DECAN TO THE RESCUE:
SAVING ONE OF EAST
AFRICA'S PRECIOUS
NATURAL RESOURCES
by Jerry W. Bird
I am Djibouti, a
country where concerned citizens are taking
the initiative to preserve, protect and
provide a new life for our precious wildlife.
A shining example of this dedication is the
Decan Animal Refuge, a short drive beyond
city limits, not far from my border with
Somalia.
Just beyond the park
gates is a lookout building which gives the
visitors an overview of this exciting and
worthwhile project that provides a temporary
home in natural setting for animals that were
the unfortunate victims of poachers and
smugglers. It is a protected zone of 30
hectares, of which over half of the total
area has been fenced to allow the growth of
vegetation. According to founder and operator
Bertrand Lafrance of the many activities
carried on by his worthy nonprofit operation
is a reproduction program for the East
African Cheetah. The family of six cheetah
currently living at the DECAN Refuge have all
been seized from the illegal smuggling trade
thanks to cooperation with the Djiboutian
police.
This program is
followed by the UICN. In the beginning The
DECAN Association, which stands for "discover
and help nature," was created in May 2001 and
is approved by the Ministry of Environment.
Its goal is to protect wildlife and develop
the knowledge of nature throughout Djibouti.
The program started with an important
campaign on the protection of sea turtles. As
Bertrand Lafrance stated, "We first drew up a
list of the restaurants that offer turtle
meat on their menu - then we printed posters
and posted the in key public places. This
year we will apply the same method to
denounce the illegal commerce of antelopes.
We estimate there are 100 sea turtles,
ostriches and natural reserves. Deeply
concerned by lack of attention to
environmental The DECAN Animal Refuge is open
to
the public two day a
week. Each visitor is informed of the
association's concept and method, which is
very different from a zoo's approach in the
sense that most provided at no charge, such
as birds, squirrels, mongoose, genets and
hares. DECAN works closely with the local
schools. Prior to opening the refuge,
Lafrance and his colleagues presented as
increase the youngsters' awareness of
the
environment and
ecological issues. When students come to the
refuge in order to experience nature, they
find themselves immersed in an ecological
rehabilitated area. The operators noticed
that few
teachers were capable
of giving a lecture on ecology, and as a
result, the Association has scheduled
training for teachers. To begin the
construction of the refuge, DECAN received
financial help from the French Cooperation
amounting to two payments of 10 000 euro
each. Opening the refuge to visitors allows
them to ensure the salaries of employees from
the nearby village. As Lafranc e concludes,
"At the moment, our biggest concern is lack
of time, for we are all volunteers. The DECAN
association tries to highlight
the natural resources
of Djibouti with the objective to develop
public awareness of the incredible
environmental diversity of the country and of
the necessity to protect it." For more
information E-mail: b.lafrance@ internet.dj
or visit www.africa-ata.org/
djibouti.htm
THE
GAMBIA
Country Profile: The
Republic of The Gambia is named after one of
Africa's most navigable rivers, the Gambia
and is located in West Africa. The Gambia is
roughly twice the size of the state of
Delaware in the United States and occupies a
narrow area on either side of the Gambia
River, forming an enclave in Senegal
surrounded on its north, east and south
borders by Senegal. A former British colony,
the Republic of The Gambia became independent
on February 18, 1965. In 1994, The Gambia
began a transformation from military to
civilian rule and liberalized its economy and
initiated a Vision 2020 Plan "The Gambia
Incorporated" with the aim of transforming
the smallest country in Africa into a middle
income country by offering a stable
investment environment, efficient banking
sector, and competitive private sector.
Pristine Beaches and
CoastlineThe Gambia is known for its
beautiful beaches and warm coastal waters
which are a haven for tourists with a
tropical climate that is relatively hot and
humid throughout the year. The main ethnic
groups are the Mande, including the rural
Mandinka, and the Atlantic peoples including
the Wolof and Fulani. English is the official
language but Wolof and Fulani are spoken in
the towns and Mandinka in the rural areas.
The population of The Gambia is approximately
1.5 million inhabitants with about 85% of the
population that are Muslim and a sizable
Christian minority. The capital of The Gambia
is Banjul, with about 300,000 inhabitants, is
also the main port and main commercial center
along the River Gambia. The people of The
Gambia live harmoniously in mixed
communities, freely exercising their
religious and cultural traditions. Gambians
are also widely recognized for their genuine
friendliness and hospitality.
The main resources of
foreign exchange are agriculture and tourism
with agriculture accounting for 23% of the
gross domestic product (GDP) and employing
75% of the workforce. Groundnuts, covering
60% of The Gambia's arable land are the main
export crop. The Gambia also has had
considerable success in developing and
promoting its tourist industry, which
contributes about 16% of GDP. In 2000,
approximately 100,000 tourists visited The
Gambia which earned the country an estimated
$35 million and provided an estimated 10,000
Gambians with stable employment in this
sector. Home of Kunta Kinte of RootsPerhaps
most Americans know about The Gambia as a
result of Alex Haley's bestseller and epic
television docudrama "Roots" which focused on
Kunta Kinte and his ancestral homeland of
Juffureh. The Gambia also has tremendous
potential in the fishing industry which has
yet to be fully developed as well as a small
manufacturing industry with plastic goods and
confectionaries as the main products. The
Gambia is also an important entry point for
goods that are distributed to its neighboring
countries in West Africa and has specifically
targeted itself as the most logical "gateway"
into West Africa for the trans-shipment
(re-export market) of imports and exports. To
learn more about The Gambia please check out
www.visitthegambia.
World Heritage
Committee Inscribes 24 New Sites on the World
Heritage List New sites include, for the
first time, sites in Gambia
The inscriptions were
carried out by the World Heritage Committee
at its 27th session.
For more information
visit
www.africa-ata.org/gambia.htm
Gambia: James Island
and Related Sites
James Island and
Related Sites present a testimony to the main
periods and facets of the encounter between
Africa and Europe along the River Gambia, a
continuum that stretched from pre-colonial
and pre-slavery times to independence. The
site is particularly significant for its
relation to the beginning and the abolition
of the slave trade. It also documents early
access to the interior of Africa.