Translated from French by an automated online translation service, so please excuse the roughness. See link for original. Thank you to Anne Dillon for volunteering time to finding these French articles and doing the online translating.
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As happens every November 1, all owners and users of weapons and ammunition for hunting are invited to put them away. Also, the 43rd day of the closed season is celebrated this year with the theme “Improving the governance of wildlife resources of the country, to fight effectively against the harmful effects of climate change.”
The closed season is placed in the context of good governance of the resource “wildlife.” The Ministry of Forest Economy and Sustainable Development considers wild animals an essential component of biodiversity; one more reason to conserve, protect, and exploit rationally.
“It is our responsibility, our obligation, to scrupulously respect the principles of sustainable management of biodiversity,” said the Director General of Forest Economy, Joachin Koundi, pronouncing the message for the occasion.
Beyond the developmental aspects, wildlife helps in maintaining the ecological balance. Also overexploitation of wildlife resources would lead to the extinction of several mammals.
The Director General raised the alarm by citing the imminent demise in the mundane areas and protected areas, of several animal species such as the western lowland gorilla, the common chimpanzee, and the forest elephant. They are victims of environmental crime. Case in point, the elephant is the focus of major poaching. A recent case has been experienced in logging units Tala-Tala and Ngombe in the department of Sangha where eco-guards and heavily armed poachers clashed.
Note that the elephant is a main ecological indicator of the overall state of health of the ecosystem. Also, its disappearance would include that of many other types of wildlife.
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