Gabon Sets Example for Conservation in Africa, Experts Say

Bongo's Administration praised at Congressional hearing

Washington -- U.S. officials and a prominent conservationist have publicly hailed President Omar Bongo and the government of Gabon for their recent efforts in creating a series of parks to protect valuable rain forest threatened by the chainsaws and bulldozers of industry and private developers.

Speaking at a March 11 House Africa Subcommittee hearing that reviewed the conservation efforts being undertaken in the Congo River Basin, one of Africa's largest tropical rain forests, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner had high praise for the efforts of President Bongo and Gabon.

"Gabon," he told lawmakers, "announced the creation of 13 national parks, which encompass ten percent of Gabon's land area, and the Gabonese government is cooperating closely with the U.S. government and environmental organizations to protect its natural heritage."

Such partnerships may not "immediately produce flourishing democracies," Kansteiner said, "but they can serve as hopeful and empowering examples that can radiate well beyond the realm of conservation" and Gabon is in the forefront of such efforts.

Africa Subcommittee Chairman Ed Royce (Republican of California) began the discussion noting, "The most dramatic move toward conserving Congo River Basin forests has been taken by Gabon" and its President Bongo when he recently made "his landmark declaration of a new national park system."

Gabon's move was part of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), an initiative to create conservation areas or parks launched last September by the U.S. Government involving six African nations: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of Congo.

Turning to Kansteiner, Royce asked: "Of the six countries in the Congo Basin, which has made the most conservation efforts so far?" The U.S. official responded: "The one [country] that is clearly the most poised to be a full, complete and immediate partner would be Gabon."

The other five African nations, Kansteiner told lawmakers, are "all very eligible" for the $53 million, five-year conservation partnership. However, "Some are more ready to receive that partnership and do more with it than others."

Picking out Equatorial Guinea as a partner member, Royce asked, "Is that country using its new found oil wealth to increase conservation at all?" Kansteiner responded: "I haven't seen any sign of that. But I think that is one of the challenges we have in front of us. As we hope to open up a new mission there, that will definitely be one of our priorities."

Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, International Environmental and Scientific Affairs John Turner told the Africa Subcommittee he was also enthused about the success of the new program, in part, because "we are impressed with the leadership of President Bongo" in the conservation area.

Noted biologist and conservationist Michael Fay, who recently gained worldwide recognition for his epic 440-day journey by foot across the Congo River Basin, also spoke at the hearing. His trek, which was highlighted and publicized via the pictures he took and broadcast via satellite to an Internet website, was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Wildlife Conservation Society and the National Geographic Society.

In his remarks to the Subcommittee, Fay said President Bongo was in the forefront of "a new approach to development for Gabon based on conserving nature [and] rational resource use."

The scientist and explorer said, "These ideas have been embraced by the Gabonese Government and in short order we have seen historic action on their part with the signature of 13 national park 'decrets' protecting 10.8% of the country, over 7.5 million acres."

For the U.S. part, Fay told the lawmakers, "In order for this action to become permanent we cannot fail in our commitment to help Gabon put in infrastructure and management systems in parks, work to build capacity for management, work closely with logging companies in management programs, help change land-use practices and improve the benefits for local people."

To support that level of effort, Fay recommended an "appropriation of $15 million a year for the CBFP program to be funded for a period of ten years."

Turning to politics, Chairman Royce used Kansteiner's presence to publicly commend the Bush administration for its recent extension of sanctions against Robert Mugabe's oppressive regime in Zimbabwe. It was a good idea, he said, "to block all property and interest in property of 73 individuals whose actions and policies have undermined Zimbabwe's democratic institutions."

Royce also referred to the case of Charles Brumskine, a Liberian living in America who returned to his homeland and is now being harassed by Charles Taylor's regime and "denied the right to leave Liberia based on some bureaucratic pretense." The chairman said, "I trust, Assistant Secretary Kansteiner, that we are keeping a watchful eye on this case."

The lawmaker tied in his criticism of Taylor with the hearing saying, "Charles Taylor is engineering the environmental destruction in the last significant forest in that region in West Africa and that is the clear-cutting of the Liberian Forest, which is unconscionable."

Kansteiner responded: "The clear-cutting of the timber you referred to is [destruction of] a resource that Charles Taylor should not be allowed" to have control of. And he added the U.S. Government would "be supportive" of a move to get the United Nations to bring sanctions against Taylor to prevent the further denuding of Liberia's remaining tropical forest.