National parks in Angola

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are nine national parks in Angola , in addition to six other nature reserves (as of 2019). Together they cover an area of ​​162,642 km², which corresponds to about 12.6% of the national territory. If one adds the 18 forest protection areas and local protection zones, the protected area in Angola amounts to a total of 268,850 km² and thus over 21.6% of the national territory.

The national parks in Angola are subordinate to the Direcção Nacional de Gestão do Ambiente (Eng. About "National Administrative Directorate for Environmental Issues"), a department of the Ministry of the Environment ( Ministério do Ambiente ). According to an agreement by the Department of the Environment dated July 30, 2019, the country's national parks will be managed by US and South African environmentalists for a period of 20 years.

In Kissama National Park, 1972

History and Development

Since the mid-1930s, under Portuguese colonial administration , some protected hunting grounds were set up, in which animals were only allowed to be shot with a permit and during the hunting season , and further requirements existed, such as building law. In 1957 the Kissama Hunting Reserve became the Kissama National Park , other national parks followed.

All of these areas suffered severe degradation and some destruction during the Portuguese Colonial War ( 1961-1975) and particularly during the Angolan Civil War (1975-2002). In Kissama National Park, for example, the population of lions decreased from 450 in 1950 to five in 1997, and 20 out of 1200 elephants in 1950 lived there in 1997. Altogether there were still 5000 elephants in Angola in 1977, the later estimates of 12,400 animals in 1979, 1981 and 1987 are, however, unbelievable.

Since the peace treaty in 2002 and the government's various reconstruction programs, the protected areas in Angola have once again experienced increased attention and support, including from international organizations. In the Kissama National Park, for example, the Arca de Noé (Eng. " Noah's Ark ") program is increasing the populations again with the settlement of animals from other African countries. Angola's largest national park, the Iona National Park in the very south of the country, has also been comprehensively renewed since 2012. a. through a six-year program that began in 2013 and is funded by the Republic of Angola, the EU and the United Nations . The touristic aspect is also slowly gaining in importance.

Environmental awareness has increased significantly in Angola recently, with increasing economic recovery, but also with the increasing negative effects of oil production and the mining operations in the country. On January 28, 2012, on the occasion of the national environmental commemoration day (January 31), thousands of people took to the streets in Luanda to demonstrate for environmental protection. Under Environment Minister Maria de Fátima Jardim, environmental protection activities have also increased significantly. In the provinces, commissions can now identify and register the need for additional protection zones, and Angola's international cooperation is increasing significantly, particularly with its southern neighbor, Namibia . Mention should be made of the coordination of activities in the Iona National Park in Angola and the Skeleton Coast National Park in Namibia, which border each other. In 2011 the law was passed creating three new national parks: Mavinga National Park, Luengue-Luiana National Park, and Maiombe National Park. In February 2019, the state-run Angolan news agency reported that the area of ​​nature reserves had almost doubled from 82,330 km² to 162,642.

Coast at Cabo Ledo, in the Kissama National Park

National parks

National park Portuguese name Circle (s) province Area (km²) Founded
Kameia National Park Parque Nacional da Cameia Cameia , Luena Moxico 14,450 1935
Iona National Park Parque Nacional de Lona Iona Namibe 15,150 1937
Quiçama National Park Parque Nacional da Quissama Quiçama Luanda 9,600 1938
Cangandala National Park Parque Nacional da Cangandala Cangandala Malanje 630 1963
Bicuar National Park Parque Nacional do Bicuar Matala , Quipungo Huíla 7,900 1938
Mupa National Park Parque Nacional da Mupa Cuvelai , Ombadja Cunene 6,600 1938
Mavinga National Park Parque Nacional da Mavinga ? Cuando Cubango 46,072 2011
Luengue Luiana National Park Parque Nacional do Luengue-Luiana ? Cuando Cubango 22,610 2011
Maiombe National Park Parque Nacional do Maiombe ? Cabinda 1,930 2011

Other protected areas

In addition to the national parks, Angola has six other nature reserves classified into IUCN categories :

To this end, 18 forest areas are designated as protected areas ( Reservas Florestais ).

In addition to these protected areas and reserves, there are smaller, subordinate protected areas, known as local coutadas .

See also

Web links

Commons : National Parks in Angola  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Os nove parques naturais de Angola redeangola.info , September 28, 2016, accessed on May 14, 2019.
  2. ↑ Angola aumenta áreas de conservação ambiental terrestre angop.ao , February 6, 2019, accessed on May 12, 2019.
  3. ↑ a b c Website on the protected areas in Angola (port.), Accessed on May 29, 2014
  4. ↑ Parques nacionais vão ser geridos por estrangeiros novagazeta.co.ao , July 30, 2019, accessed on March 21, 2020 (Portuguese)
  5. ^ Wally and Horst Hagen: The African national parks as habitats for elephants . In: Vitus B. Dröscher : Save the elephants of Africa . 1st edition. Goldmann Verlag , Munich 1992, ISBN 3-442-12322-4 . P. 255.
  6. ↑ Article from August 28, 2012 about the planned renewal of the Iona National Park , state news agency ANGOP , accessed on May 29, 2014
  7. ↑ Article of September 26, 2013 about material and personnel improvements in the Iona National Park , state news agency ANGOP, accessed on May 29, 2014
  8. ↑ Article of September 2, 2013 on the development program for the Iona National Park on www.verangola.net, accessed on May 29, 2014
  9. ↑ Article from January 28, 2014 on demonstration for environmental protection , state news agency ANGOP, accessed on May 29, 2014
  10. ↑ Article of November 7, 2013 on cross-border cooperation on environmental issues with Namibia , state news agency ANGOP, accessed on May 29, 2014
  11. ^ Parque Nacional de Mavinga Ministry of Environment of Angola , accessed on May 14, 2019.
  12. ↑ Parque Nacional do Luengue-Luiana Ministry of Environment of Angola , accessed on May 14, 2019.
  13. ↑ Cabinda: Parque Nacional do Maiombe necessita de fiscais angop.ao , April 11, 2018, accessed on May 14, 2019.
  14. ↑ Table 18.1 Biodiversity of Angola: Science & Conservation: a Modern Synthesis , p. 499, Springer 2019, accessed on May 14, 2019.
  15. ↑ Angola aumenta áreas de conservação ambiental terrestre angop.ao , February 6, 2019, accessed on May 12, 2019.