| Angola | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo | |||||||||||||||
| National websites | The Official Website of Angola | |||||||||||||||
| Embassy / Chancery in U.S. | Embassy
of the Republic of Angola
1615 M Street, NW Suite 900 Washington, DC 20036 Telephone: (202) 785-1156 Fax: (202) 785-1258 E-mail: angola@angola.org |
|||||||||||||||
| Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation | Ministry of the Fisheries and the Environment | |||||||||||||||
| Non-governmental organizations concerned with conservation | The Kissama Foundation: Founded in 1996 by a group of South African and Angolans. Its main concerns are the rehabilitation of Angola's national parks (most importantly, the Quicama National Park) and the conservation of Angola's natural resources. | |||||||||||||||
| Major Natural Resources | Angola's main agricultural products include bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, and plantains. Angola is Sub Saharan Africa's second largest oil producer, behind Nigeria. Most of its crude oil production is located offshore Cabinda, but reserves can be found onshore in Soyo, in the Kwanza Basin north of Luanda (capital) and offshore on the north coast. Angola has natural gas reserves estimated to be 1.7 trillion cubic feet. | |||||||||||||||
| Major Environmental and Conservation Issues | Some of the major environmental issues Angola is facing are desertification, the overuse of pastures (a result of the country's increasing population), and the resulting soil erosion. Soil erosion complicates matters further by contributing to water pollution and the build-up of dams and rivers. Angola's tropical rain forests are also being deforested in order to satisfy the international demand for tropical timber and the domestic need for fuel. Such deforestation, occurring at a rate of 440 square km a year, leads to the loss of biodiversity. Poaching in woodland areas and tree burning are serious concerns. In addition, many of Angola's endemic species are being overhunted and receive no protection while its protected area system is failing. Many of these problems or conditions have resulted from the country's bouts with civil war and its concentration on defense. Food, water, and housing shortages and inadequate waste management are also key issues | |||||||||||||||
| Statistics | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Land area | 1,246,700 sq km |
|
||||||||||||||
| Area of forest | 23,194 ha |
Angola at a Glance |
||||||||||||||
| Area of wetlands | Wetlands of International Importance: 0 ha |
|
||||||||||||||
| Area of territorial waters | water:
0 sq km
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 20 nm |
|
||||||||||||||
| Population | 10,864,512 (July 1998 est.) |
|
||||||||||||||
| Population Density | 8.7 persons per sq km | |||||||||||||||
| Area protected (ha) (only areas >1000ha) at all IUCN levels | 2,641,00 ha |
|
||||||||||||||
| Fraction of land area protected (%) | 2.1% |
|
||||||||||||||
| Major Protected Areas |
|
|||||||||||||||
| Endemic Species |
|
|||||||||||||||
| Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable Species |
|
|
||||||||||||||
| Extinct Species |
|
|
||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix I |
|
|||||||||||||||
| Species listed on CITES Appendix II |
|
|||||||||||||||
| Legislation | ||||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered or threatened species | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Laws protecting endangered ecosystems | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to CITES | Ratified | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention | No | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity | Ratified | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty | No | |||||||||||||||
| Member of International Whaling Commission | No | |||||||||||||||
| Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources | Party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS) and has ratified the international treaties dealing with climate change and ozone protection. | |||||||||||||||
| Natural Resource Use | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Fisheries | Though there aren't exact numbers available, the fishing industry contributes a substantial amount to Angola's GDP. The average annual marine catch from 1991 to 1993 was 69,800 metric tons while the average freshwater catch over the same period was 7,000 metric tons. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Forestry / deforestation | From 1980 to 1990, deforestation in its natural forest area was occurring at a rate of 174 ha a year while its plantation forests were being deforested at a rate of 120 ha a year. The 1993 average for roundwood production was 5,509,000 cubic meters. 1,900 cubic meters of roundwood were exported at a value of $US 550,000. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Ecotourism | The Angolan government is focusing on the tourism potential of its national parks, total reserves, special reserves, partial reserves, and hunting areas. Its top priorities are the tourist development of that National Park of Kissama, the development of that National Park of Iona, and the development of the Water Falls. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Trade in wildlife products | Poaching for elephant tusk and rhino horn has caused populations to plummet | The Fight for Survival: Four Decades of Conserving Africa’s Rhinos | ||||||||||||||
| Hunting | War refugees, such as the Sekele Khwe, rely primarily on hunting and gathering. In addition, there are hunting areas that are popular tourist attractions. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Other uses of natural resources | Oil accounts for 42% of Angola's GDP and 90% of its total exports. Crude oil provides more than 80% of government revenue and it is expected that production will increase from 637,000 bpd (1995 average) to 700,000 bpd by 2000. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Human Impacts on Natural Resources | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Air pollution | Carbon emissions per capita in Angola is 0.3 metric tons, compared to the U.S. whose carbon emissions per capita is 5.5 metric tons. Atmospheric air pollution is caused by the mining activities, particularly that conducted for the extraction of diamonds. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Water pollution | Water pollution is a major environmental issue in Angola. 69% of urban areas have access to clean water while 15% of rural areas have access. Moreover, 26% of urban areas have access to sanitation services while the percentage is 9 for rural areas. Water pollution is also caused by the rerouting of rivers for the mining of diamonds, one of Angola's most valuable major natural resources. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Development activities | The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), along with the United Nation's Department of Humanitarian Assistance is providing relief to Angola and aims to promote sustainable human development. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Introduced species | Several fish species, such as tilapia, have been introduced into Angola from Hungary and the Congo. The Angolan government has introduced these species for aquaculture or fishery uses. The socioeconomic and ecological effects are unknown. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Legislation addressing these issues | In May 1997, the Council of Ministers approved a draft law of the environment, which will be presented before the National Assembly for ratification. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Restoration and Reintroduction | Information Sources | |||||||||||||||
| Programs for restoration of damaged habitat | Following the UN Environment Program (UNEP) "Clean Up the World" campaign, the government has initiated a "Clean Up Angola" campaign that will be held every year, from September 19-21. Angola has also agreed with the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Nations (CPLP) to form an environmental observatory jointly. |
|
||||||||||||||
| Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species | Angola is establishing a program to search for wildlife, whose numbers may have been reduced due to the destruction caused by 20 years of civil war. Animals like elephants were often killed by landmines, hunters, and hungry soldiers. Angola is being aided by Israel, who is helping the Angolan government establish a conservation program for its wildlife. At the top of its list for conservation are the manatee and the giant sable antelope. Funds will also be used to finance the research needed to reintroduce wildlife to the Quigama National Park. |
|
||||||||||||||
Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World
Page compiled by Katherine Jane Verano as part of a class project in H90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA