Abstract |
Angola is country of 1,2 million sq. km, situated on the west coast of Africa with a rich biodiversity, with ecosystems ranging from the desert of the Namib to the rainforests of Cabinda and to the vast wetlands of the upper Zambezi, Congo, Okavango and Cunene headwaters. Extensive miombo woodlands occupy 60% of the country, dominating the interior plateau at between 1000 to 2000 m altitude. Montane grasslands and relic Afro-montane forests occur along the endemic-rich escarpment and on the central highlands over 2000 m. After a protracted civil war for more of 20 years that disrupted the economic and social structure of the country, biodiversity conservation has not been a priority and is poorly documented. Additionally, one of the many long-term institutional impacts of the war has been the gradual loss of the capacity to conduct research, since the national universities failed to form a body of researchers qualified to conduct biodiversity studies or environmental monitoring. At the present time there is an effort to overcome the theoretical and methodological difficulties that led to low knowledge on biodiversity in Angola, its threats and changing trends. The country’s accession to the SASSCAL initiative, the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management, provided an unique opportunity for both establish a network of individuals and organizations able to assess and continuously monitor the country’s natural resources and integrate the regional network of biodiversity observatories. Since 2013 five standardized biodiversity observatories were established in the southwest region of the country: Tundavala (Huíla, Angolan Montane Forest Grassland Mosaic), Candelela (Cuando-Cubango, Zambezian Baikiaea Woodlands), Bicuar National Park (Huíla, Angolan Miombo Woodlands), Cussseque (Bié, Angolan Miombo Woodlands) and Espinheira at Iona National Park (Namibe, Kaokeveld desert). This presentation will be focusing on the first results of the monitoring activities that started 3 years ago, and on the opportunities for expansion of the observatories to the northern region of the country. |
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