2023-09-01 19:49:56
The Director General of Unesco called on Friday for the strengthening of the action of the international community in favor of the great apes because, she said, their situation remains critical.
“The world situation of the great apes is critical. The action of the international community must be strengthened as soon as possible if we want to prevent certain species from disappearing forever”, insisted Audrey Azoulay at the end of a visit of three days in Rwanda.
“The protection of these cousins of human beings, from whom only 2% of DNA separates us, is a collective responsibility,” she said. “All countries are called upon to play their part, and in the first place the most developed countries by strengthening the mechanisms of solidarity with regard to countries which shelter great apes, in particular in Africa”.
She launched her appeal while visiting the Unesco Volcanoes Biosphere Reserve in Rwanda, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
“We see in Rwanda that species conservation succeeds when local communities are placed at the heart of the conservation strategy”, she stressed, adding that biodiversity protection measures should “go hand in hand with that meet the needs of these local communities”.
UNESCO recalls that the population of the mountain gorilla had been decimated during the 20th century due to deforestation, poaching and the transmission of diseases by humans. But the organization notes that the joint efforts of national authorities, local communities, NGOs and UNESCO “have made it possible to redress the situation” over the past four decades.
From 250 of these gorillas in 1980, today there are more than a thousand living in the wild, spread over three countries. The reserve of Rwanda, the impenetrable forest of Bwindi (Uganda) and the park of Virunga (DRC) shelter alone more than 80% of the listed mountain gorillas.
Worldwide, more than 30 UNESCO sites are home to great apes.
This article has been published automatically. Sources: ats / afp
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