AFRICA PROTECTED AREAS CONGRESS

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Context:   A $200 billion trust fund has been initiated to conserve around 8,600 protected areas covering 26 million square kilometres in Africa. Conservationists have called for global contributions to it. 

More on the news:

• The trust was one of the many outcomes of the Africa Protected Areas Congress. 
• The congress was the first continent-wide gathering of African leaders, citizens and interest groups to discuss ecosystem services that underpin human welfare and livelihoods. 
• The meet was set up by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an international organisation working in the field of nature conservation. 
• Rwanda became the first country to commit to the trust. 
• The concept for a Pan-African Conservation Trust was co-created by Anthropology of Social Change and Development (APAD), African Wildlife Foundation and IUCN. 
• APAD is an international association working for social development, while AWF is a conservation organisation focusing on Africa’s wildlife and wild lands. 
• The IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, is the first ever continent-wide gathering of African leaders, citizens, and interest groups to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature, safeguarding Africa’s iconic wildlife, delivering vital life-supporting ecosystem services, promoting sustainable development while conserving Africa’s cultural heritage and traditions.
• The overarching objective of the IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) is to position Africa’s protected and conserved areas within the broader goals of economic development and community well-being and to increase the understanding of the vital role parks play in conserving biodiversity and delivering the ecosystem services that underpin human welfare and livelihoods.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/africa/africa-protected-areas-congress-continent-gets-200-billion-conservation-fund-83955