[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 12, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H3009-H3015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AFRICAN ELEPHANT CONSERVATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2001
Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 643) to reauthorize the African Elephant Conservation Act,
as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 643
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``African Elephant
Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2001''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF AFRICAN ELEPHANT CONSERVATION ACT.
Section 2306 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16
U.S.C. 4245) is amended by striking ``1997'' and all that
follows through ``2002'' and inserting ``2001, 2002, 2003,
2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007''.
SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.
Section 2306 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16
U.S.C. 4245) is further amended--
(1) by striking ``There are authorized'' and inserting
``(a) In General.--There is authorized''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Administrative Expenses.--Of amounts available each
fiscal year to carry out this Act, the Secretary may expend
not more than 3 percent or $80,000, whichever is greater, to
pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry out this
Act.''.
SEC. 4. COOPERATION.
Part I of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16 U.S.C.
4211 et seq.) is further amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 2104. ADVISORY GROUP.
``(a) In General.--To assist in carrying out this Act, the
Secretary may convene an advisory group consisting of
individuals representing public and private organizations
actively involved in the conservation of African elephants.
``(b) Public Participation.--
``(1) Meetings.--The Advisory Group shall--
``(A) ensure that each meeting of the advisory group is
open to the public; and
``(B) provide, at each meeting, an opportunity for
interested persons to present oral or written statements
concerning items on the agenda.
``(2) Notice.--The Secretary shall provide to the public
timely notice of each meeting of the advisory group.
``(3) Minutes.--Minutes of each meeting of the advisory
group shall be kept by the Secretary and shall be made
available to the public.
``(c) Exemption From Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not
apply to the advisory group.''.
SEC. 5. PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY.
Section 2101 of the African Elephant Conservation Act (16
U.S.C. 4211) is amended by redesignating subsection (e) as
subsection (f), and by inserting after subsection (d) the
following:
``(e) Project Sustainability.--To the maximum extent
practical, in determining whether to approve project
proposals under this section, the Secretary shall give
consideration to projects that will enhance sustainable
conservation programs to ensure effective long-term
conservation of African elephants.''.
SEC. 6. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
(a) Conforming and Clerical Amendments.--The African
Elephant Conservation Act is amended as follows:
(1) Section 2101(a) (16 U.S.C. 4211(a)) is amended by
striking ``African Elephant Conservation''.
(2) Section 2102 (16 U.S.C. 4212) is amended by striking
the section heading and all that follows through ``(d)
Acceptance and Use of Donations.--'' and inserting the
following:
``SEC. 2102. ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF DONATIONS.''.
(3) Section 2304 (16 U.S.C. 4243) is repealed.
(4) Section 2305(4) (16 U.S.C. 4244(4)) is amended by
striking ``the African Elephant Conservation Fund established
by section 2102'' and inserting ``the account established by
division A, section 101(e), title I of Public Law 105-277
under the heading `multinational species conservation fund'
''.
[[Page H3010]]
(b) Technical Correction.--Title I of section 101(e) of
division A of Public Law 105-277 (112 Stat. 2681-237) is
amended under the heading ``multinational species
conservation fund'' by striking ``Rhinoceros and Tiger
Conservation Act, subchapter I'' and inserting ``Rhinoceros
and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, part I''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).
Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the bill H.R. 643, as amended in committee, is a
bipartisan, non-controversial bill that will reauthorize one of the
most successful wildlife conservation laws ever enacted by the
Congress.
Since 1988, the African Elephant Conservation Act has stopped the
slaughter of this flagship species, and it has kindled hope that
African elephants can be saved from extinction in the wild.
With only a limited appropriation of $11 million, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service has generated an additional $51.7 million in private
funds. These resources have funded 115 conservation projects in 22
range states throughout Africa. These projects are making a real
difference in the world, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The service says this is not a hand-out policy, it is a helping-hands
policy, which does significant progress toward encouraging the local
people to develop an economy that will be based on tourism to see these
magnificent creatures.
At the subcommittee hearings on this legislation, every witness
testified in strong support of extending this essential conservation
program. I was particularly impressed by the comments of Jim Rapp of
Salisbury, Maryland, who is the manager of the Salisbury Zoo. In his
statement on behalf of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, Jim
noted that without ongoing funding, we are likely to face something
that he called an ``empty forest syndrome.'' I found that phrase to be
a deep, hollow loneliness, wrapped in despair. But this legislation
goes a long way in preventing that type of lonely-forest syndrome.
In summary, H.R. 643 will extend the act at existing authorization
levels for 5 years, will allow the Secretary of the Interior to
establish an advisory panel to assist in this program, will cap
administrative expenses at 3 percent, or $80,000 per year, and will
emphasize the issuance of grants for long-term sustainable elephant
conservation.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to strongly condemn what is
occurring within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In their quest
to obtain a highly priced mineral, colombo tantalite, which is used in
cell phones and computers, rebel miners are killing thousands of highly
endangered eastern lowland gorillas and elephants. In one park alone,
7,000 elephants out of a population of 12,000 have been slaughtered for
the illegal bushmeat trade. This tragic killing of these keystone
species must be stopped.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to end with this quote from an author,
Thomas Berry: ``Extinction is a difficult concept to grasp. It is an
eternal concept. It is an absolute and final act, for which there is no
remedy.''
Because of that statement and the efforts of many thousands of people
across this country and the world, on behalf of the gentleman from
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) and the staff, I would urge an aye
vote on this legislation, to prevent the silent forest syndrome from
happening.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record an article entitled, ``Coltan
Boom, Gorilla Bust.''
Coltan Boom, Gorilla Bust
The Impact of Coltan Mining on Gorillas and other Wildlife
in Eastern DR Congo--A Report for the Dian Fossey Gorilla
Fund Europe and the Born Free Foundation
executive summary
The lucrative trade in coltan, a formerly obscure mineral,
has recently become headline news. Organizations ranging from
the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe to the United Nations
Security Council are talking about the need for a boycott of
something most people have never heard of. This report
explores the link between rising sales of mobile `phones and
PlayStations and falling numbers of gorillas in an African
war zone.
It must be made clear from the outset, however, that there
are two controversies relating to coltan from Central Africa.
First, there is the broad question of whether or not it is
legal to trade with rebel-held territories. This is the
subject of a report by a `panel of experts', commissioned by
UN Security Council to examine the exploitation of natural
resources in war-torn DRC (extracts in Annex A). It is not
within the remit of this study to discuss this wider issue.
Instead, this report focuses on the second controversy--the
exploitation of natural resources, especially coltan, in
legally protected areas such as Kahuzi-Biega National Park
(KBNP). This park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was,
before this crisis, home to 8,000 or so Grauer's gorillas
(also known as Eastern Lowland Gorillas, Gorilla beringei
graueri) along with thousands of other species (Steinhauer-
Burkart et al, 1995). The KBNP population of Grauer's gorilla
was contiguous with those in the adjacent Kasese forests, and
together they represented 86 per cent of the world total for
this sub-species (found only in DRC, Hall et al, 1998, see
map below).
This report is based on a nine-day visit to Rwanda,
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Kenya, during which
discussions were held with conservationists, coltan traders,
NGOs and government ministers and officials.
It is clear from the information gathered that only
immediate action at the highest level will halt the
destruction of this beautiful area, and offer a chance of the
recovery of its unique biodiversity. It remains to be seen
how many--or how few--of Kahuzi-Biega's 3,600 elephants and
8,000 gorillas have survived the massacre in the lowland
area, but it is hoped that relict populations could have
retreated to, or survived in, the most inaccessible parts,
furthest from the mining areas. The only accurate data is
from the highland area, which has lost all of its 350
elephants and half of its 258 gorillas (ICCN census funded
last year by WCS and DFGFI).
From the new indirect evidence, it appears that the KBNP
and Kasese population of Grauer's Gorilla may have been
reduced to under 1,000. The other nine populations listed by
Hall et al (1998) numbered in the tens or hundreds a decade
ago and are also likely to have declined or been
exterminated. The population Maiko National Park is thought
to have escaped the heavy poaching, but if our worst fears
prove founded, the sub-species may have been reduced from
about 17,000 to only 2,000-3,000, an 80-90 per cent crash in
only three years.
Moreover, the indications are that the biodiversity of the
Kahuzi-Biega region has been seriously, if not irreparably,
damaged. If action is taken immediately, however, recovery in
the long term may be possible even now. But if further
procrastination and bureaucratic delays prevent effective and
co-ordinated action, the word from the conservationists on
the ground is that it will be too late.
If this happens despite their well-publicised warnings, the
world will have stood by and watched the systematic
destruction of one more natural wonder. And the magnificent
Grauer's gorilla will become the first great ape to be driven
to extinction--a victim of war, human greed and high
technology.
On reading the first draft of this report, Chief Warden
Kasereka Bishikwabo made this comment, ``I hope you shall
plead for an improved organization of the exploitation of
natural resources in the DRC. As long as the exploitation of
natural resources is disorganized, protected areas will bear
the burden. Any excuse to pursue non-organized mineral
exploitation in any of the countries of the African Great
Lakes countries will lead to destruction of protected areas
in the whole region.''
recommendations
The simple message from all the conservationists on the
ground is that immediate action is required to save KBNP. If
the political will to stop the mining, and if resources for
ICCN are not forthcoming now, then the chances of Grauer's
gorillas surviving and the park recovering are virtually nil.
The medium- and long-term plans are, therefore, dependent on
the successful implementation of the short-term acts.
Note.--These recommendations are complementary to those by
A. Kanyunyi Basabose and Juichi Yamagiwa, included in a new
report by BRD, available at www.bergorilla.de/kahuzie.pdf.
URGENT--Short-term priorities
(i) Immediate, high-level international political pressure
on the presidents of RCD-Goma, Rwanda and Uganda to order
action to halt the destruction in DRC's national parks and
reserves, especially KBNP.
(ii) Immediate release of the funds promised by UNESCO more
than two years ago.
(iii) Increase NGO support to ICCN.
(iv) Co-ordinate with humanitarian agencies if people
leaving KBNP are in need of assistance.
(v) Identify the chemical signature of coltan from KBNP and
ensure trade in it ceases.
Medium-term actions
(i) Establishment of a Commission with representation by
all stakeholders (UNESCO, ICCN, local Government, NGOs and
community leaders) to settle once and for all the disputed
boundaries of KBNP.
(ii) Locate funds to enable ICCN to increase manpower and
extend the excellent
[[Page H3011]]
monitoring and protection currently afforded to the
mountainous sector to the lowland sector of KBNP. A census of
large mammals is a high priority to assess the potential for
recovery of the park's ecosystems.
(iii) Implement DFGFE proposal to establish an endowment to
finance a micro-credit scheme similar to the successful one
pioneered by DFGFE in Goma, providing the means for local
people to set up small businesses and thereby reducing their
dependence on illegally acquired resources in KBNP.
(iv) Identify the best location for a sanctuary to care for
orphaned primates, thereby enabling ICCN to confiscate them
(modelled on the Uganda Wildlife Authority's Ngamba Island
Chimpanzee Sanctuary).
(v) Assist local NGOs such as the PolePole Foundation, to
source funds for conservation education, reforestation and
improved farming practices around the park boundary.
Long-term objectives
When peace returns to the region, the successful gorilla
tourism of the 1970s and 1980s should resume, financing the
conservation work and bringing benefits to the surrounding
communities. Revenue sharing schemes such as those already
operating in South-west Uganda should be introduced and
Kahuzi-Biega National Park will have been saved.
background
Coltan and its uses
Coltan is an abbreviation of columbo-tantalite, an ore
containing a mixture of two very similar heavy metals, namely
Niobium (Atomic No. 41, Atomic Weight 92.91, melting point
2,500 degrees C) and Tantalum (Atomic No. 73, Atomic Weight
180.95, melting point 2,850 degrees C).
Columbite is the name for ore containing more of the
element Niobium (formerly known as Columbium) than of
Tantalum.
Tantalite is the name for ore containing more of the
element Tantalum, a metal with many useful properties, used
in things from electronic components to surgical implants. In
nature it is found only as Tantalum Oxide Ta 205. Columbo-
tantalite (and hence the term coltan) is peculiar to Central
Africa.
According to the Tantalum-Niobium International study
Centre in Brussels, only 15 per cent of the world's tantalum
supply comes from Africa, but demand is high due largely to
its use in electronic components, mainly tantalum capacitors
(devices which store electrical charge and release it quickly
to buffer fluctuations in power). Of the 525 tons of tantalum
used in the USA in 1998, 60 per cent was used for this
purpose, with a predicted growth rate of 14 per cent per
annum (from Uganda Gold Mining Ltd web site).
Other uses include various alloys, which benefit from
tantalum's high melting point and corrosion resistance, and
are used in aerospace components, jet engines and gas turbine
parts.
Price of coltan
Fluctuations in the world market have a significant effect
on the level of activity in Africa. Poor deposits may become
economical to work if the price is high enough, but will then
be abandoned if the price falls again. At its highest last
year, the price reached $800 per kilo, but it is now around
$100 per kilo (still significantly higher than the 1998 price
of around $40 per kilo). This price reflects what the final
dealers receive, not what is paid to the peasant miners,
which is currently around $12 per kilo.
Prices paid for the ore by dealers are also related to the
percentage of tantalum present, which is determined by
spectrographic analysis in one of the trading centres (e.g.
Bukavu, Goma or Kigali).
coltan mining and trade in rwanda
Minerals found in Rwanda include cassiterite (a tin ore),
gold and wolfram (tungsten) as well as coltan. Before the
civil war, minerals--primarily cassiterite--were Rwanda's
only significant export other than coffee and tea. As with
agriculture, most mining is undertaken by peasant farmers,
who dig relatively small quantities by hand. They take bags
of ore to local centres to be weighed and bought. Dealers
then drive around the centres buying the accumulated larger
volumes. Preliminary purification of the ore takes place at a
factory at Gatumba, on the border between the Prefectures of
Gisenyi and Gitarama. There it is ground up and passed over
magnets to remove any iron before export to factories
elsewhere for separating the different metals.
Rwandan law regards ownership of land to stop at the level
of the topsoil. In other words, any mineral wealth belongs to
the state, not the individual (although he or she can profit
from mining it). There is now a legally constituted formula
for calculating compensation should crops, buildings or trees
be damaged by mining. Deposits are found in 34 Communes of
nine Prefectures across the country, from Cyangugu in the
south-west to Umutara and Kibungo in the east (see map and
list in Annex G), with most mines being in the Prefectures of
Gitarama and Kigali-rural (see map on page 7a, below).
Pits and mines are very dangerous, especially after heavy
rain, and accidents are common. So many people have been
killed recently by rock-falls and landslides that the
Ministry of Mines has ordered a halt to mining until the
safety issue has been addressed. On the ground, however,
mining continues because there is no enforcement of the
temporary ban, and people with few other resources are
unlikely to stop doing something that brings in an income.
There is little, if any, coltan mining in forested parts of
Rwanda. In Nyungwe Forest, soon to be declared Rwanda's third
National Park, there is a history of illegal gold mining,
which also destroys habitat and pollutes streams, but
no coltan. Fortunately for the mountain gorillas, there
are no valuable mineral deposits in the Volcanoes National
Park (or the contiguous gorilla habitat in DR Congo and
Uganda).
Much of my information on the Rwandan mining industry came
through meetings with Viateur Nsengimana, Administrator for
EXCOM (Exploitation and Commercialisation of Minerals) and
President of TWISUNGANE, a co-operative of peasant miners
working three coltan mines around Kamonyi, in the Province of
Gitarama. This kind co-operation culminated in him driving me
to a number of mining sites on Sunday 6th May (see map
below). As we drove past Mt Kigali, he pointed out that it
has cassiterite deposits but they are not currently being
mined. At Mugina he spoke of heavy coltan deposits at the top
of a hill, leading the mining co-operative to install a pump
to get water up to the mine. Near Taba there are many coltan
deposits around the big Protestant church and hospital at
Remera. At Shyorongi the mines produce cassiterite, coltan
and wolfram. Rutongo has the only cassiterite refining
factory in the country. At Kayenzi, the coltan ore has up to
61 percent tantalum (usually 40-60%).
Historically, the Belgian mining companies Minetin and
Somuki were replaced after independence by SOMIRWA--the sole
mineral trading company until the war. It has now been
replaced by Redemi (part state owned, part private) and
COPIMAR (made up of many small miners' co-operatives). After
the war, mining became a free-for-all because crops had been
left to rot and hungry people mined wherever they could find
minerals they could sell for food. Things are improving now,
but it is still not properly regulated or controlled, which
is why accidents are so common. I asked about the ecological
damage which mining leaves behind, and was told that the new
mining law requires licensed miners to restore topsoil after
the valuable minerals have been extracted, but this has not
yet happened because it has just been introduced.
Unfortunately, torrential rain prevented close inspection
of all but one mine near Mwaka, but the deluge certainly
illustrated the danger from rock-falls and land-slips whilst
digging in such soft rock. The mine consisted simply of the
partially exposed flanks of several small hills. I learned
that people have been mining here for more than 40 years, and
it took only a few moments conversation for people to run off
and fetch a couple of specimens of coltan which I purchased.
These were pebble-sized lumps--different from the Kahuzi-
Biega grit I saw--one weighed about 40gms and the other about
240gms. Around Mwaka, mines are worked by a small co-
operative called CEMAC, a member of COPIMAR.
After the visit, I discussed the call for a boycott of
coltan from Central Africa with Mr. Nsengimana and Francois
Nkinziwiki, President of a local NGO called The Dian Fossey
Challenge. Whilst understanding the need to halt the
destruction of the two World Heritage Sites in DR Congo, they
were concerned that any regional boycott would hit thousands
of poor Rwandan families very hard. After a decade of civil
war, genocide and social disruption, it would be singularly
cruel to impose further hardship on people who were simply
carrying out a legal occupation that has been going on for
decades. Mr. Nkinziwiki put it succinctly, saying, ``To ban
the coltan trade in Gitarama would be like banning potatoes
in Ruhengeri!''
coltan mining and trade in kivu province, drc
The terrain to the west of Lake Kivu might be summarised as
rolling hills, many of them deforested long ago for
cultivation and cattle ranches with only a few patches of
forest here and there. There are very few cattle today
though, because tens of thousands were appropriated and
butchered to feed the refugee camps, allegedly with the help
of the relief agencies, during the Rwandan refugee crisis in
the mid-90s. One formerly wealthy landowner, Kasuku wa Ngeyo
is pursuing his as yet unresolved grievance over this matter.
Gorillas and chimpanzees lived in some of the forest patches
on his land near Masisi and Walikale in the 1980s, but he
doubts very much if any survive now.
Deposits of coltan here are concentrated in South Kivu
Province, but not all are in PNKB. Many are in undesignated
forest or on agricultural land, and mining is simply an
optional change in land-use for the land-owner. Indeed,
finding that you have coltan beneath your soil might be seen
as the Kivu equivalent of striking oil--with the advantage
that little equipment beyond a shovel is required to start
mining. The law in Congo requires, however, that even on our
own land, you need to pay for a license from the relevant
government authority to extract minerals. During the two
recent civil wars, however, such laws have been widely
ignored and mining rights have been claimed by whichever
militia holds sway over a particular area at the time.
As in Rwanda, the history of mining in this area goes back
to the colonial period when a Belgian company MGL established
permanent settlements to mine mainly gold and
[[Page H3012]]
tin. After independence the mining was carried out by the
SOMINKI, and included one centre at Kabunga which was a base
for prospecting in the area now included in the Kahuzi-Biega
National Park.
A long-standing controversy
The extension to the park was designated in 1977, but
without a detailed study of the consequences. The boundary as
drawn included mines and permanent stone-built houses
belonging to SOMINKI. The park authorities at the time asked
for a Commission to study the boundary issue and resolve
disputes with local community leaders, but this never
happened. M. Anicent Mburanumwe Chiri, the Regional Head of
ICCN in Eastern DRC, proposes that, as soon as the crisis is
over, this long overdue commission should be established. The
commission should be composed of representatives from UNESCO,
ICCN, NGOs (local and international), local government and
community leaders. Its task would be to define once and for
all the limits of this World Heritage Site and--if agreement
is reached by all parties--to establish zones within the
boundary where controlled exploitation is permitted. ``Modern
conservation opinion would never condone the creation of a
vast national park that no-one knows the exact boundaries of,
and which does not take into account the needs or opinions of
local communities?''
Pygmy communities in the PNKB
During the Belgian colonial period, the authorities'
attitude to forest-dwelling pygmies living a traditional way
of life was to regard them as a part of the forest eco-system
that the parks were created to protect. This was at once an
enlightened and racist attitude--enlightened because seeing
humans as a part of nature than separate from it is a recent
trend, but deeply racist because it carried with it the
condescending implication that pygmy people were little more
than animals. The future of their culture looks bleak in this
region, but the fortunate few who find an education can do
well; I was told that some had joined the army and that one
had reached the rank of captain.
Pygmy people have not had much involvement with mining of
any minerals because their traditional way of life centered
around hunting animals. These soon disappear from around
permanent settlements such as mines, through hunting or
disturbance by miners, and so there is little incentive for
hunter gatherer communities to stay.
Mining techniques
The coltan is found in fairly soft rock, streambeds and
alluvial deposits. Miners (in French ``creuseurs'' or
``boulonneurs'' from boulot-job, or ``njengeneur'') dig with
shovels, sometimes with picks and crowbars to loosen the
substrate. The loose mix is sieved through mesh of approx.
5mm squares. The grit is then washed in a bowl, box or piece
of curved bark until only the heavy coltan particles remain.
The need for water to separate out the coltan means, of
course, that mining tends to be concentrated along streams
and rivers. This exacerbates the erosion of soils and the
risk of landslips during heavy rain, and tends to silt up
pools downstream.
The coltan grit is bagged in small nylon bags sewn from
larger food sacks. There are two rough measures--a desert
spoon and a ``le gosse'' (a small tin, originally a condensed
milk brand, which has come to mean the tin itself; it
contains 78gms of sweetened milk concentrate when sold, but
holds about 200gms of coltan grit). When the bags are full
they may weigh from 15kg to 50kg according to the strength of
the carrier, and a spring balance is usually present at the
site to weight them. The bags are sewn shut and transported
on the back in a ``makako''--a sort of basket-rucksack made
from forest lianas (another significant impact on the eco-
system when one considers the thousands of people involved).
The northern park boundary is along the River Luka, and
pirogues (dug-out canoes) are used to cross to Isangi, which
sits on a hill between the confluence of the Luka and the
River Ilawimbi. The journey to Itebero is by foot and canoe,
and from there it is transported by road to Walikale
airstrip.
Summary of environmental damage from coltan mining in DRC
forests
Forest clearance and use of timber and poles to build camps
to accommodate workers;
Forest clearance to expose substrate for mining;
Pollution of streams by silt from washing process;
Erosion of unprotected earth during rains leading to land-
slips;
Cutting of firewood for warmth and cooking in camps;
Hunting of animals for bushmeat to feed miners and camp
followers;
Animals maimed or dying after escaping from snares;
De-barking trees to make panning trays for washing coltan;
Cutting of lianas to make carrying baskets for coltan;
Disturbance of animals due to large number of people
resident in and moving through forest;
Silting up of streams likely to kill invertebrates and
reduce photosynthesis in aquatic plants;
Reduced productivity of fish stocks in lakes and rivers
affected by silt pollution;
Ecological changes due to loss of keystone species such as
elephants and apes;
Long-term changes in watershed due to rapid run-off in
deforested areas.
security situation in kahuzi-biega national park
For the past two years, only part of the highland area of
the park has been accessible to wardens and rangers. The area
monitored has varied from five to 10 per cent of the total
6,000 square kilometres. The other 90-95 per cent has been
under the control of various armed factions, including
branches of the Mai-Mai and the Interahamwe (as detailed in
the ICCN/GTZ newsletter `Le Gorille', last year's Digit News
by DFGFE, Wildlife Times by BFF and Gorilla Journal by BRD).
In the three weeks prior to my visit, there were two
incidents in which ICCN gorilla monitoring teams encountered
Interahamwe within a few kilometres of the park HQ at
Tshivanga. They reported well equipped, uniformed patrols of
ten men, each with an AK47 and two magazines. They had
radios, and even mobile phones--not the image of ragged gangs
living in the bush. But if they control some of the coltan
trade, they would certainly have the money to purchase such
things. The reports beg the question of where the radios are
being charged. On each occasion, a tracker was kidnapped by
the patrol, was held for three days and escaped. This led the
warden to reduce the area of regular patrolling to the bare
minimum to monitor the habituated gorillas, and prevents any
visitors from seeing the gorillas (in the monthly meeting I
learned that least month, five brave tourists went gorilla
tracking!).
Little has been known of what was going on in the vast
lowland sector, except that bushmeat, ivory, timber and other
products were reported to be being exploited at an alarming
rate. It was not until March this year, however, that an
accurate picture emerged, and the extent of the shocking
damage was revealed.
the ``independent consultant's'' report and interview
By far the most impressive source of information was the
report by an independent Congolese consultant. In the words
of M. Bedy Makhuba Mbele, Chef du Department de l'Agriculture
et du Development Rural in the RCD-Goma government on hearing
of his work, ``He is a hero!'' He deserves some kind of
official recognition.'' Unfortunately, such recognition would
likely lead to his untimely demise, so he is referred to only
as `IC' in this report, and his name and signature have been
masked in the copy of his report attached as Annex B.
Most digging sites are around old SOMINKI camps (in Belgian
times, called MGL Mines des Grands Lacs) where cassiterite
was mined. At that time, MGL was also mining gold in
Kamituga, south of the park, which meant that miners were
active in the whole region.When MGL closed down after
independence, local people continued to dig for gold, and
noticed other minerals but the low price of coltan did not
justify mining it. When the price of tantalum rose, it
became a desirable commodity and led to the current boom,
but it is important to see this in the context of the
history of mineral exploitation in this area.
The link between Mai-Mai presence, coltan and military
deployment: My notes on this subject are as follows: RPA/RCD
presence between Tshivanga and Hombo. 4km North of Hombo, the
Mai-Mai have their own road-block at Tchambusha. Presence of
roadblocks does not deter vendors taking goods to mines, but
taxes have to be paid to Mai-Mai (organised, not just
personal bribes).
In far west of PNKB is a sub-division of Mai-Mai called
Manyowa-Manyowa. The term Mai-Mai, I was told, is from Maji-
Maji (water) which was a password used by them. There are
about 12 sub-groups within the general term Mai-Mai, which
have been likened by US military analysts to `warlords'.
Porters are paid a tin of coltan (then worth $30) to carry
20 kilos for two days (plus food) to Itebero.
The weekly fee to work in the forest is 2 spoons of coltan
(then about $7.50)--one to the military and one to the `chef
de colline' (chef of hill). This is paid in coltan so its
value changes. Multiply this by the 10,000--15,000 or more
workers estimated to be in PNKB and the monthly income to
those controlling the mining area was of the order of
$600,000 to more than $1 million for the month of March.
Transportation between Kavumu and mining sites: More than
13 flights per day from Kavumu to the four airstrips in
Shabunda region: Salambila, Kampene, Namoyo and Lulingu, plus
Walikale. Laden planes then flew east, presumably to Kigali.
Sample for analysis: I asked IC if he could buy a sample of
coltan from KBNP. The following morning he met me with about
850gms of heavy, dark-grey grit and small stones (particle
size from sand to 8mm) which he had been told was from
Kakelo, a site near Camp Vuma (see map in IC's report). The
sample cost $25, and on return to Kigali I had it analysed
with the following results:
% Ta205=6.359
% Nb205=7.457
% Sn02=51.347
% Ti02=17.969
% W=-0.0096
Ta=Tantalite
Nb=Niobium
Sn=Tin
Ti=Titan
W=Wolfram
Therefore your sample had 6% tantalite and 51% tin.
[[Page H3013]]
the ``negotiator''
One of the most useful sources of information was a dealer
in Bukavu who described himself as a ``negotiateur''. Whilst
under the impression that I was interested in buying a
considerable quantity of coltan while the price is low, he
provided much information, from current price lists and
locations and bad quality coltan mines to anecdotes about the
trade. For example
He explained that there are two systems of trading. One can
either buy a license for $40,000 per year and pay an export
tax of $4 per kilo of coltan as an official ``comptoire''. Or
one can export without these expensive details as, for
example, he had just done with six tonnes of coltan he has
just taken to Kigali. He mentioned buying from miners at $12
per kilo and showed me a recent price list from a buyer in
Kigali, with prices paid in US dollars per pound weight,
varying according to the percentage of Tantalum thus:
10% Tantalum=$20 per lb ($44 per kilo)
16% ``=$50 per lb ($110 per kilo)
18% ``=$60 per lb ($132 per kilo)
20% ``=$75 per lb ($165 per kilo)
Best quality coltan, with 40 or 45% tantalum is found
around Numbi (30km from the main road, halfway between Goma
and Bukavu on the west shore of Lake Kivu), but this, he
said, is ``private''. It is alleged to be under the control
of RPA officers, and is the site at which Rwandan prisoners
were reported to have been used as forced labour (see UN
Report). He warned against buying coltan from Nkumwa, which
was very low quality. The cost of analysis by spectrometer
was $5--$10, and there are machines in Bukavu as well as
Kigali. To explain the process of analysis, he produced two
small samples, which had been ground to a fine powder, and
showed me the resulting print-outs showing about 16 per cent
tantalum.
After taking so much of his time, I thanked him for his
advice and left without buying any coltan.
The Position of ICCN
The Institut Congolaise pour le Conservation de la Nature
(ICCN) has proved extraordinarily capable of adapting to the
problems imposed by two civil wars. Despite being responsible
for national parks in areas controlled by three political
authorities--two rebel groups and the government in
Kinshasa--an agreement has been reached which allows it to
function (see Annex D). This is despite it having been
starved of resources for many years.
When the pillage of Kahuzi-Biega was first brought to the
attention of the international community during the 1994
Rwandan refugee exodus, little was done because the
humanitarian crisis made conservation seem a low priority in
comparison. When things got worse during the first Congo
civil war in 1996, little was done to help the hard pressed
warden and rangers. If it were not for the continued, if
scaled down, GTZ project, and the courage of the GTZ and ICCN
staff in keeping a sense of normality through the most
difficult and dangerous times, it is unlikely that that the
park would have remained functioning. Great strides were made
in the optimistic, but brief, period between the wars. When
the second civil war destroyed much of the new
infrastructure, it destroyed much of the morale of the park
staff too. But there were much cheered by the announcement
that UNESCO had come up with an ambitious scheme, largely
funded by the UN Foundation, to save the five World Heritage
Sites in DRC. Roughly speaking, it provided just over $4
million over four years to the five sites--i.e., about
$200,000 per site per year. Much of this was to be spent on
salaries, giving the rangers something like $20 per month.
Not a fortune, but to those who have not been paid for years,
it was significant news. Headline news, in fact, as articles
in local and international press attest. Hopes were raised.
Things were looking up. Unfortunately, up to this point, only
one advance payment of $20,000 per site has been made (and
spent) and as the months pass, frustrations mount.
In late 1999, prompted by Dr Jo Thompson, the Ape Alliance
also began working to raise funds to help ICCN, setting up
and an ad hoc DRC Parks Emergency Relief Mission with the
Belgian NGO Nouvelles Approaches. The idea took off quickly,
and starting with a $25,000 grant from IFAW, within days
various groups had pledged amounts to a total of $70,000.
More has since been raised, but as soon as it comes in, it is
spent on equipment ranging from boots to bicycles. More is
still being raised, and because Kahuzi-Biega is relatively
easy to reach, it has had most of its emergency needs met.
For example, with money raised by the Rachel Hunter Gorilla
Appeal, the Born Free Foundation last year provided a
Landover 101, a one-tonne 4x4 (see above) and made a
commitment to fund its fuel and parts, as well as new
uniforms and guard housing for the next three years. The
German NGO Bergorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe sent medical
supplies and with IPPL, covered the cost of publishing `Le
Gorille'--an influential local newsletter. This raised
morale, but apart from small payments from the GTZ budget,
the question of salaries has yet to be resolved. Some ICCN
staff have not been paid for 70 months! At the moment, any
mention of UNESCO is currently met with a negative
response. Chief Warden Kasereka explained that although
the $4 million scheme was designed to solve ICCN's
problems, it has actually created a greater problem:
disillusionment. Explaining to staff every month for more
than two years that the UNESCO money will be there soon
has not been easy when, month after month, it fails to
materialise. GTZ Project manager Carlos Schuler-Deschryver
summed it up, ``It is as if UNESCO heard there was a
crisis in Congo, and set off immediately to help, but they
decided to walk instead of taking the plane, and they only
set off when they had finished their cup of coffee! By the
time they get here, there will be nothing left to save!''
Despite the lack of resources, however, and the danger the
men face when on patrol in a war zone, the conservation work
being done in the limited areas is first rate. On 2nd May
2001, I happened to arrive at Tshivanga (the park HQ) in time
to sit through what seemed like a cross between a scientific
seminar and a management workshop. After each warden had
presented a summary of his or her work for the month of
April, using hand-drawn maps and charts on rolls of brown
paper, I asked if this was a typical month. Yes, came the
answer. It would have been impressive in any park in any
country of the world. But in a war zone? With few resources,
and little or no pay? I told them that the quality and
quantity of work was almost incredible. And it gave me hope
that if the world does wake up and provide some substantive
assistance, this well managed, well motivated and courageous
team would be the one to do the job.
One of the innovative acts that the warden implemented last
year was to take on about 20 new members of staff--all of
them known poachers. They were trained, and provided with
uniforms, but as yet they have not been paid what they were
promised because the UNESCO money for salaries has not
arrived. Kasereka told me, ``They are losing faith. If we
don't pay them soon, we will lose them and they'll return to
poaching.''
the position of rcd-goma
The RCD-Goma is not just a group of armed rebels, it is a
political body described in UN parlance as a ``non-state
entity with aspirations of statehood''. The President, M.
Adolphe Onusumba, is a known to Vital Katembo, DFGFE's Mount
Tshiaberimu Project Manager, but was in Lusaka for peace
talks and so could not be seen during my stay. Instead, I had
a very positive meeting with M. Francis Bedy Makhubu Mabele,
Chief du Department de l'Agriculture et du Development Rural
(equivalent to the Minister for Agriculture and Rural
Development) and his aide, M. Gaby Djanga Lombe. The RCD-Goma
is supportive of ICCN, and signed the agreement (Annex D) to
permit conservation to continue despite the political and
military divisions in the country. M. Bedy Makhubu pointed
out that the attack last September, in which ten of his
countrymen died whilst working on the boundary of the
corridor linking the eastern and western sectors of Kahuzi-
Biega, indicates what risks conservationists take (see
Redmond, 2000). He preferred the term `bandits' rather than
terms such as Interanhamwe or Mai-Mai for what the UN
Security Council report terms `negative forces'. He described
how armed gangs of these `bandits' rob and murder people, and
how the RCD is unable to prevent it through lack of
resources.
If the international community would provide the means, he
felt sure that the situation could be turned around given the
obvious dedication of ICCN staff.
the rwandan government's position
Rwanda has long been extremely supportive of great ape
conservation. Since the death of Digit on the last day of
1977, and the rallying of support of mountain gorillas
through the work of Dian Fossey, Rwanda has largely been held
up as a shining example to other developing countries. Since
1979, the government has been an active partner in first the
mountain Gorilla Project and then the International Gorilla
conservation Programme (both consortia with FFI, AWF and
WWF). Throughout the civil war and genocide, except in the
most extreme circumstances the Rwanda parks authority, ORTPN,
has continued to protect the Parc des Volcans with its own
rangers, and co-operate with the anti-poaching patrols of the
Karisoke Research Centre, funded by the Dian Fossey Gorilla
Fund International.
It is strange, then, to read of Rwanda being accused of
involvement with the demise of Grauer's gorillas in eastern
DRC. I put this to the Minister of the Interior, M. Jean de
Dieu Ntiruhungwa, and he was firm in his reply, ``The Rwandan
Government considers gorilla conservation to be very
important, and this applies both in Rwanda and in
neighbouring Congo.'' The same point was made by H.E. Mrs
Rosemary Museminali, the Rwandan Ambassador in London. How,
then, do the allegations stand up to scrutiny?
The area of KBNP in which coltan mining is destroying
wildlife and habitat is not in the hands of Rwanda's army or
their allies the RCD-Goma. It is occupied by Mai-Mai and
Interahamwe--Rwanda's enemies. It is also difficult terrain
in which to fight a guerrila war, and would require a major
military campaign if it were to be taken by force--with the
consequent further destruction (human and wildlife) that this
would entail. Is Rwanda exonerated then?
As detailed in the controversial UN Security Council report
(see www.un.org/News and extracts in Annex A) there is a
debate over whether Rwanda and Uganda should trade at all
with eastern DRC while it is in the hands of rebels hostile
to the Kinshasa government. Rwanda points out that eastern
DRC is closer to the ports of Mombasa, Kenya and Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania, than to Kinshasa, and that trade has always
flowed eastwards from the region (which is why Swahili is the
[[Page H3014]]
first language of many in eastern Congo). The latest reports
of the UN Security Council debate on this issue can be found
at www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2001/sc7057.doc.htm.
Whatever the outcome of this wider trade debate, however,
the fact remains that there are calls for a specific boycott
of coltan from the region in an attempt to protect Congo's
bio-diversity. But as we have seen, this would cause intense
hardship to Rwanda's legal miners. What is required is for
the scientific community to pinpoint the chemical signatures
of coltan samples known to originate in KBNP (and other
protected areas such as the Okapi Wildlife Reserve and Maiko
National Park), and for international buyers to agree to
avoid shipments that match them. This is not as far-fetched
as it may seem to the distant observer.
Geological collections and published data are likely to
hold some of the results, and as ICCN has shown--the area can
be infiltrated by an undercover agent. The international
community should respond by making the expertise and
resources available to the relevant authorities--whatever
their politics--for the sake of saving these areas of
outstanding bio-diversity now. Conservation cannot wait for
the outcome of political wrangling. And as the tripartite
agreement between the three regions of ICCN has shown (Annex
D), it can be done.
bushmeat, orphaned apes and ivory
The trade in bushmeat is widely acknowledged to pose the
most serious threat to Africa's great apes and many other
endangered species. Even though apes form only a small
percentage of species traded, the impact on species with slow
reproduction rates is enormous. In some areas, apes may be
killed for food, in others, they may be killed or maimed by
snares set for other species. Either way, populations of
gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos are reported or thought to
be declining in most areas, leading to predictions of
extinction over most of the range within 10 to 20 years (Ape
Alliance campaign details available at www.4apes.com).
The rise of the commercial bushmeat trade in West and
Central Africa prompted the Ape Alliance in 1996 to
commission a review by Cambridge zoologist Evan Bowen-Jones
(Ape Alliance, 1998). At that time, a survey of Grauer's
gorilla populations gave an estimate of 8,660--25,499
gorillas (mean 16,902) in 11 populations (Hall et al, 1998).
Of these, 86 percent were found in the Kahuzi-Biega lowland
forests, and those which extend beyond the park boundary
westwards to Kasese (see map, page 4). An oft repeated
estimate for the number of gorillas in KBNP itself is +/-
8,000. This was a higher estimate than earlier surveys
indicated, and there was some optimism that this sub-species
might be relatively safe. Sadly, the optimism was short
lived.
When the first reports of the exploitation of Kahuzi-Biega
mentioned bushmeat, it was thought that the meat was probably
destined for local markets. The independent consultant (IC)
confirmed that this was the case when hunting first increased
in 1998. Reports of ivory, timber and gold coming out of the
park left the impression that anything of value was being
looted by these armed `bandits'. It is only now that the
picture since 1999 has emerged. Most of the miners in the
park were eating large mammal meat for a year or more,
including elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, buffaloes and
antelopes. By the time the IC did his undercover work this
March, people were eating tortoises, birds, small antelope
and monkeys. He reported that hunters used to go out daily
from the mining camps and return with large mammals. Now they
go out for up to a week, and even then sometimes return empty
handed. No elephant meat was seen during his four weeks of
fieldwork, nor were tracks observed. Putting that in the
context of the map above, with its scattering of dots
representing mining camps and settlements, it seems likely
that elephants may be all but extinct and other large mammals
have declined dramatically and are heading for local
extinction. If these reports are verified, the world
population of Grauer's gorilla may have declined by 80-90 per
cent, with perhaps as few as 2,000-3,000 survivors in
scattered pockets of a few hundred each. The IC report (Annex
B) mentions an estimated 200 men setting snares to feed the
mining camps. In a park of 6,000 km2, this gives an average
hunting ground of only 5km x 6km per hunter (although in
reality the distribution would not be even). Clearly,
sustained trapping at this intensity will exterminate every
terrestrial animal capable of triggering the snares. In
addition, the IC mentions poachers and ex-military using
fire-arms--these will ensure the arboreal species, such as
monkeys and larger birds, do not escape the carnage.
In the mining camps in KBNP, money is seldom used because
coltan has become the currency. Most of the bushmeat is not,
therefore, being exported to towns for sale, but is being
exchanged directly for coltan to feed the miners. But I did
hear a story of a large piece of elephant meat being flown
out in a military aircraft for consumption by officers.
Ivory
There were also rumors of nearly two tonnes of ivory in a
store in Bukavu. In the latest issue of the ICCN PKNB-GTZ
Newsletter `Le Gorille, 4' Chantal Shalukoma writes that
`about 1,340 kg of ivory exist in the commune Ibanda and
about 500 kg at the home of a businessman in Bukavu, who acts
as an intermediary between the poachers and foreign buyers.
These caches are thought to have come from the massacre of 46
elephants in the mountainous region of KBNP.' Hard evidence,
however, is harder to come by, although the quantity of ivory
on sale in Rwanda is an indication of the increase in illegal
trade in that commodity (see Annex E).
Orphaned apes
The IC mentioned that he had seen a live baby gorilla being
carried out of the forest on someone's back in a baby wrap.
It was not a very small one (maybe 1-2 years) and seemed in
good health. This was shortly before an expatriate soldier
was offered a baby gorilla for sale in Gisenyi, Rwanda on
10th April 2001, and could well have been the same one.
Unfortunately, the well-meaning soldier lectured the vendors
on the error of their ways, and so was not taken to see the
orphan and its whereabouts now is not known. Sadly, the
whereabouts is known of many orphan chimpanzees, who seem
better able to survive the traumas of capture and ill-
treatment.
At the quarterly meeting of ICCN Conservators on 22nd and
23rd November 2000, the subject of illegally held protected
species was on the agenda. It was estimated that there may be
as many as 50 orphan chimpanzees in the region--Vince Smith
spoke of at least 20 in Bukavu and up to 10 in Goma alone.
One of the action points for that meeting was to organize a
census of such captives, most of which are not receiving
adequate care. The problem is then what to do about them.
Without a sanctuary to keep them in, the authorities are
unable to confiscate them, and so there is an urgent need for
an animal welfare NGO to step in to help here.
The lesson of Uganda's Ngamba Island sanctuary should be
considered, however. Built to cope with just one or two
confiscations per year, the war in DRC has led to a sharp
increase in chimp orphans being smuggled or brought home by
soldiers as pets, and the sanctuary is now full. Resources
are now being sought for a second island sanctuary to cope
with the anticipated rush of new confiscations by the Uganda
Wildlife Authority.
If a similar ICCN approved sanctuary is built near Lake
Kivu, it must also become an education centre designed to
deter people from killing chimpanzees, and so help to cure
the problem of which these sad orphans are a symptom.
socio-economic consequences of the coltan boom
The destructive nature of the coltan-rush is not just to be
measured in its environmental impact. Instead of being a rate
opportunity for bringing benefits to hard-pressed
communities, Coltan has brought out the world attributes of
human nature--decadence, immorality, drug abuse and crime.
Thousands of families have been deserted by their main
wage-earner in the desire to ``get-rich-quick''.
Agricultural production is therefore down as many fields
remain un-tilled.
Prostitution has increased; the IC reported that in the
camps, sex was available for a spoonful of coltan.
As a consequence, an increase in sexually transmitted
diseases has been reported, especially AIDS.
Drug abuse and crime has reportedly risen as more ``fast
money'' has been circulating.
Education has been badly affected; in Le Gorille 4, Bakongo
Mudahama reports that school attendance has dropped by 30 per
cent as students have deserted their studies for ``la chasse
du Coltan''.
Many lives have been lost in mining accidents; Bakongo
(ibid) reports 90 miners killed in collapsed coltan mines in
Mumba and Luwowo.
Almost all of the major profits of this valuable resource
accrue to foreigners, not to local people.
It is a double tragedy that the sudden increase in coltan
prices has led to social and ecological destruction, rather
than providing an opportunity to bring lasting benefits to
the people of this region by careful exploitation of legally
mined deposits. It is the responsibility of those in the
developed world, whose demand has created this chaos, to step
in with the skills and resources to turn the situation
around.
Coltan mining, with safe mines and environmentally
responsible practice, could yet turn out to be a boom to the
region. But only a responsible attitude on the part of the
buyers will achieve this in a region where guns rule and
might is perceived as right. The concept of `Certified
Coltan' needs to be introduced immediately to the world
market, and mineral dealers must act quickly if they are not
to be tainted with the decadence of the DRC Coltan Boom.
conclusion
The future of Kahuzi-Biega National Park hangs in the
balance. It is up to the international community to decide
which way that balance will tip.
Although no census has been possible in the occupied
lowland section, the warden is now estimating that gorilla
numbers in KBNP may have dropped below 1,000, of which 130
live in the better protected mountain sector.
The habituated groups are in this sector, and may end up as
the only survivors in the short term. But 130 is considered
by geneticists as too small for a founder population of a
genetically heterogenous species, and the danger of in-
breeding may threaten their long term survival even with
protection from
[[Page H3015]]
bushmeat hunters. There is a slim possibility that a few of
the other scattered, isolated populations of Grauer's gorilla
have survived, but if so, numbers are likely to be small and
declining and they may face the same fate as those in KBNP.
Given that the forests in and adjacent to KBNP were
estimated to contain 86 per cent of the world's Grauer's
gorillas, and that the other 14 per cent is also likely to
have been hit by poaching, the evidence indicates a possible
80-90 per cent reduction in only three years.
If this park and its magnificent gorillas are to be given
one last chance, it must be with both parts of the park, and
the corridor of land that links them, intact. Now is the time
of action!
Acknowledgements
The information in this report could not have been gathered
without the kind, and often courageous, assistance of many
people. I am grateful to all those who gave freely of their
time, including (in approximate order of meeting them):
In Kigali: Vince Smith, Jean de Dieu Ntiruhungwa, Francois
Nkinziwike; Viateur Nsengimana;
In Goma: Vital Katembo, Tuver-Wundi, Dieudonne Ntambabazi,
Claude Sikubwabo, Henry Girhuza, Kasuku wa Neyo; Stanislas
Bakinahe, Anicet Mburanumwe-Chiri and the staff of ICCN;
In Bukavu: Remy Mitima, Kasereka Bishikwabo, Carlos and
Christine Schuler-Deschryver, John Kahekwa, Mbilizi Wenga and
the staff of GTZ and ICCN.
For security reasons, some cannot be named here, but named
and anonymous, they should know that the world is indebted to
them for their continued commitment to conservation in the
face of threats to their personal safety.
In England, I am grateful to Greg Cummings, Jillian Miller,
Judith Egerton and Celia Davis of DFGFE, to Ben Dykes and
David Pledger of BFF for help in the rapid production of this
report, and to Stanley Johnson and Cindy Milburn of the
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for their
support and advice.
References
Ape Alliance, 1998 The African Bushmeat Trade--A Recipe for
Extinction. Ape Alliance, Cambridge, UK.
Hall, Jefferson, Kristin Saltonstall, Bila-Isia Inogwabini
and Ilambu Omari, 1998 Distribution, abundance and
conservation status of Grauer's gorilla. Oryx 32 (2): 122-
130.
ICCN/PNKB-GTZ Le Gorille, Issues No. 2 (1.6.2000), No. 3
(6.12.2000) and No. 4 (1.6.2001).
Redmond, Ian, 2000 Horror in DRC. Wildlife Times, Winter
2000, born Free Foundation, www.bornfree.org.uk
Steinhauer-Burkatt, Bernd, Michael Muhlenberg and Jolanta
Stowik, 1995 Kahuzi-Biega National Park. A Guide Book
published by IZCN/GTZ-Project `Integrated Nature Conservation
in East-Zaire`.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in support
of H.R. 643, legislation which would reauthorize the African Elephant
Conservation Act. I would certainly like to compliment and commend the
chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife, and
Oceans, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest), who also happens
to be the author of this piece of legislation, a dear friend and a
colleague, and certainly also would like to commend the chairman of our
Committee on Resources, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen), and our
ranking Democrat, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), for
their support in bringing this legislation to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, it was not too long ago when the annihilation of the
African elephant population was predicted, if not expected, to occur by
the close of the 20th century. Such was the devastation, that by the
end of the 1980s the population of African elephants, which once had
ranged over virtually the entire Sub-Saharan region of the African
continent, was reduced to small remnant populations suffering from
widespread poaching and other conflicts with the needs of the growing
human population.
In response to this conservation crisis, the Congress of the United
States passed the African Elephant Conservation Act in 1988, and the
fate of this flagship species has been improving ever since.
Grants initiated under the African Elephant Act have been responsive,
effective, and successful in supporting conservation activities
throughout Africa. As a result, many range states today have taken
great strides in reducing poaching, which was at one time approaching
epidemic proportions. Grants have also supported activities to confront
and fight the illegal trade in wildlife and to build conservation
capabilities to the village level, where there is still much more that
needs to be done.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 643 is a straightforward reauthorization of this
act. The administration fully supports this legislation, and I commend
the staff of the Fish and Wildlife Service for their cooperation in
working with us to improve this legislation. As a result, the few
refinements that were adopted during consideration by the Subcommittee
on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans should stimulate greater
public involvement, help create new partnerships and ensure fair and
equitable support for local conservation activities.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, great progress has been made in recovering
African elephants from the precipice of disaster. That is an
achievement for which we can all be proud. Yet future progress is
contingent on the United States maintaining its strong leadership and
support for this very successful and effective international wildlife
conservation effort.
Again, I commend my good friend from Maryland for sponsorship of this
legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 643, legislation
which would re-authorize the African Elephant Conservation Act. I am
pleased that today we are also considering H.R. 700 to reauthorize the
Asia Elephant Conservation Act. These bills are vital to insuring the
survival of one of the earth's ``flagship'' species.
Less than two decades ago, the African Elephant population teetered
on the brink of extinction. Rampant poaching fueled by the black market
trade of ivory and the encroachment of human development had reduced
the once abundant population to a small trace of its former prosperity.
The African Elephant Conservation Act was enacted in 1988 in response
to this crisis. The grants initiated under the act have dramatically
reduced poaching by working with local communities to eliminate the
illegal trade in endangered wildlife and to foster sustainable
conservation practices.
At a time when we are confronting the loss of many species, every
effort must be made in Congress to preserve species of plants, animals
and their habitats throughout the world. We must continue to strengthen
endangered species laws and to support the strongest possible measures
to ensure the survival of the world's elephants and other wildlife
populations.
Mr. FALEMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 643, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8, rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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