African extinction

The destruction of nature, the massive killing of protected animals and other damage to biodiversity in Africa in recent years may worsen due to the deterioration of the global economic situation

Following the conference in Barcelona where it was announced that A quarter of the mammal species are endangered, it is worth mentioning that one of the least affected continents (yet) is Africa. The continent has a rich biological diversity that is not damaged, or at least it was until the last decades.

In addition to this, in African countries the most convenient and best accessibility for those who want to experience nature at its best, rich and famous nature reserves allow the traveler a close encounter with plants, birds, mammals and others in their (almost) undisturbed natural environment.

At least that's how it was... the situation is changing for the worse.

The sources of the longest river in the world - the Nile - are getting polluted and drying up, human populations are suffering and wildlife is dwindling. In Botswana, fires are consuming vast pastures and once again the people are suffering and the wildlife is dying. The biggest damage is as a result of poaching and deforestation. Following the harvesters came the wild hunter, after the plants were destroyed the animals were destroyed.

Among the branches of the global "black" trade, after weapons, drugs and women, the illegal trade in biological products, wild animals (and their parts) and "hard" trees occupies a "respectable" place and is in fourth place. In the last decade, the demand for "products" is increasing every day. Wildlife poaching in Africa is considered the greatest threat that can lead to extinction: elephants, buffaloes, tigers, rhinos, gorillas and other animals are hunted in quantities that put them in ever greater danger.

The prestigious demand for elephant tusks, rhinoceros horns, tiger skins and game meat leads the hunter and the trade to an "improving" level that those involved manage to escape the hands of nature conservation authorities. The demand for plant products that originate in Africa: species of aloe, cycads, hodia and others that are used in the cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical industry is doubling and tripling, endangering the existence of the plants, so is the demand for hardwood products - habaneh, mahogany and others, a demand that to satisfy huge areas of forests are cut down and destroyed.

In 1994, a number of African countries came together and drafted a treaty whose purpose is to cooperate in preventing the "black" trade in wild animals and plants (Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora). A united front for the war against nature criminals was established by countries from East and South Africa. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, were among the first to sign, the joining of Congo and Rwanda is important because in their territory lives the only population of mountain gorillas, a population of about 720 individuals. Recently, a call went out to other African countries to join the convention and act to protect flora and fauna from the black trade.

The Ministers of the Environment and Tourism in Kenya and Uganda are calling for harsh treatment of poachers and traders, and indeed in Uganda and Kenya heavy penalties are imposed, not so in other countries where bribes and bribes "oil" the path to extinction. And so even though many African countries are members of the Convention in Trade on Endangered Species (CITES), the enforcement is insufficient, and despite the Lusaka Convention from 1994 the numbers of killings remained the same as in 1990.

According to the data, 20,000 elephants are hunted every year to satisfy the demand for ivory, a demand that is mainly in China, the US and Japan. The value of the ivory trade is about 20 million dollars. Added to this is the trade in rhinoceros horns, hippopotamus teeth, gorillas, monkeys, skins of tigers, zebras, cheetahs and giraffes, turtle shells, corals, snakes, crocodiles, birds and many other species are traded, at a rough estimate a trade that generates about 120 million dollars.

The greater demand is in the Chinese market, since the Chinese are active in the whole of Africa in the development of infrastructure, industry and agriculture, it is relatively easy for the Chinese to engage in the black trade in biological diversity and many conservationists in Africa are worried about the Chinese encroaching on the continent.

In order to withstand the outbreak, to stop the destruction of African biodiversity, international cooperation is needed, cooperation that means money to be directed to the establishment of police units, to the maintenance of existing units and their equipment, money to be paid to inspectors (who were hunters), communication and transportation systems, all of which cost a lot of money , money that African governments are not always willing to set aside. Until today, most of the preservation and conservation activities depended on associations and countries outside of Africa, the need for increased budgets encountered a new situation.

The deterioration of the global economic situation is already harming the environment, budgets are diverted and directed to "immediate economic goals" goals that directly and indirectly harm the environment and nature. Research is halted due to a lack of budget, as is preservation and conservation activity, governments are pressuring suppliers and manufacturers to extract more minerals and products from the environment, populations that are near important centers - reserves, lakes, beaches will receive less support, small traders who make a living from eco-tourism will generate less profits, small farmers will lack central help , there is a fear that this situation will push them to damage their environment by hunters, logging, etc.,

And again in connection with the economic discrimination that may awaken and enlighten the negativity in the consumption culture, and the worship of capital, much has been written about the economic advantage of preserving the environment, so it can be hoped that enlightenment will overcome the ignorance and bodies and governments will understand the need and the moral and economic importance of preserving a natural environment.

As is known, the origin of the genus Homo is from Africa. Perhaps, under the influence of the increasing risk to African biodiversity, the species "Homo economicus" will return to act as Homo sapiens.

Because the time has come that instead of controlling the environment for the sake of the human population, there will be control of the human population for the sake of the environment.

• The large animals in Africa are dwindling
• Useful trees in Africa