118/119 Biodiversity and Tropical Forest Assessment for Angola

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYIntroductionSection 118 of the Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961 requires that every USAIDcountry development strategy statement or country plan include an analysis of: “1) theactions necessary in that country to achieve conservation and sustainable managementof tropical forests; and 2) the extent to which the actions proposed by the agency meetthe needs thus identified.” Section 119 dictates that every country strategic plandeveloped by USAID shall include: “1) the actions necessary in that country to conservebiological diversity; and 2) the extent to which the actions proposed for support by theagency meet the needs thus identified.” Hence, the use of the 118/119 report to assistthe development of country level plans or strategies is a legal requirement.This document analyzes the status of biodiversity and tropical forest conservation inAngola, identifies principal problems and their causes, and provides the USAID missionwith recommendations for including biodiversity and tropical forest conservation in aportfolio that is appropriate to Angola’s medium-term development needs. It has fiveobjectives:1. Assess the current state of biodiversity conservation and forest management inAngola.2. Identify the root causes of processes and trends that threaten biodiversity andtropical forests.3. Identify the immediate causes for the threats to biodiversity and tropical forests.4. Identify priority actions necessary to better conserve tropical forests andbiological diversity in Angola.5. Provide specific recommendation to USAID/Angola on how to incorporateactions that will help conserve biodiversity and tropical forests into its strategicpriorities given budget and programmatic constraints.The lack of recent quantitative data detracts from the precision of this document, butfrom not its conclusions and recommendations.This assessment was conducted by a team of five environmental specialists: two fromthe United States and three from Angola. The team, led by Joao S. de Queiroz,amalgamated a broad range of technical expertise and a thorough knowledge ofAngola’s environment and its institutional and legal frameworks. The assessmentincluded meetings with 29 key individuals from government institutions, donoragencies, NGOs, extractive industries, and with land owners, park managers, andfarmers. The team took three field trips to protected areas and areas of high biodiversity.Country ProfileAngola covers 1,256,700 km 2 . It is situated on the west coast of Africa and bordersNamibia (1,376 km), the Democratic Republic of Congo (2,511 km), the Republic ofthe Congo (201 km), and Zambia (1,110 km). Its coast extends for 1,650 km.118/119 BIODIVERSITY AND TROPICAL FOREST ASSESSMENT FOR ANGOLA ix