Apes: Refocussing Resources

The 2nd Council Meeting of the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) is convening at UNESCO Headquarters from 6-8 November. Participants are expected to develop a long-term strategy to meet the demands of conserving great apes and their habitat in a rapidly changing world. Discussions will focus on three advanced themes: great apes and green economy; great apes and illegal trade; and great apes and technology. Proposals from the recent GRASP Strategic Review will be considered in order to make the Partnership more effective, while considering reaching out to areas of government, industry, science and research that could increase the scope and scale of work.

Documents

Gorilla Agreement/MOP-2

Delegates to MOP-2 of the Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and their Habitats discussed:
-  the outcomes of the International Year of the Gorilla (YoG) 2009;
- elected three experts in forest management and conservation, environmental law and wild animal health to the Technical Committee (TC);
- agreed on a draft reporting format; and
- adopted resolutions on institutional arrangements for the Agreement, the review of Action Plans, and cooperation on law enforcement.


Documents

CMS: Gorillla Agreement

The 1st Meeting of the Technical Committee  in Kigali (Rwanda) from 29-30 March 2011called for better enforcement of wildlife law in the 10 countries in Africa with gorilla populations and concluded that the following must be strengthened: transboundary collaboration; coordination with UN peacebuilding missions, such as the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and law enforcement agencies, with increased resources and training for law enforcement personnel and rangers.

CMS Press Release

Virunga National Park: DRC abandons plans for oil extraction

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has announced that the Government will abandon all plans for oil exploitation within this Virunga National Park. The decision was announced following the commitments made in the Kinshasa Declaration, which was signed on 14 January. [UNESCO Press Release] [World Heritage Webpage for the Park]