It is a great pleasure for me to be here today to describe the role the United States Government is playing in the fight against the illegal trade of wildlife in Central Africa.
On April 10, 2015, the U.S. Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, James Swan, accompanied by USAID/DRC Mission Director Diana Putman, officially handed over the keys of a newly constructed USAID-funded checkpoint and housing facility for the guards of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park to the Deputy Governor of South Kivu province, Gabriel Kalonda Mbula.
More than 80 million people depend on Central Africa’s rich forests and associated natural resources for their livelihoods. In addition to satisfying these immediate needs, the forest ecosystem provides services such as global climate regulation and a reservoir for unique and globally important biodiversity resources. However, despite the richness of the Congo Basin, the people of the Basin are among the poorest in Africa.
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