News » ‘Other News’
Ecosystem Services – a natural protection against climate change impacts
5 July 2011 by juliaritsche
Focussing on Forests of the Globe: World Environment Day 2011
7 June 2011 by juliaritsche
5 June 2011: Millions of people around the world celebrated World Environment Day – WED, a global event to call for more respect for the environment, sustainable resource management and, this year, the conservation of invaluable goods and services provided by forests. (more…)
Wildlife disappears in Kenya’s Masai Mara
2 June 2011 by juliaritsche
What to do when years of conservation efforts, millions of dollars for habitat protection completely fail to achieve the desired results? (more…)
Rwanda becomes the first Sub-Saharan country to sign Nagoya Protocol
5 March 2011 by juliaritsche
Determined to seeing the protocol enter into force as soon as possible, Rwanda signed the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization on 28 February 2011.
At the signing ceremony in Montreal/Canada, the Executive Secretary to the Convention on Biological Diversity Mr Ahmed Djoghlaf underlined that Rwanda’s sustainable management of its natural resources is a model to other developing countries and declared that “the signing of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing by Rwanda today is yet another demonstration of Rwanda’s commitment to protect its natural capital at the service of its present and future generations.” The Nagoya Protocol, a landmark treaty that links conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity with development, was agreed by the 193 Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the Aichi-Nagoya Biodiversity Summit in October 2010 (read more about the summit here). Opened for signature on 2 February 2011 during a signing ceremony held at the UN Headquarters in New York, Mexico, Colombia, Yemen, Algeria and Brazil have so far ratified the protocol.
ARCOS congratulates Rwanda to becoming the 6th signatory worldwide and the 1st signatory in Sub-Saharan Africa and encourages the other Albertine Rift countries to follow Rwanda’s model as soon as possible.
Download the CBD press release on Rwanda’s signature. CBD_ABS_Rwanda
Stakeholders in the Albertine Rift join others in the Eastern Afromontane Profiling
16 February 2011 by juliaritsche
On the way to becoming the newest CEPF Biodiversity Hotspot, all countries of the Eastern Afromontane have now completed their National Consultation Workshops. These meetings are important steps towards the extensive Ecosystem Profile CEPF is currently preparing for the Eastern Afromontane Region (which includes the Albertine Rift – click here to read about the Eastern Afromontane and the CEPF Ecosystem Profiling System). As the only conservation organization which focuses particularly on the Albertine Rift, ARCOS participated in the workshops of the Albertine Rift countries: The meeting for Uganda taking place on 8th-9th February 2011 in Kampala and the combined workshop for Rwanda, Burundi and DRC held in Kigali from 3rd to 4th February 2011. (more…)
Echuya’s way to success
14 February 2011 by juliaritsche
Echuya Forest in South-Western Uganda is small but one of the most importnt montane forest in the Albertine Rift. The services it provides, mainly water and wood for construction and fuelling, are intensively used by the quickly growing population around it – a situation which commonly leads to fast deforestation and total deterioration of forests in the region. At Echuya however, the joint efforts of many parties have kept the forest in a stable, healthy condition – benefitting people and biodiversity. Through its NGO partners NatureUganda and URP, ARCOS has been involved in Echuya forest since 1999. Today, an ARCOS team visits Echuya to explore future areas of focus. (more…)
Deadly Militia attack on Park Rangers in Eastern Congo[
25 January 2011 by juliaritsche
ARCOS is deeply shocked about a violent attack on a Ranger Patrol in Virunga National Park yesterday morning. 5 Congolese soldiers and 3 rangers of ICCN, which is one of ARCOS’ main partner institutions in the DRC, were shot dead, presumably by Rwandan FDLR milita. Read ICCN’s press release here.
Yes to Oil – No to Environmental Destruction
21 January 2011 by juliaritsche
Oil means a lot. It can bring development, it can bring total destruction. In either way, oil changes a country.
The discovery of oil raises, particularly in poor countries, an immense hope for the better, for prosperity and development. Gatherings like the East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition, which took place from 2nd to 4th February 2011 in Kampala, spread an infective enthusiasm about the prospective chances of “harnessing East Africa’s oil and gas potential and utilizing the resources to create lasting value”. In fact the breakthrough of petroleum puts a nation at the edge of very sensitive decisions on how to deal with the new wealth. In some parts of this world, petroleum exploration has led to corruption and ruthlessness dominating politics and the economy, where the profits of multinational companies count over human and environmental values. Other countries have made oil the foundation of stable, successful nations. Luckily, after the first discovery of the black gold in the Albertine Rift in Uganda and Eastern DRC, it was the Kingdom of Norway and not the Republic of Nigeria which offered support in developing the national drilling industry after their model. But how capable are Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo really to manage their potentially very large oil fields? (more…)
A Chance for biodiversity in the Albertine Rift in the face of Climate Change
7 January 2011 by Sam Kanyamibwa
BirdLife International, through the generous support of The MacArthur Foundation has collaborated with Durham University, The Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS) and RSPB together with its Partners in Rwanda (ACNR), Burundi (ABO), Uganda (Nature Uganda) to implement a project titled ‘Implementing an Adaptive Management Framework in the Albertine Rift’.
Recently, project actors met for a workshop in Musanze town in Northern part of Rwanda to discuss measures that may be needed to ensure the rare birds are secured in spite of Climate change. (more…)
Wildlife Conservation Through Tourism
9 December 2010 by juliaritsche
How wildlife benefits from tourism and why it is worth investing in it
The Albertine Rift nations are poor countries. Their economies are growing but are yet all among the 50 weakest economies in the world. Mineral resources are scarce or, where existing, little exploited. We have few industries, agricultural enterprises are hardly developed and the service sector was not able to advance properly in our last decades of wars and political unrest. But since the region is relatively stable Uganda and Rwanda at least have immensely profited from tourists visiting what is most precious in the countries: untouched nature and the thrilling wildlife of the national parks and nature reserves. (more…)
