Core Amazon Reserves Created at World Parks Congress

Although 12% of the earth surface is now officially protected, studies released at this week’s 5th World Parks Congress in the Durban, South Africa show that many of the areas are too small and have too few safeguards to be safe for inhabitants. And 700 endangered animal species have no protection at all. “Without an immediate and strategic expansion of the protected area system, scientists expect a major wave of extinctions within the next few decades,” said the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science (CABS) who conducted the study.The emphasis at the conference has been to create parks that cross political borders to enlarge protected areas and provide greater protection from poachers and other illegal activity. 2,500 government officials, indigenous leaders, businessmen, and conservationists from 170 countries are attending to find ways to safeguard natural areas while benefiting indigenous peoples.In Africa, Nigeria and Cameroon joined to create a 10,000 square kilometers park that reaches across the country’s boundaries. And protection for the precious heart of the Brazilian Amazon was announced on September 10. Jorge Viana, governor of Brazil’s Acre state, announced the creation of a new 2,600 square mile state park, larger than the state […]

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