The United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said a €45 million
multi-partner programme has been launched to help African,
Caribbean and Pacific countries halt unsustainable wildlife
hunting.
The project also aims to help the nations conserve their
natural heritage, including their biodiversity, and strengthen
people's livelihoods and food security.
"Wildlife has ecological, social and economic value. It is
important for rural development, land-use planning, food supply,
tourism, scientific research and cultural heritage," said FAO
Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
"This programme will protect wildlife species, conserve
biodiversity, and maintain the essential ecological roles of
wildlife.
"It will also help to secure the stocks and ecosystems
services that are essential to the livelihoods of the poorest
communities on the planet".
Funded by the European Commission, the seven-year programme
is an initiative of the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of
States (ACP).
Led by FAO, it will also rely on the expertise of the Centre
for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the French
Agricultural Research Centre for International Development
(CIRAD) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The programme will contribute to the conservation and
sustainable use of wildlife in forests, savannas and wetlands by
regulating wildlife hunting, strengthening the management
capacities of indigenous and rural communities and increasing
the supply of sustainably produced meat products and farmed
fish.
This will help to avert a looming protein deficit for poor
rural families and meet the growing rural and urban demand for
food, the Rome-based UN agency said.
Participating countries in the project include Chad,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guyana, Madagascar, Mali,
Papua New Guinea, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Sudan, Zambia and
Zimbabwe.
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