118/119 Biodiversity and Tropical Forest Assessment for Angola

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suggestions based on interviews, field visits, and recent studies and documents.Unfortunately, the lack of recent quantitative information that compromised the depth ofthe 2006 analysis continues to be a limiting factor for any environmental analysis inAngola, including the development of the National Biodiversity Strategy and ActionPlan (MINUA 2006a). The lack of quantitative, up-to-date information does not,however, detract from the conclusions and recommendations in this report.The report is organized into five sections. This introduction, Section A, describes thepurpose and objectives of the assessment. Section B is a country profile that describesthe physical environment, social conditions, and institutional and legal framework thataffect the status of forest resources and biodiversity. Section C assesses the status ofbiodiversity and tropical forest resources, followed by a discussion of the root causesfor the environmental problems in Section D. The document ends with recommendedactions to help reduce the threats to biodiversity and tropical forests in Angola.A2. Purpose and ObjectivesThe purpose of this assessment is to ensure compliance with Sections 118 and 119 ofthe FAA, as amended, and to inform USAID/Angola’s strategic planning exercise as perthe Strategic Framework for Foreign Assistance and country strategy guidelines underADS 201.3.4.11 and ADS 204.5. The objectives of the assessment are to:• Assess the current state of biodiversity and forested areas in Angola.• Identify the root causes of processes and trends that threaten biodiversity andtropical forests.• Identify the immediate causes for the threats to biodiversity and tropical forests.• Identify priority actions necessary to better conserve tropical forests and biologicaldiversity in Angola.• Provide specific recommendation to USAID/Angola about how to incorporatebiodiversity and tropical forests conservation actions into its strategic prioritiesgiven budget and programmatic constraints.A3. MethodsA3a. Team CompositionThis assessment was conducted by team leader Joao S. de Queiroz, Hugh Safford of theU.S. Forest Service, and local counterparts Vladimir Russo, Pedro Vaz Pinto, and AbiasHuongo.• Dr. Queiroz holds a Ph.D. in range science, a M.Sc. in soil genesis, and a B.Sc. insoil science. He has more than 23 years of experience in natural resources andenvironmental issues, including 10 years in Africa. He worked with USAID forseven years and has designed, managed, and evaluated biodiversity conservationprojects.• With a Ph.D. in ecology, Hugh Safford is the senior Pacific Southwest regionalecologist for the U.S. Forest Service. He has conducted ecological research andtraining in Angola and other African countries.• Mr. Russo is senior advisor to Angola’s Ministry of Urbanism and Environment(MINUA) and director of Holisticos, an environmental consulting firm in Luanda.2 118/119 BIODIVERSITY AND TROPICAL FOREST ASSESSMENT FOR ANGOLA
He has a master’s degree in environmental education and post-graduate training inenvironmental legislation.• Vaz Pinto has a degree in forestry and natural resources management. He is thedirector of the Kissama Foundation and coordinator of the Research Center forEnvironment and Natural Resources Management at the Catholic University ofAngola. Mr. Vaz is also the director of the Giant Sable Conservation Project and arenowned Angolan bird expert.• Mr. Huongo is a psychologist who has become a producer of environmental radioshows and leader of a number of environmental organizations and networks.A3b. Meetings and InterviewsThe team conducted open-ended interviews with 29 individuals (Annex A), includingpolitical appointees in high-level positions in the Ministry of Urbanism andEnvironment (MINUA), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER),Angolan NGOs Action for Rural Development and Environment, the KissamaFoundation, Rede Maiombe, and Futuro Verde, the Angolan National DiamondCompany (ENDIAMA), British Petroleum, Tullow Oil, the Food and AgriculturalOrganization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Program(UNDP), the European Union (EU), and the United Nations High Commission forRefugees (UNHCR). The team also met with field personnel in Kissama andCangandala national parks.A3c. Literature ReviewThe team reviewed a number of key documents, which are listed in the bibliography,and the following Web sites: the World Conservation Union (www.iucn.org), BritishPetroleum (www.bp.com), USAID/Angola (www.usaid.gov/ao), Benguela CurrentLarge Marine Ecosystem Program (www.bclme.org) Angolan Ministry of Finance(www.minfin.gv.ao), the Biodiversity Convention (www.cbd.int), and the WorldResources Institute’s Earthtrends (www.earthtrends.wri.org).A3d. Field TripIn a country where data on the environment is deficient or outdated, field observationsand conversations with local people provide valuable insights. The team coveredapproximately 2,400 km by road:• 200 km northeast of Luanda, beyond Caxito in the Dembos forest area, the teamvisited abandoned coffee farms and roadside stalls and markets selling dried gamemeat and freshly killed carcasses.• 180 km south of Luanda, in Kissama National Park (KNP), the team visited thegame warden, mangroves, and enclosures where animals have been introduced, andobserved the pressures to which the park is being subjected.• 800 km to Cangandala National Park (CNP), where the team met with communityguards, observed activities of the Giant Sable Conservation Project, and witnessedthreats to the survival of this species and the integrity of the park.118/119 BIODIVERSITY AND TROPICAL FOREST ASSESSMENT FOR ANGOLA 3
Page 7: ACRONYMSCITESConvention on Internat
Page 10 and 11: The country is divided into 18 prov
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: SECTION A. INTRODUCTIONA1. Legal Re
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
Page 57 and 58: D2c. Degradation of Coastal Ecosyst
Page 59 and 60: SECTION E. ACTIONS NECESSARY TO DEC
Page 61 and 62: areas or conservation, ownership st
Page 63: conservation activities in Angola:
Page 67: APPENDIX A. INDIVIDUALS INTERVIEWED
Page 70 and 71: 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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