The role of wildlife and protected areas in the sustainable development of Africa 



The Commission took note of the outcome of the 1 7* Session of the Working Party on Wildlife 

 Management and Protected Areas, endorsed its recommendations and agreed to the inclusion of wildlife 

 in its mandate. It ftirther recommended that the terms of reference and mandate of the Working Party be 

 revised in order to be operationally simplified and increase its relevance for the Commission. 



Strategies and approaches to address human-vt'ildlife conflicts: The Commission was informed of 

 different strategies and approaches for the management of human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) and 

 discussed the severity of it and its impact on food security. 



Wildlife resources, food security and poverty alleviation: The Commission acknowledged that 

 wildlife is not adequately addressed in poverty reduction strategies and that the economic value of this 

 sub-sector is not well documented. It requested FAO and partners to assist countries in their efforts to 

 document the value which wildlife brings to the local, national and regional economies. 



Multilateral environmental agreements related to wildlife and protected areas in Africa: The 



Commission was informed of various multilateral environmental agreements and called for an 

 integrated approach to wildlife and protected area management through programmes under conventions 

 and with international organisations. 



Partnerships to promote sustainable wildlife and protected areas management in Africa: FAO 



was invited by the Commission to form partnerships with environmental organisations in order to apply 

 its knowledge in agriculture, forestry, wildlife and fisheries at the local level, to support local 

 communities as well as to ensure that derived benefits are equitably shared. Countries were advised to 

 review their policy and legislation accordingly. 



Improving communication and information exchange: The Commission took note of FAO's work in 

 information dissemination on wildlife and protected area management in Africa, particularly through 

 the regional magazine Nature & Faune. 



Forests and climate change in Africa and the Near East 



The Commissions recommended that FAO and other members of the Collaborative Partnership on 

 Forests (CPF) continue and increase their cooperation in forests and climate change. They further call 

 upon FAO to organize regional workshops to share information and exchange experiences on forests 

 and climate change, facilitate regional and sub-regional cooperation; and, while recognizing variability 

 among their programmes, to develop unified approaches and positions. Furthermore, the Commissions 

 requested FAO to assist member countries in their effort to mainstream Climate Change within their 

 national forest programs. 



Forests and Water Resources in Africa and the Near East 



The Commissions recommended that (i) linkages between forests and water resources be studied 

 fiirther; (ii) integrated management of water and trees be encouraged, including incorporating forestry 

 in the watershed management plans; and (iii) innovative mechanisms, including payments for 

 environmental services, need to be put in place to ensure efficient and sustainable water, trees and 

 forests management, using the likes of the Fouta Djallon Hoghland Integrated Management 

 Programmes as an example; and (iv) recommended that FAO assist member countries to implement 

 the voluntary guidelines. ; 



Nature & Faune Vol. 23, Issue 1 63 



