September 12, 2006
Corruption Threat to African Animals
Today, we would like to share with you two articles on corruption. These are from an anti-corruption news page, published in July 2006 by the Global Network for Good Governance (GNGG).
GNGG is an NGO, working in the fields of human rights and good governance. They also work for improving the standards of living for the majority poor especially women and disabled through trainings and empowerment,and for child protection and rights.
For further information on GNGG, please visit their website.
http://www.geocities.com/gngg2000/
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Corruption Threat to African Animals
A new study shows that political corruption and bad governance, rather than human population pressures and poverty, may present the greatest threat to wildlife in developing countries.
”The most corrupt countries are the least successful at protecting their important species and habitats,” said Bob Smith of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent in England, who led the study.
”Money that is earmarked for anti-poaching and conservation programs often ends up in the pockets of corrupt officials instead.”
The most corrupt countries in Africa also have the richest biodiversity, according to the study, which is described in this week’s issue of the science journal Nature.
But the news is not bad. The researchers suggest that governments can tackle corruption and improve conservation by involving the private sector. That’s already happening in Kenya, where a two-year-old private consortium, the Mara Conservancy, which manages almost half of the famous Masai Mara game reserve, has stamped out graft and virtually ended poaching.
Poor Governance, Rich Wildlife
The study used so-called Corruption Perception Index scores provided by the international non-profit organization Transparency International. In 2003, that list ranked Bangladesh as the most corrupt country in the world, followed by Nigeria and Haiti. Many African countries with a rich biodiversity, such as Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, were also found to be highly corrupt.
The corruption scores were the measured against three well-surveyed components of biodiversity: African elephants, black rhinoceroses, and forest cover. Elephant and rhino populations both declined dramatically in the 1980s due to rampant poaching, before recovering in the 1990s.
“We looked at a range of factors, including human population density and poverty levels, but we found that the factor which best explains the changes in the numbers of elephants and rhinos was corruption levels,” said Smith.
Bribery of wildlife officials to allow poaching to take place may not be as prevalent as it once was. “The biggest problem is that conservation money just isn’t going where it’s supposed to be spent,” said Smith.
GNGG is an NGO, working in the fields of human rights and good governance. They also work for improving the standards of living for the majority poor especially women and disabled through trainings and empowerment,and for child protection and rights.
For further information on GNGG, please visit their website.
http://www.geocities.com/gngg2000/
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Corruption Threat to African Animals
A new study shows that political corruption and bad governance, rather than human population pressures and poverty, may present the greatest threat to wildlife in developing countries.
”The most corrupt countries are the least successful at protecting their important species and habitats,” said Bob Smith of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at the University of Kent in England, who led the study.
”Money that is earmarked for anti-poaching and conservation programs often ends up in the pockets of corrupt officials instead.”
The most corrupt countries in Africa also have the richest biodiversity, according to the study, which is described in this week’s issue of the science journal Nature.
But the news is not bad. The researchers suggest that governments can tackle corruption and improve conservation by involving the private sector. That’s already happening in Kenya, where a two-year-old private consortium, the Mara Conservancy, which manages almost half of the famous Masai Mara game reserve, has stamped out graft and virtually ended poaching.
Poor Governance, Rich Wildlife
The study used so-called Corruption Perception Index scores provided by the international non-profit organization Transparency International. In 2003, that list ranked Bangladesh as the most corrupt country in the world, followed by Nigeria and Haiti. Many African countries with a rich biodiversity, such as Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, were also found to be highly corrupt.
The corruption scores were the measured against three well-surveyed components of biodiversity: African elephants, black rhinoceroses, and forest cover. Elephant and rhino populations both declined dramatically in the 1980s due to rampant poaching, before recovering in the 1990s.
“We looked at a range of factors, including human population density and poverty levels, but we found that the factor which best explains the changes in the numbers of elephants and rhinos was corruption levels,” said Smith.
Bribery of wildlife officials to allow poaching to take place may not be as prevalent as it once was. “The biggest problem is that conservation money just isn’t going where it’s supposed to be spent,” said Smith.
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