美國投資大亨和慈善家華倫巴菲特的長子霍華德巴菲特10日在坦尚尼亞承諾,其主持的私人基金會將資助直升機、購買車輛、GPS設備、訓練直升機飛行員和巡守員,供塞盧斯禁獵區(Selous Game Reserve)監控盜獵活動,並幫助坦尚尼亞建立反盜獵能力和執行反盜獵任務。
坦尚尼亞投入反盜獵
直升機將在6個月內抵達坦尚尼亞。在那之前,巴菲特將先租下一台直升機,5月中即開始巡邏。位於坦尚尼亞南部的塞盧斯禁獵區,是聯合國認定之世界遺產,也是世界最大的動物保護區之一。大象、河馬、非洲水牛和鱷魚等動物在此棲息。
霍華德巴菲特基金會和坦尚尼亞自然資源與觀光部合作,聘請兩位顧問,提供塞盧斯禁獵區和Pasiansi野生動植物培訓學院6個月的顧問諮詢服務。
坦國自然資源與觀光部長Nyalandu表示,政府已經釋出450個巡守員的工作機會,整個財務年度將雇用950人。此外,政府也將提供25把AK47來福槍給學院作為訓練用途。
巴菲特基金會高額資助國家公園保育
霍華德巴菲特基金會長年貢獻非洲的保育工作。今年3月,霍華德巴菲特透他的過基金會和南非非營利組織自然保護信託以及南非國家公園處合作,開啟一項為期3年的克魯格國家公園反犀牛盜獵計畫,投入前所未有的高額資金達2370萬美元。
巴菲特基金會的資金將幫助克魯格國家公園設立密集保護區,配備嚴密的偵測和追蹤設備,以及空中和地面的基礎設施。此外也規劃了精英警犬單位、巡守團隊和更精良的智慧蒐集、觀察和監控系統。
在非洲其他地區,盜獵往往是武裝組織用來籌募資金的方式,克魯格國家公園的反盜獵計畫亦針對反盜獵技巧進行測試,以期未來用在非洲其他地區。
克魯格國家公園有全世界最大的犀牛群。全世界僅存22,000隻犀牛中,有40%棲息在此。但是2010年1月起,克魯格國家公園已經有1383隻犀牛遭盜獵,全南非盜獵數量總計已達2368隻,某些非洲地區甚至整個犀牛群都被消滅。
On a visit to Tanzania, Howard G. Buffett, the elder son of American investor and philanthropist Warren Edward Buffett, Thursday pledged to provide a helicopter for surveillance of poachers in the Selous Game Reserve.
Through the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a private foundation in the United States that he heads, the American billionaire also will support capacity building and anti-poaching efforts in Tanzania through purchase of vehicles, GPS equipment and the training of helicopter pilots and game rangers.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Tanzania, Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest animal reserves in the world, inhabited by elephants, hippos, Cape buffalo and crocodiles.
The helicopter will arrive in Tanzania in about six months, and meanwhile, Buffett will lease a helicopter to begin patrols in mid-May.
Working with the ministry, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation has hired two consultants to give advice to the Selous Game Reserves and the Pasiansi Wildlife Training College for six months, the minister said.
Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyalandu said the government has announced employment opportunities for 450 game rangers out of 950 it plans to employ during this financial year and will give 25 AK47 rifles to the college for training purposes.
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has a long history of support for conservation in Africa.
In South Africa in March, through the foundation and the Nature Conservation Trust, a nonprofit South African trust fully funded by the foundation, Buffett launched a three-year initiative to combat rhino poaching in Kruger National Park in cooperation with South African National Parks.
The unprecedented US$23.7 million (RAND 255 million), three-year initiative will combat rhino poaching in Kruger National Park and test anti-poaching tactics that can be applied in other regions of Africa, where poaching can be a source of funding for armed groups.
Kruger is inhabited by over 40 percent of the world’s remaining 22,000 rhinos, the largest single population of rhinos in the world.
Since January 2010, 1,383 rhinos have been poached from Kruger National Park, part of a larger assault that resulted in 2,368 rhinos poached in South Africa over the past few years. In some areas of Africa, entire populations of rhino have been eliminated.
With the funds, Kruger National Park will create an Intensive Protection Zone using sophisticated detection and tracking equipment and infrastructure on the ground and in the air. Plans call for elite canine units and highly-trained ranger teams, and improved intelligence gathering and observation and surveillance systems.
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