'or the importance of developmental conservation in Africa gen- 

 erally. 



I am very grateful for the opportunity to testify because I have 

 been working at the State Department in a new job with the Bu- 

 reau of Oceans, Environment and Science helping design an envi- 

 ronmental policy framework for Africa that will embody the goals 

 and objectives which have been posted by the new administration. 

 Because when it was said that environment would be a major pol- 

 icy objective, people at our Embassiessort of looked around and 

 said, "Oh, that is very interesting, but what do we do next? 

 Where's the beef?" 



And in fact, what I am discovering is that although this is a dif- 

 ficult time to get new money for anything, first of all, there is a 

 lot that is going on out already. There is a wealth of activities by 

 the private sector, private voluntary organizations. And if you put 

 it all together, it already adds to important U.S. presence, in addi- 

 tion to our mainstream aid programs. 



Something that tends to get overlooked is that there are dedi- 

 cated Africans all over the continent, sometimes working under 

 conditions of extraordinary hardship, who really believe in promot- 

 ing sound environmental policy, I do not think it is something that 

 the North is imposing on the South. I think it is something that 

 is perceived as a good and a necessary thing to be doing by people 

 like Dr. Diakite and there are thousands more like them in Africa. 



Later today, Amy Vedder from Wildlife Conservation Inter- 

 national is going to be testifying about some of the work they have 

 been doing with people in Zaire, a country which has almost ceased 

 to exist from a governmental point of view, and where AID has had 

 to pull out because of the economic and political situation; and, yet, 

 were people are carrying on with projects in eastern Zaire in a way 

 that demonstrates total dedication on their part. And certainly, one 

 of the things we need to do in all of our activities is to try to iden- 

 tify these people and support them. 



I have some written testimony here. I certainly do not want to 

 read all of it. The main thrust of it Mr. Chairman, is very similar 

 to what you have said in your opening statement. 



I begin by saying the African continent is simply to vast, and its 

 proportion of the world's population, area and biological resources 

 is too great for it to be left in the margins of our environmental 

 concerns. I go on to say, again what you said, that nowhere else 

 is there such an immediate and compelling overlap between envi- 

 ronmental progress and economic development. 



Better management and sustainable development of land and 

 forest is going to lead directly to improved living conditions for Af- 

 rica's often impoverished rural majority. The conservation of wild- 

 life is already a major source of ecotourism income in some coun- 

 tries, and certainly has the potential elsewhere. 



Protecting forests and forest elephants in northern Congo, as 

 AID is doing, will help the Republic of Congo — which unfortunately 

 is going through another political crisis as we speak — to develop a 

 new tourist industry and avoid the rapid depletion of an otherwise 

 irreplaceable timber resource. 



The same thing holds true in Mali where I was. Helping villagers 

 to manage their forests and practice family planning will, by reduc- 



