The authorities and environmental defense associations of the archipelago have created five new national parks. The objective: to protect two endangered animal species (bats and sea turtles). The first zone was created in Moheli in 2001. The results are very encouraging.
Last May, the Comoros archipelago formalized the creation of five new national parks: Cœlacanthe National Park (Pncœ) in Ngazidja, Mitsamiouli-Ndrude National Park (Pnmnd) in Ngazidja, Karthala National Park (Pnk) in Ngazidja, Shisiwani National Park (Pnsh) in Ndzuani and Mount Ntringui National Park (Pnmnt) in Ndzuani, alwatwan.net tells us.
The first protected area was inaugurated in 2001 on the island of Moheli. The United Nations had participated in the implementation work of the marine park of Moheli. If progress reports from the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) noted positive progress. The UN is less enthusiastic. Observers, such as the leaders of Comorian associations which fight for the protection of the environment, note that the experience in Moheli is not a complete success.
Map of the new protected areas of the Comoros
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In the Comoros, as in many countries where tradition is the leaven of village life, prohibitions imposed by an external authority are very difficult, if not impossible, to enforce.
From 2001 to 2006, the implementation of protected air had the opposite effect to that hoped for. For 5 years, the villagers, neighbors of the reserve, have captured green turtles on the beaches near the reserve. Finally, the local associations convinced the project managers to involve the local population in the defense of the environment.
“At first the officials thought that we were going to create a park, put up barriers and charge entry to people from outside, explains Hachime Abdéremane, who heads the Comorian NGO Ulanga-Ngazidja and participated in the creation of the park. Whereas for us it was a community-scale park, which meant we were going to work with the residents,” writes planete.lesechos.fr.
The stakes for safeguarding biodiversity are immense. In the Comoros, the UN, via the Development Program (Pnud), is trying to save species in critical danger of extinction. The best known are:
the coelacanth, fossil fish, thought to be extinct. It took several analyzes by eminent specialists, in 1938, to confirm that this dinosaur was still alive. They are rare and have only been observed in this area of the planet.
Sirenian dugongs (Dugong dugong), algae eaters, are observed in the Comoros and in the waters of Mayotte.
The hawksbill turtle is on the list of animals that are threatened with extinction. They come to lay eggs on the beaches of the archipelago and, unfortunately, have long been part of the menu of local residents.
Finally, Livingstone’s flying fox: it has long been hunted for its meat. It risks disappearing from Anjouan and from the surface of the globe.
Every year, dozens of green and hawksbill turtles nest on the beaches of the Seychelles archipelago
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