The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has announced a project in coordination with the Angolan Ministry of Environment, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the European Union (EU), to protect the 1.5 million hectare Iona National Park.
The US$ 10 million project also aims to assess the size and dynamics of plant and animal populations, and enforce anti-poaching efforts, making Iona a model national park.
15 April 2013: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has announced a project in coordination with the Angolan Ministry of Environment, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the European Union (EU), to protect the 1.5 million hectare Iona National Park. The US$10 million project also aims to assess the size and dynamics of plant and animal populations, and enforce anti-poaching efforts, making Iona a model national park.
The National Park forms part of a conservation area straddling Namibia and Angola, and is home to populations of springbok, ostriches, oryx, and zebras, in addition to unique plants, including the Welwitschia, a species endemic to Namibia. According to UNDP, although hunting is not a common practice in the area, poaching, fuelled by illegal trade in bush meat, poses a serious threat to wildlife.
UNDP says approximately 15,000 people live in the park, and that the project will work with local populations, developing community-based eco-tourism activities. It will also finance equipment, rehabilitate infrastructure and train park rangers. [UNDP Press Release] [UNDP in Angola]