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AFRICA
The African continent and its inhabitants face many challenges from lack of fresh water and food to political unrest and the AIDS epidemic. The major challenge for African conservationists today is to find ways to help local people reach a balance between economic development and environmental sustainability. Wildlife Trust's conservation projects are active in Ethiopia/Eritrea and Gabon.
Our strategy in Africa is shaped with the guidance of an internationally renowned conservation leader who has pioneered many important African conservation causes, Dr. Patricia Moehlman. Dr. Moehlman is the Chair of the IUCN/SSC Equid Specialist Group and is well respected for her work on jackals. Current conservation work and research is focused on the critically endangered African Wild Ass and other rare wild equids.
The West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) is the most endangered and least understood member of the manatee species. Wildlife Trust’s Edge of the Sea Aquatic Conservation Program is currently collaborating with the Wildlife Conservation Society to research this lesser known creature. The West African manatee is endemic to rivers, estuaries and lagoon systems of the African Atlantic coast, ranging from Mauritania to Angola. There are no recent estimates of abundance, and the impact of hunting and habitat destruction are poorly documented, but the trade in manatee bushmeat is well known in Gabon and elsewhere in West Africa. The global consensus is that the species is in need of urgent attention if remaining viable populations are to persist. |
