WWF-UK: Africa
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Africa
Human beings first evolved on the African continent and thrived for many thousands of years as hunter-gatherers and later in some parts as herders and farmers. There may have been some changes in vegetation caused by the use of fire and by livestock, but in general the people lived in harmony with the land.
Today, African people and wildlife are facing many environmental and conservation problems linked to population increase and land resource use.
Some problems stem from farming methods, land clearing, urban development and exploitation of natural resources. European colonialists set aside huge areas to protect animals that were dying out because of excessive hunting (by Europeans) but the methods they used to manage the areas were often inappropriate and rarely took account of the needs of local people.
WWF and others are attempting to conserve biodiversity in Africa by selective conservation programmes with local community participation. The aim is to ensure that quality of life is sustainably maintained or improved.
Current threats & problems
Mountain gorilla
Europeans first saw these powerful apes at the beginning of the 20th century in central Africa. They live at altitudes of up to 3,500 metres in mountains on the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. They have probably never been very numerous but by the early 1980s fewer than 500 remained in the wild: hunting, capture for the zoo trade and loss of habitat had all taken their toll. Scientific study and publicity led to the establishment of the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Project, supported by WWF. This cooperative effort involving the government, international organisations and local people has raised considerable funds for conservation through controlled tourist visits to the mountains. The main threats to the gorillas are diseases, which they cannot fight, and the armed forces, which roam through their mountain home. Recently refugee camps resulting from the internal conflicts in the region have sprung up in the gorillas' habitat causing increased pressure on the gorillas and their habitat. Even more recently the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano, not only threatened the gorillas themselves, but destroyed much of the infrastructure and equipment of the International Gorilla Conservation Project in the area.
Goliath frog
This is probably the world's largest frog - it can grow to more than 30cm in length. It is only found in the fast-flowing streams of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea and now its numbers are declining because the rainforest around its breeding waters is being destroyed. This amazing frog is also threatened by people who hunt it for food, for private collections and for its skin.
African hunting dog
These tireless runners, known as the "painted wolves of Africa", are threatened with local extinctions in many parts of the continent where they were formerly widespread. These dogs require large areas of undisturbed land in which to hunt their antelope prey. Their numbers have been considerably reduced through persecution by animal herders, diseases transmitted from domestic dogs and through competition with lions and hyenas.
Black rhino
This animal was once widespread across Africa. Numbers have plummeted from more than 70,000 in the 1970's to less 2000 in 1990. Poaching is the main cause of this collapse in numbers. Poachers target the rhino for the value of its horn, which is sold for use in the handles of ceremonial Arabic daggers (Jambiyas) and for traditional oriental medicine. Prices of over £1000 per kilo can be paid for rhino horn.
Today the population is beginning to increase again in countries such as Kenya, South Africa and Namibia as a result of concentrated conservation efforts and at the turn of the millennium there were more than 2800.
In 1882 the white rhinoceros was thought to be extinct - but a few survived in southern Africa and now with the protection offered by reserves, it numbers more than 3,000.
Other threatened herbivores of Africa
Many African animal populations have suffered because of the impact of humans on the environment. The pygmy hippopotamus was once widespread but now is only found in a few scattered swamp forests in Nigeria and Liberia. The giant sable antelope in Angola was the last large mammal to be discovered in Africa and was hunted extensively for its long curved horn. The western race of giant eland is now reduced to small scattered populations and only survive in the Niokola Koba National Park in Senegal, in the Gashaka Gumti National Park in Nigeria and in a number of protected areas in northern Cameroon.
African birds
The dappled mountain robin, also known as the dapple-throat, is found only in a tiny 50km2 area of mountain forest in north-eastern Tanzania. Clearance of its forest home for farming is the main threat and less than 200 remain although it may also still exist in Mozambique. The African grey parrot is also threatened by habitat destruction and by capture for the pet trade as it is valued for its "talking" skills. Great birds of prey such as the African fish eagle and the Nubian vulture have all but disappeared in parts of the continent due to hunting and poisoning.
Nile crocodile
The demand for crocodile skins for bags and shoes, particularly in recent years, has contributed to the decline of this reptile throughout Africa. Numbers have recovered a little in some areas due to restrictions on hunting for trade but loss of habitat and disturbance by tourists visiting breeding areas cause additional threats. However, crocodiles remain widespread and are being successfully bred in crocodile farms.
Fish
The unique cichlid species of the African Rift Lakes, which include the tilapia family, are well known outside Africa as aquarium species. Their collection from the wild, and other threats in some lakes from introduced predators such as the Nile perch, has brought several populations to the brink of extinction. National Parks such as Lake Malawi, which include freshwater habitats, are supported by WWF.
Plants
Animals rely heavily on plants so maintaining floral habitat is crucial to the survival of virtually all animal species. Drought, war and grazing by goats have reduced the range of the wild variety of the yeheb nut bush to only four areas of Somalia and Ethiopia. This evergreen shrub was a traditional food for generations of nomads and is now being grown as a food crop.
Other threatened plants include the marsh rose, which was widely picked in South Africa because of its beauty, but now it is protected in reserves. On a wider scale the whole of the African rainforest is disappearing as a result of commercial logging and clearance for farming.
Wildlife of Madagascar
Madagascar, a large island off the east coast of Africa, contains many unique species which developed independently of those on mainland Africa. These species are particularly vulnerable because their numbers are small and if their habitat is destroyed they have nowhere else to go being surrounded by the sea. Many primates there are endangered, including the indris which is now restricted to a belt of rainforest. It is related to the lemurs, a group of animals found only on Madagascar. 30 species of lemurs are listed as endangered to some degree. Loss of food plants to the timber trade and general forest destruction are the main threats to these creatures. The angonoka, a large tortoise, is also in imminent danger of extinction because it was heavily collected for the pet trade.
What WWF is doing
Among projects supported by WWF are forest conservation and community development in Nigeria and Tanzania. We are also working on elephant and rhino conservation in the Selous Game Reserve and marine conservation in Tanzania. In Kenya there are projects on community conservation in wetland areas and land use management. Environmental education projects take place in Zambia and community-based natural resource management in Namibia.
WWF seeks to involve local people in managing and valuing protected areas - something we regard as crucial to our conservation efforts. Environmental education is also essential and we aim to ensure that trained personnel continue working efficiently long after their training has been completed.
Some problems stem from farming methods, land clearing, urban development and exploitation of natural resources. European colonialists set aside huge areas to protect animals that were dying out because of excessive hunting (by Europeans) but the methods they used to manage the areas were often inappropriate and rarely took account of the needs of local people.
WWF and others are attempting to conserve biodiversity in Africa by selective conservation programmes with local community participation. The aim is to ensure that quality of life is sustainably maintained or improved.
Current threats & problems
Mountain gorilla
Europeans first saw these powerful apes at the beginning of the 20th century in central Africa. They live at altitudes of up to 3,500 metres in mountains on the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. They have probably never been very numerous but by the early 1980s fewer than 500 remained in the wild: hunting, capture for the zoo trade and loss of habitat had all taken their toll. Scientific study and publicity led to the establishment of the Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Project, supported by WWF. This cooperative effort involving the government, international organisations and local people has raised considerable funds for conservation through controlled tourist visits to the mountains. The main threats to the gorillas are diseases, which they cannot fight, and the armed forces, which roam through their mountain home. Recently refugee camps resulting from the internal conflicts in the region have sprung up in the gorillas' habitat causing increased pressure on the gorillas and their habitat. Even more recently the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano, not only threatened the gorillas themselves, but destroyed much of the infrastructure and equipment of the International Gorilla Conservation Project in the area.
Goliath frog
This is probably the world's largest frog - it can grow to more than 30cm in length. It is only found in the fast-flowing streams of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea and now its numbers are declining because the rainforest around its breeding waters is being destroyed. This amazing frog is also threatened by people who hunt it for food, for private collections and for its skin.
African hunting dog
These tireless runners, known as the "painted wolves of Africa", are threatened with local extinctions in many parts of the continent where they were formerly widespread. These dogs require large areas of undisturbed land in which to hunt their antelope prey. Their numbers have been considerably reduced through persecution by animal herders, diseases transmitted from domestic dogs and through competition with lions and hyenas.
Black rhino
This animal was once widespread across Africa. Numbers have plummeted from more than 70,000 in the 1970's to less 2000 in 1990. Poaching is the main cause of this collapse in numbers. Poachers target the rhino for the value of its horn, which is sold for use in the handles of ceremonial Arabic daggers (Jambiyas) and for traditional oriental medicine. Prices of over £1000 per kilo can be paid for rhino horn.
Today the population is beginning to increase again in countries such as Kenya, South Africa and Namibia as a result of concentrated conservation efforts and at the turn of the millennium there were more than 2800.
In 1882 the white rhinoceros was thought to be extinct - but a few survived in southern Africa and now with the protection offered by reserves, it numbers more than 3,000.
Other threatened herbivores of Africa
Many African animal populations have suffered because of the impact of humans on the environment. The pygmy hippopotamus was once widespread but now is only found in a few scattered swamp forests in Nigeria and Liberia. The giant sable antelope in Angola was the last large mammal to be discovered in Africa and was hunted extensively for its long curved horn. The western race of giant eland is now reduced to small scattered populations and only survive in the Niokola Koba National Park in Senegal, in the Gashaka Gumti National Park in Nigeria and in a number of protected areas in northern Cameroon.
African birds
The dappled mountain robin, also known as the dapple-throat, is found only in a tiny 50km2 area of mountain forest in north-eastern Tanzania. Clearance of its forest home for farming is the main threat and less than 200 remain although it may also still exist in Mozambique. The African grey parrot is also threatened by habitat destruction and by capture for the pet trade as it is valued for its "talking" skills. Great birds of prey such as the African fish eagle and the Nubian vulture have all but disappeared in parts of the continent due to hunting and poisoning.
Nile crocodile
The demand for crocodile skins for bags and shoes, particularly in recent years, has contributed to the decline of this reptile throughout Africa. Numbers have recovered a little in some areas due to restrictions on hunting for trade but loss of habitat and disturbance by tourists visiting breeding areas cause additional threats. However, crocodiles remain widespread and are being successfully bred in crocodile farms.
Fish
The unique cichlid species of the African Rift Lakes, which include the tilapia family, are well known outside Africa as aquarium species. Their collection from the wild, and other threats in some lakes from introduced predators such as the Nile perch, has brought several populations to the brink of extinction. National Parks such as Lake Malawi, which include freshwater habitats, are supported by WWF.
Plants
Animals rely heavily on plants so maintaining floral habitat is crucial to the survival of virtually all animal species. Drought, war and grazing by goats have reduced the range of the wild variety of the yeheb nut bush to only four areas of Somalia and Ethiopia. This evergreen shrub was a traditional food for generations of nomads and is now being grown as a food crop.
Other threatened plants include the marsh rose, which was widely picked in South Africa because of its beauty, but now it is protected in reserves. On a wider scale the whole of the African rainforest is disappearing as a result of commercial logging and clearance for farming.
Wildlife of Madagascar
Madagascar, a large island off the east coast of Africa, contains many unique species which developed independently of those on mainland Africa. These species are particularly vulnerable because their numbers are small and if their habitat is destroyed they have nowhere else to go being surrounded by the sea. Many primates there are endangered, including the indris which is now restricted to a belt of rainforest. It is related to the lemurs, a group of animals found only on Madagascar. 30 species of lemurs are listed as endangered to some degree. Loss of food plants to the timber trade and general forest destruction are the main threats to these creatures. The angonoka, a large tortoise, is also in imminent danger of extinction because it was heavily collected for the pet trade.
What WWF is doing
Among projects supported by WWF are forest conservation and community development in Nigeria and Tanzania. We are also working on elephant and rhino conservation in the Selous Game Reserve and marine conservation in Tanzania. In Kenya there are projects on community conservation in wetland areas and land use management. Environmental education projects take place in Zambia and community-based natural resource management in Namibia.
WWF seeks to involve local people in managing and valuing protected areas - something we regard as crucial to our conservation efforts. Environmental education is also essential and we aim to ensure that trained personnel continue working efficiently long after their training has been completed.
