118/119 Biodiversity and Tropical Forest Assessment for Angola

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The country is divided into 18 provinces, and its population is estimated at 16 to 18million, concentrated in urban areas such as Luanda, Huambo, Lubango, and Benguelaand in the central plateau region. The bulk of the country supports population densitiesless than 10 inhabitants per km 2 . This population distribution is a result of the protractedconflict, during which the agricultural sector collapsed and massive movements ofpeople from rural areas to urban centers turned Angola into one of the most urbanizedcountries in Africa.Angola’s climate is varied, due to the country’s extension, topographic variability, andthe north-flowing Benguela current. Annual rainfall in the southwestern corner is lessthan 100 mm, while in the northeast and some highland areas it exceeds 1,500 mm.Angola ranges in altitude from sea- level to more than 2,500 m. The country harbors avariety of soil types, but most of its surface is dominated by infertile, coarse-texturedArenosols and highly weathered Ferralsols. More fertile Luvisols occur in regeneratedrain and cloud forest areas once used for shade-coffee cultivation. The climatic,topographic, and edaphic variability interact to generate considerable ecologicaldiversity. Angola is considered one of the most biodiverse countries in Africa.Hydrologically, Angola is crucially important to southern Africa and the Congo basin.Seven of its nine watersheds, including the Cunene, Cuando, Cubango, Zaire, andZambezi, are shared by neighboring countries. The country’s densely populated “centralplateau,” where the Kwanza, Cunene, and Okavango rivers originate, is perhaps themost important landform in Southern Africa from a hydrologic viewpoint.Updated quantitative information on Angola’s vegetation cover is lacking. Estimates forforested land range from 19 percent to 53 percent. This wide range owes itself todifferent definition of “forests” and the lack of current information about the country’svegetation cover. Nonetheless, it can be stated with a reasonable degree of certainty thatmiombo woodland is the predominant vegetation, covering more than 50 percent of thecountry. True rainforests, where the bulk of the country’s terrestrial biodiversity reside,occupy less than 2 percent of the country’s surface. Savannahs and miombo cover morethan 80 percent of Angola’s surface.Angola’s economy is experiencing extraordinary growth. In 2006 its gross domesticproduct (GDP) grew by 18.6 percent. Projections for 2007 range from 27 percent tomore than 30 percent. This unusual economic performance and the building boom itfuels have yet to have a significant impact on poverty reduction: 68 percent of Angolanslive below the poverty level, 28 percent of them in extreme poverty. Unemployment inurban areas is almost 50 percent. The country occupies position 161 on the UnitedNations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index, one of thelowest in the world.Oil and gas constitute 60 percent of Angola’s GDP. Hydrocarbons account for 90percent of the country’s exports. Diamonds contribute 9 percent to the country’s GDP.Extractive industries are the backbone of Angola’s economy. Oil and diamondproduction are expected to grow exponentially over the coming years.x118/119 BIODIVERSITY AND TROPICAL FOREST ASSESSMENT FOR ANGOLA
Legal Framework Related to the EnvironmentMost of Angola’s legal environmental framework dates back to colonial times. Laws areincompatible with Angola’s status as an independent and democratic country and do notincorporate the advancements in conservation and environmental management thinkingthat have taken place over the past four decades.The country has ratified several international conventions and protocols that have abearing on the environment:• Convention on Biological Diversity (1998)• The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1990)• International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources (2006)• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (2000)• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (2003)• Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES; 2001) 1• International Convention on Pollution Prevention by Ships (MARPOL 73/78)• International Convention on Cooperation and Combat against (shipping) Pollutionby Hydrocarbons• United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC; 2000)• The Kyoto Protocol (2007)Angola has also signed a number of regional and continental environment-relatedprotocols and conventions, and is drafting a new constitution. Many of the provisionsfrom the current constitution are likely to be carried over to the new constitution. The1992 constitution states:“All natural resources existing in the soil and subsoil, in internal and territorial waters,on the continental shelf and in the exclusive economic zone shall be the property of theState, which shall determine under what terms they are used, developed, and exploited.“The State shall promote the protection and conservation of natural resources byguiding the exploitation and use thereof for the benefit of the community as a whole.“All citizens shall have the right to live in a healthy and unpolluted environment.The State shall take the requisite measures to protect the environment and nationalspecies of flora and fauna throughout the national territory and maintain ecologicalbalance.”The Angolan Environmental Framework Law of 1998 is the overarching instrument forthe implementation of the constitutional provisions. Article 13(1) prohibits “allactivities that threaten the biodiversity, conservation, reproduction, quality, and quantityof biological resources … especially those threatened with extinction.” The regulatoryframework for the application of the law is incomplete or inadequate. This isparticularly important in the case of regulations pertaining to environmental impactassessments.1 Since the ratification and adoption of CITES have not yet been published in the Official Diary, its legal status is inlimbo.118/119 BIODIVERSITY AND TROPICAL FOREST ASSESSMENT FOR ANGOLA xi
Page 7: ACRONYMSCITESConvention on Internat
Page 12 and 13: A number of sector-specific legal i
Page 14 and 15: The Status and Trends of Tropical F
Page 16 and 17: exploitation of these resources and
Page 18 and 19: environmental consciousness of the
Page 21 and 22: SECTION A. INTRODUCTIONA1. Legal Re
Page 23: He has a master’s degree in envir
Page 26 and 27: stabilizing effect on the lower atm
Page 28 and 29: forests considered to be centers of
Page 30 and 31: A glance at Exhibit 5 reveals two i
Page 32 and 33: Exhibit 7. Simplified potential veg
Page 34 and 35: Exhibit 8. Angola’s population de
Page 36 and 37: Of note is the lack of follow-throu
Page 38 and 39: February 1955). This decree covered
Page 40 and 41: • Angola’s legal environmental
Page 42 and 43: • Angola’s institutional framew
Page 45 and 46: SECTION C. THE STATUS AND ECOLOGICA
Page 47 and 48: It is important to note that Angola
Page 49 and 50: C3. Coastal and Marine SystemsC3a.
Page 51: indiscriminate hunting. Other negat
Page 54: Common Name Scientific Name StatusW
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Page 59 and 60: SECTION E. ACTIONS NECESSARY TO DEC
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areas or conservation, ownership st
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conservation activities in Angola:
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APPENDIX A. INDIVIDUALS INTERVIEWED
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significant discrepancies among the
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. An overview of the social, econom
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have knowledge of and be responsibl
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118/119 Biodiversity and Tropical Forest Assessment for Angola

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