We are extremely honored to be partnering with the African Union (AU) on this event, said African Wildlife FoundationCEO Dr. Patrick Bergin who chaired the event. The discussion builds on our collaboration with the AU on its New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and on AWFs Sustainable Economic Resources for Africa (SERA) initiative, which promotes an agenda of policy, legislative and institutional recommendations based on the principles and lessons of AWFs African Heartlands Program.

The event, held at the South African Embassy, was kicked off by H.E. Welile Nhlapo, Ambassador of South Africa, who emphasized the role of enhanced governance and greater cross-country collaboration on conservation and sustainability.

In South Africa, we say everything is possible, said Ambassador Nhlapo, setting the tone for the rest of the presentations.

H. E. Amina S. Ali of Tanzania, head of the AU mission to the United States introduced the history of Africa Environment Day, established by the Africa Council of Ministers in 2002, and outlined initiatives focusing on ecological sustainability across the continent.

Representing the United States, Mr. Phillip Carter, U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, touched on recent U.S. initiatives to support ecological sustainability in Africa and emphasized the United States continuing commitment to helping developing countries transition to low-carbon economies. One of our goals is to help African nations conserve their resources, which mitigates causes of instability, he said.

The connection between poverty reduction and conservation emerged early as a consistent theme. By benefiting directly from conservation programs, local people have incentive to protect the natural assets they live with, creating economies based on renewing rather than destroying natural resources.

Mr. Franklin Moore, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau of Africa for the U.S. Agency for International Development, described how his agency had a long history of supporting conservation efforts and partnerships in Africa.

After the thematic presentations, panelists presented case studies, which ranged from the creation of the national park system in Gabon, to the recovery of Rwandas tourism sector and its continuing ecological challenges, to the issue of balancing large-scale development projects with ecological sustainability in Tanzania, to the devastating effects of Liberias civil war, which left 250,000 people dead and gutted the countrys natural resources.

“If there was any good thing to come out of the war it is that we are at ground zero. Everything is broken, but we can build from scratch and make it right,” said H.E. Milton Nathaniel Barnes, Ambassador of Liberia.

In Rwanda, where tourism has rebounded since the genocide, continuing challenges include soil erosion, misuse of marshlands, and heavy dependence on wood for fuel and cooking. In Rwanda, a small country that has the highest population density in Africa, you can see this has huge consequences, said H.E. James Kimonyo, Ambassador of Rwanda.

All the presenters emphasized the responsibility of leaders and the importance of good governance in securing Africas natural wealth. The decision to set aside 10 percent of the country as protected areas was viewed as very courageous; Gabon would lose revenue from mining, logging and other development, said Mireille Obame Nguema Moore, who was speaking on behalf of the ambassador.

H.E. Ombeni Sefue, Ambassador of Tanzania, further illustrated the challenge of balancing human well-being with ecological sustainability. As work to tap Tanzanias waterfalls for hydroelectric power got underway, scientists discovered that a rare and tiny toad depended on these running waters to survive. To protect the toad the country had to modify its plans and scale back its use of the new power plants.

How do you explain that to people? Ambassador Sefue asked. That they cant have energy because we have to save these tiny toads. While pointing out the grave human dilemma at the heart of this question, the ambassador conveyed a personal sense of awe at the existence of the toads, drawing laughter from the audience.

Approximately 100 people attended the event, gathering afterward for a reception. The major international conservation NGOs belonging to the Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group (ABCG), including AWF, Conservation International, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the Jane Goodall Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, World Resources Institute and World Wildlife Fund. hosted informational tables at the event to share information about their field conservation programs and partnershipsin Africa.

(Story adapted fromAfrican Wildlife Foundation(AWF) news article (www.awf.org).Special thanks to AWF forsharing this information and for their role in chairing this important partnership event.)