focused on how future cities should be planned, so that the infrastructure could incorporate wilderness. Sprawling cities currently impact on nature by cutting off migration routes and can isolate populations by acting as a barrier. She mentioned that future cities should incorporate corridors for wildlife. The NGO EcoCities 'Heart of the City' project tries to facilitate cities to "move away from a dangerous, noisy, polluting, disharmonious, automobile infrastructure towards a pedestrian, transit-friendly, environmentally-sound place that would fuel environmentally-friendly market economy, allowing for ecologically healthy practices, policies and ordinances". The overall mission would be to explore the ways in which the built environment could be restructured in order to create a healthy system in balance with its local bioregion and the planet.

Mr. Marcellin Agnagna

The most powerful presentation today (and in fact for me throughout the whole congress!) was the talk by Dr. Michael Fay and Mr. Marcellin Agnagna about the recently completed Mega-transect and African wilderness. During this presentation, both speakers highlighted the diversity present in the Congo basin. Dr. Fay detailed the mega-transect, a trail on foot that took 15 months and covered 1,200 miles, 2000km, which started in central Africa and crossed to the Atlantic coast in west Gabon. Throughout the 15 months, Fay compiled biological data through videos and photographs on the untouched wilderness, in order to help understand and conserve the Congo basin. He found many 'bais', clearings in the forest around water sources, until recently not known about in the West. These harboured large populations of elephants, who keep the clearings open and western lowland gorillas. Unfortunately, logging concessions over the next two to three years could bring about the destruction of the Langoué forest that Dr. Fay is fighting to have protected as a National Park.

Dr. Michael Fay

Many questions were asked after the presentation as to what people could do now to help protect this area. A further meeting later that evening, involving all interested delegates, met with Dr. Fay to work out how collaborative efforts could contribute to raising $3.5 million to secure the pristine Langoué forest as part of a wilderness area. For further information on how you can help and support this campaign, please go to www.savethecongo.org . Further information on Dr. Fay's mega-transect trail can be found on www.nationalgeographic.com/congotrek.

by
Stella Norcup
Senior keeper, Gorilla section, Jersey Zoo, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

WEDNESDAY, 7 NOVEMBER

07:30 Registration opens, Boardwalk Tsitsikamma Conference Centre

08:30 -- 10:30 Wilderness and the Issue of Sustainability
Chair - Mr Michael Sweatman (Chairman, The WILD Foundation)

08:30 - 09:45 Part 1:
Local Communities and Sustainable Tourism
Mr Malcolm McCulloch - (Ndumo and Rocktail Bay) Sustainable Tourism in Practice
Simon Metcalf and associate (African Wildlife Foundation) The Four Corners Initiative

09:45 - 10:30 Part 2:
Sustainable Urban Centres:
Ms Kirstin Miller (EcoCities, USA)
Future Cities and the Fate of Wilderness: Balance by Design 
Industry and Sustainability:
Global Sustainability - Unilever's Corporate Mission

10:30 - 10:45 Eastern Cape Cultural Show Case 

10:45 - 11:15 Refreshments

11:15 - - 12:30 Megawilderness - Part II
Dr Michael Fay (Smithsonian Institution) and Mr Marcellin Agnagna (Congo) 
The Mega-Transect and African Wilderness

12:30 - 2:00 Lunch 

1:30 - 4:45 Technical Session:
Science and Stewardship to Protect and Sustain Wilderness Values (Dr Alan Watson, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute)
Wilderness of the Mind and Spirit (Mr Bill Petrie)
Earth Jurisprudence (The Gaia Foundation)

2:00 - 4:00 Afternoon workshop 
The Sierra Club Model Mr Bruce Hamilton 
Sustainable Tourism- Africa - Mr Michael Sweatman 

2:00 - 4:00 Film Festival - screening of short listed films

4:30 - 6:00 Indaba - Open Council Dr John Hendee, Ms Marilyn Riley

Dinner on your own

7:30 - 9:00 International Environmental Film Festival
Screening of Winners - Best of Show
7:30 - 9:00 Wrap-Up Technical Session:
Science and Stewardship to Protect and Sustain Wilderness Values (Dr Alan Watson, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute)