Africa Geographic February 2006 [antikvár]

editorial ^^ 'Sustainably' is the key word and one of the cornerstones of this is human capacity j j W* ell, it is the year 2006 and we face it with excitement, determined as always for Africa Geographic to portray this often confounding continent in a manner that focuses on the great promise of its wonderful diversity of people, cultures and nature. Aside from the obvious beauty and wonders of the continent, this promise is often found in small places and amongst small communities, even individuals. Let me explain. Angola is a very large country lying between Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Africa's west coast. It is a land rich in mineral wealth - it is one of the continent's biggest oil producers. Africa is nothing if not full of paradox and little of this wealth trickles down to the majority of Angola's 14.5 mUlion people, who have life expectancies no greater than 40 or so years and who remain amongst the poorest in the world. Much of this desperation has its roots in the 27-year civil war that wracked the country from the time of its independence from Portugal in 1975 until the early 2000s. The fruits of peace are only just beginning to manifest themselves and there are huge social and economic hurdles to overcome. We consistently champion the role of conservation - expressed ultimately in the form of wise nature tourism development - as one of the major opportunities for community upliftment. It is encouraging that the African Union-endorsed New Economic Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) also recognises the potential of conservation, especially that of CToss-border conservation areas of which there are 22 either in existence or proposed within the southern African region. One of these is the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), a hugely ambitious project which incorporates a large part of south-eastern Angola and which already receives funding from Swiss and US government agencies. A sustainably successful Kavango-Zambezi TFCA could have great and positive implications for an Angola fighting its way out of a troubled past. 'Sustainably' is the key word and one of the cornerstones of this is human capacity - enough well educated people motivated to making a lasting impact on their country's conservation and tourism future. This in itself is a problem in a country such as Angola where there is a distressing lack of biolo^cal teaching expertise at university level and almost none at post-graduate level. Recognising this, the Washington-based NGO, Conservation International, agreed to sponsor high-level training for five promising young Angolan graduates in South Africa. The success of this initiative can be summed up by the fact that all five have subsequently embarked on higher degree studies with a commitment to use their knowledge and training to help rebuild their native Angola. One of these inspiring young Angolans, Albertina Nzuzi, is in urgent need of financial support to continue her post-graduate studies. Some R90 000 (US$15 000) is required to secure her tuition, accommodation and other living expenses. I believe that Ms Nzuzi is destined to play a strong leadership role in Angola's future and I appeal to our readers to join Africa Geographic in helping to sponsor her. AfHca Geographic will be accountable for the proper disbursement of all received funds and every donor will receive regular reports on her progress. Please contact me in this regard at peter<§>afncageographic.com About our maoaalne Africa Ceographic is editorially and financially independent. It enjoys the support and endorsement of several non-government organisations, but it is not affiliated in any way to these bodies or to any other publishing, environmental or political interest group. Africa Ceographic strives to foster an awareness of wildlife, conservation, eco-travel, indigenous cultures and the general environment. It consistently advocates the wisest use of natural resources in a manner that involves and is of real benefit to the people of Africa. Africa Ceographic is published 11 times a year. 6 AFRICA GI'OGItAPHIC ¦ FEflRUARY 2006