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Detail of GEF Project #349
| GEF Project ID | 349 |
| UNDP PMIS ID | 238 |
| Funding Source | GEF Trust Fund |
| Project Name | Conservation of Biodiversity through Effective Management of Wildlife Trade |
| Country | Gabon |
| Region | Africa |
| Focal Area | Biodiversity |
| Operational Program | 3 |
| Approval Date | 1991-05-01 |
| GEF Agency Approval Date | 1994-07-14 |
| Project Completion Date | 1999-12-31 |
| Project Status | Project Closure |
| GEF Agency | UNDP |
| Executing Agency | United Nations Office for Projects Services |
| Description | Domestic and international trade in wildlife species plays an important role in national and local economies, and bushmeat constitutes a major source of protein for rural communities in Gabon. At the same time, much of the trade in wildlife in the region is unregulated and almost nothing is known about the impact of trade on biodiversity. Improved knowledge and management of wildlife and its trade is urgently needed to protect biodiversity in the region, and to ensure sustainable use of the resource and its continued contribution to economic development. Protection of wildlife resources requires improved capacity of government agencies in wildlife management and conservation and empowerment of rural communities to monitor, manage and derive benefits from wildlife utilization. |
| Implementation Status | The project was completed in December 1998. A mechanism to regulate wildlife trade in Gabon was designed by the Government and other stakeholders. The mechanism includes a stronger regulation and a coordinated intersectoral body to better control wildlife trade. A final project evaluation took place in February 1999. The final evaluation pointed out that the mechanism put in place to regulate wildlife trade in Gabon needed fine-tuning and, were the project to be extended to the central African region, it would be necessary to first ensure that the mechanism in place operates satisfactorily in Gabon; it would also be necessary to ensure that the countries have a sufficient number of wildlife trade resource specialists and lastly that all wildlife trade stakeholders are ready to be involved. The equipment purchased by the project was transferred to the Government of Gabon to ensure sustainability of the fledgling wildlife trade mechanism and to ensure sustainability of project outcomes. As a follow-up to the project, a new forest code including wildlife trade provisions has been adopted by the Parliament of Gabon in July 1999. This will pave the ground for the wildlife trade sustainable mechanism. (tm/vg26July00). |
| GEF Project Grant | 1,000,000 USD |
| GEF Grant | 1,000,000 USD |
| Cofinancing Total | 63,882 USD |
| Project Cost | 1,063,880 USD |
| Project Documents |
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